Ryuichi Sakamoto
HOME SWEET HOME Paying Tribute to the Genius of Tom Jobim, on His Own Piano, in His Own House
The music of Antonio Carlos Jobim has touched countless lives -- the man who wrote "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Desafinado" and almost single-handedly invented bossa nova is one of Brazil's national treasures. But three who were profoundly touched by Tom's art, his longtime collaborators Jaques and Paula Morelenbaum as well as Jobim fan Ryuichi Sakamoto, chose an intimate way to express their gratitude. The musically simpatico trio recorded for five days in the master's Rio home, exploring some of Jobim's lesser-known jewels -- some of which, such as his amorous "Tema Para Ana" and the "Chanson pour Michelle," written for Michel Legrand, have never been recorded. The lovely result is Casa, the trio's recording debut and a thoughtful look at Jobim's songwriting viewed through three dedicated and talented interpreters. While in New York preparing for the Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto tour, Jaques and Paula took a moment to share the domestic bliss of Casa with Barnes & Noble.com's Mark Schwartz.
Barnes & Noble.com: What were your feelings making this recording in Jobim's house and having Ryuichi playing?
Jaques Morelenbaum: Well, this was a very deep feeling. We stayed there for five days, it was summertime, everything is very beautiful at that time in Rio, especially in this location, Jobim's house. It's a very beautiful spot in Rio surrounded by forests and with a gorgeous view in front of us. Myself and Paula, we stayed making music for so many years in that place, having fun with Jobim. For so long we couldn't do this, so it was a special joy for us to make this music in that place again. And it was very special to have Sakamoto with us because we knew that his feelings were as deep as ours. His love and respect for the music was completely like ours.
Paula Morelenbaum:This impressed me a lot, to see him playing like Jobim -- the same touch. It was very emotional for me.
B&N.com: Was it a happy occasion? A little nostalgic, a little sad?
JM: It wasn't sad at all. It was happy, but it was very emotional, because this music is really, really beautiful. So if tears came to our eyes, it wasn't for sadness, if was for the pure emotion of doing some beautiful music in so special a situation. You can imagine, we knew this guy who was very special to us, like a guru, like a master, for many years. And then to be away from him -- from his body, at least -- and coming back to the place where he composed so many songs that we loved, that were a part of our lives, and to be able to play this music there... When we opened our eyes we were seeing so many beautiful things -- the forest, the ocean, and also looking at Paula and Ryuichi as friends doing what we love and having a lot of fun. It was unforgettable.
B&N.com: Where did the idea come from to do the recording at Jobim's house?
PM: Jobim's house was Ryuichi's idea. The idea of the album was mine, but the house was Ryuichi's.
B&N.com: That was easy, I guess, because you have a relationship with Jobim's son and grandson, who play in your quartet?
JM: Yeah, especially our relationship with Ana [Jobim]. Also, Paulo and Daniel, but the house doesn't belong to them. Ana helped us a lot to make this project come through. The thing is, a long time ago, five years ago, Ryuichi was in Rio. It was the year after Jobim passed away. He came to play in a concert of mine. And knowing of his love for Tom's work, I asked Ana to invite us to the house, so that Ryuichi could take a look, breathe the same air as Tom did. I think from that moment, Ryuichi was always thinking of doing some recording there.
B&N.com: And the idea for the album was Paula's idea?
PM: At Jobim's house, Ryuichi played Jobim's piano, and at that moment I had the idea to do an album with him playing and Jaques playing cello. Many years later I invited Ryuichi to do the album.
JM: We were touring with him in Europe, and Paula came out to meet us. We were having dinner one night and she came out with this idea. Ryuichi almost jumped out of his chair and said, "Yes! In his house!" We started working on it and contacted Ana. She was living in New York at the time, so the house was empty. It was a little hard at first for her to let us be there, but Paula convinced her, and we were there for five days.
B&N.com: Ana needed to be persuaded?
JM: Yes. You can understand, not being there, especially, and imagining hundreds of technicians and gear and people scratching her floors... But then we convinced her. We did this record in a very simple way. Ryuichi brought gear from New York, but it was very simple equipment, and there was one technician who put the studio together, a kind of home studio. So it was only the trio plus two technicians.
B&N.com: Paula mentioned that she thought Ryuichi played so much like Jobim did&. How did Sakamoto put his stamp on the material?
JM: First of all, we didn't make any arrangements for this album. We didn't have time to get together before, on one hand, and on the other hand we enjoyed each other's improvisational sense, as we have been working together for many years. We were sure that we could do a good job with it. Playing with freedom and respect, and passion for the music, I think that Ryuichi put his signature on it, even though we were playing with so much reverence to Jobim's music. So we were reading Jobim's original scores, with all the freedom we could.
B&N.com: There were no arrangements you listened to at all beforehand?
JM: No. Paula was the one who could think the most about this project because Ryuichi was involved with another project and I was touring. We met one day before recording. Paula put together a list of songs, thinking Ryuichi would choose five or six of them. But he loved everything on that first list, and that was the album.
B&N.com: What are some of your favorite moments on the album?
PM: Well, I love all of them. But I love more "Amor em Paz," because it's a bossa nova, and I don't know, the mood, the lyrics, it just moves me.
JM: I like the first song, "As Praias Desertas." This was the first take of the first recording of the whole album. We recorded it just once. Also, I like "Sabiá" which is my only contribution to the repertoire -- it's a song that I quote as one of Tom's most well constructed and beautiful. Also it's special because the original is a samba, a kind of a slow bossa nova. We tried to play it like that, and after the second time, Ryuichi came up with this comp that reminded us of Schumann. We loved it... It was already one of my favorites and became even more of a favorite. Also I'd say "Chanson pour Michelle," it's a song Tom dedicated to Michel Legrand. Tom only recorded it once in his life -- nobody knows this recording because it was for a TV series and in a very small edition. It was unreleased until now.
B&N.com: "Sabiá" to me is the most specific example of the collaboration on the record, the way the classical elements come in and transform the song. How did you feel about those elements, the French Impressionist touch, for example, that Sakamoto brought to Jobim's work?
JM: There's a big link because myself, and also Ryuichi and Jobim, were classical musicians with strong inclinations for pop music. I think the Impressionists also have that kind of link. They were using folk songs and they treated them in a sophisticated way. So I think there's a link between the Impressionists, Jobim, Sakamoto, and ourselves. We and Ryuichi as well liked the idea of sharing a side of Jobim that people don't know so much. Everyone knows "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Wave," but very few know "As Praias Desertas" or "Canção em Modo Menor" or "Derradeira Primavera." And this is as important to Jobim's work as all the bossa nova songs, you know? He composed more than 500 songs, and all of them are gorgeous.
August 28, 2002
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