It’s great to see/hear that the cult following Arthur Verocai’s self-titled 1972 album garnered, over time, gave the artist a second wind, so to speak.
He released Encore, on UK label Far Out (as well as several other recordings, in his native Brazil), in 2007, and has been able to take his music live, around the world.
Verocai is now 78. I wonder if I’ll get to experience his music live? I recently saw Marcos Valle, in London, on his ‘80th Birthday’ World Tour! So you never know…
As I type this, I’m listening to tracks from No Voo do Urubu, a 2016 release from Verocai. The first thing that struck me was how great an arranger he is. So far so good.
The second thing was that it sounds as if the drums on this recording might be programmed. Less good! But the material? The music? It’s really very good. Excellent in fact. It’s not too surprising that he’s evolved somewhat, in the intervening 45 years. But there’s a spirit or character that remains consistent, and very groovy/appealing.
I was expecting to be disappointed, to be honest. And – aside from the robot drums – I’m not. Rather the opposite. I’ll have to check out Encore as well. My worry there is compounded a little by my experience with Marcos Valle recordings on Far Out, which, whilst very, very good, don’t quite have the magic of his best ‘60s and ‘70s stuff.