Baden Powell also composed many fine pieces for guitar, such as Abração em Madrid, Braziliense, Canto de Ossanha, Casa Velha, Consolação, Horizon, Imagem, Lotus, Samba, Samba Triste, Simplesmente, Tristeza e solidão, and Xangô.
Roberto Baden Powell de Aquino was born in Varre-Sai in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father, a scouting enthusiast, named him after Robert Baden-Powell. When he was three months old, his family relocated to the Rio suburb of São Cristóvão. The new surroundings proved profoundly influential. His house was a stop for popular musicians during his formative years. He started guitar lessons with Jayme Florence, a famous choro guitarist in the 1940s. He soon proved a young virtuoso, having won many talent competitions before he was a teenager. At age fifteen, he was already playing professionally, accompanying singers and bands in various styles. As a youngster, he was fascinated by swing and jazz, but his main influences were firmly rooted in the Brazilian guitar canon.
In 1955, Powell was playing with the Steve Bernard Orquestra at the Boite Plaza, a nightclub within the Plaza Hotel in Rio, where his skill got the attention of the jazz trio playing across the lobby at the Plaza Bar. When Ed Lincoln needed to form a new trio, he asked Powell to join on guitar to become the Hotel Plaza Trio. Powell brought in Luiz Marinho for bass duties as well as a fourth member of the "trio": Claudette Soares on vocals. Powell, Lincoln and their young musician friends took part in after-hours jam sessions, gaining notice in the growing Brazilian jazz scene.
Powell achieved much wider fame in 1959 by convincing Billy Blanco, an established singer and songwriter, to put lyrics to one of Powell's compositions. The result was called "Samba Triste" and quickly became very successful. It has been covered by many artists, including Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd in their seminal LP Jazz Samba.
In 1962, Powell met the poet-diplomat Vinicius de Moraes and began a collaboration that yielded some true classics of 1960s Brazilian music. Although bossa nova was the prevailing sound of the times, the partnership Baden-Vinicius wanted to transcend the then-fashionable sound by syncretizing Afro-Brazilian forms such as Candomblé, Umbanda and Capoeira with Rio de Janeiro's Samba forms. The most enduring result is a series released as an LP in 1966 under the name "Os Afro-Sambas de Baden e Vinicius". During those years, he studied advanced harmony with Moacir Santos, released recordings in the Brazilian labels Elenco and Forma, as well as in the French label Barclay and the German label MPS/Saba (notably, his 1966 Tristeza on Guitar, considered by many to be a high point in his career). In addition, he was the house guitarist for Elenco, and of the celebrated singer Elis Regina's TV show "O Fino da Bossa".
In 1968, he partnered with poet Paulo Cesar Pinheiro and produced another series of Afro-Brazilian inspired music released in 1970 as "Os Cantores da Lapinha".
He visited and toured Europe frequently in the 1960s, relocating permanently to France in 1968. In the 1970s, he released many recordings with different labels in Europe and Brazil. His star dimmed somewhat owing to health problems and people's changing tastes. He spent the 1980s in semi-retirement in France and Germany. Finally, in the 1990s he and his family moved back to Brazil, where he continued to record and perform. Public recognition of his work came around that time in Brazil. By the end of the 1990s he converted to the Evangelical faith, to which he credits overcoming his long addictions to alcohol and tobacco. Nevertheless, his health had greatly deteriorated after many years of abuse, and he fell terminally ill in 2000.
Baden Powell died of pneumonia triggered by diabetes on 26 September 2000, in Rio de Janeiro.
He is the father of pianist Philippe Baden Powell de Aquino and guitarist Louis Marcel Powell de Aquino.
Playing style
Baden Powell decided at age 19 to stop playing the electric guitar, preferring to concentrate on the classical guitar for the rest of his career. He did record a series of albums with a borrowed steel-string acoustic, but that is as far as he strayed from his main instrument in his adulthood.
An analysis of his repertoire reveals a wide range of interests. It spanned all the idioms of Brazilian popular music of the 20th century: Samba, Bossa Nova, Afro-bahian ritual music, Frevo, Choro, North Eastern Sertão music, even European and Japanese lullabies. Like most musicians growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, he was deeply influenced by Jazz, especially Bebop and Swing. He covered Thelonious Monk's 'Round Midnight on two recordings, and Jerome Kern's All the Things you Are on three occasions (including his first solo album).
This upbringing is reflected in his playing style, which shows a fusion of jazz harmonies and classical guitar technique, with a very Brazilian right hand (i.e., the one carrying the rhythm on the guitar). In solo classical music, he was quite proficient in the works of Tárrega and Bach. When playing in a group, he was able to accompany singers with quiet mastery, or let loose and play street Samba in sloppy "party" style as if the guitar was another percussion instrument. Like Monk, he was fond of the minor second interval as a way to "bend" the tonality. However, because of his jazz background, he would rarely physically bend the string, preferring instead to play the minor second using an adjacent open string. Students of his style should note this preference for chord voicings that feature extensions on the open strings as a way of punctuating passages. Other idioms to watch for are the endless variations in rhythm played by the right hand; always within the proper 2/4 samba meter, as well as his tendency to put his "signature" in a fast descending scale with a (slower) ascending arpeggio in the relative key. Another common device that he used in his recordings consisted of his use of vocalise and scat singing, often in unison with the melody line (especially when the melody was sung on the bass strings of the guitar).
His influences, according to his testimony, were his first teacher "Meira" (Jayme Florence, 1909–1982), Dilermando Reis (1916–1977), and Garoto (Anibal Augusto Sardinha, 1915–1955). He also commented about being influenced by the work of Les Paul (Lester William Polfus, 1915–2009), Django Reinhardt (1910–1953) and Jacques Loussier (1934-).
Discography
Baden Powell first appeared as accompanist on a handful of big band and samba recordings from the 1950s. He recorded his first solo album in 1959, but it was released in 1961. His first and second albums as a featured performer show a selection of Jazz standards along with Brazilian hits of the time and some original compositions. In 1962, he rose to international attention when he recorded with flutist Herbie Mann and drummer Jimmy Pratt. By 1963, he was flying solo and fronting small ensembles in Brazil and France. The French labels Barclay and Festival released many of his recordings. In Germany, MPS/Saba released his work with producer Joachim Berendt. In Brazil, he recorded for the Elenco, Forma and the Brazilian subsidiary of Philips Records. After a relative drought of new releases in the 1980s, Baden Powell returned to recording studios in Brazil for his final years. These late recordings showcase him playing mostly solo guitar, or voice and guitar in a relaxed, intimate style, with occasional flurries of his former energetic playing.
Samba de aviao
Baden Powell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aroeira beira de mar
Salve Deus e Tiago e Humaitá
Eta, costão de pedra dos home brabo do mar
Eh, Xangô, vê se me ajuda a chegar"
Minha alma canta
Vejo o Rio de Janeiro
Rio, teu mar, praias sem fim
Rio, você foi feito pra mim
Cristo Redentor
Braços abertos sobre a Guanabara
Este samba é só porque
Rio, eu gosto de você
A morena vai sambar
Seu corpo todo balançar
Rio de sol, de céu, de mar
Dentro de mais um minuto estaremos no Galeão
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro
Cristo Redentor
Braços abertos sobre a Guanabara
Este samba é só porque
Rio, eu gosto de você
A morena vai sambar
Seu corpo todo balançar
Aperte o cinto, vamos chegar
Água brilhando, olha a pista chegando
E vamos nós
A ter rar
The lyrics to Baden Powell's song "Samba de aviao" evoke the beauty and vibrance of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The opening lines pay homage to various landmarks and deities associated with the city, including the Aroeira tree and the rugged coastal cliffs of Humaitá. Xangô, an Orisha associated with justice and thunder, is also invoked as a guide and protector. These lines suggest a deep connection to the spiritual traditions of Brazil, as well as a reverence for the natural beauty of Rio de Janeiro.
The rest of the song celebrates the city's physical and cultural charms. The singer's soul "sings" with longing for Rio de Janeiro, specifically its beaches and stunning views. The iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer, with its open arms embracing Guanabara Bay, is referenced multiple times as a symbol of the city's beauty and spirituality. The singer's appreciation for Rio de Janeiro is embodied in the figure of a "morena," a brunette woman who will dance to the samba rhythm and sway her whole body. The final lines of the song reference the singer's arrival at Galeão Airport, where they will begin their adventure in Rio de Janeiro.
Overall, "Samba de aviao" is a joyous, colorful tribute to a beloved city. Its lyrics blend elements of Brazilian folklore and spirituality with a playful, sensual celebration of Rio de Janeiro's natural and cultural splendor.
Line by Line Meaning
Eparrê,
A greeting to the gods of the sea, Tiago, and Humaitá.
Aroeira beira de mar
The Aroeira tree on the beach.
Salve Deus e Tiago e Humaitá
Praise to the gods of the sea, Tiago, and Humaitá.
Eta, costão de pedra dos home brabo do mar
Wow, the stone cliffs of the tough men of the sea.
Eh, Xangô, vê se me ajuda a chegar
Hey, Xangô, please help me get there.
Minha alma canta
My soul sings.
Vejo o Rio de Janeiro
I see Rio de Janeiro.
Estou morrendo de saudade
I am dying of nostalgia.
Rio, teu mar, praias sem fim
Rio, your sea, endless beaches.
Rio, você foi feito pra mim
Rio, you were made for me.
Cristo Redentor
Christ the Redeemer.
Braços abertos sobre a Guanabara
Arms open over Guanabara Bay.
Este samba é só porque
This samba is only because.
Rio, eu gosto de você
Rio, I like you.
A morena vai sambar
The brunette will samba.
Seu corpo todo balançar
Her entire body will sway.
Rio de sol, de céu, de mar
Rio of sun, sky, sea.
Dentro de mais um minuto estaremos no Galeão
Within another minute, we will be at Galeão.
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro.
Cristo Redentor
Christ the Redeemer.
Braços abertos sobre a Guanabara
Arms open over Guanabara Bay.
Este samba é só porque
This samba is only because.
Rio, eu gosto de você
Rio, I like you.
A morena vai sambar
The brunette will samba.
Seu corpo todo balançar
Her entire body will sway.
Aperte o cinto, vamos chegar
Fasten your seatbelt, we're going to arrive.
Água brilhando, olha a pista chegando
Water shimmering, look, the runway is approaching.
E vamos nós
And here we go.
A ter rar
No translation available.
Lyrics © CORCOVADO MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marcel Mendes Carvalho
A interpretação do Rafhael Rabello nessa música já é incrível, mas o Baden Powell é mestre, ele supera tudo, esse é o verdadeiro mestre ! Linda demais
guariba63
Tive a felicidade de ver Baden Powell ao vivo 3 vezes. A primeira em Colonia, na Barbarossaplatz, a segunda em Bonn, no Harmonie. Em Bonn ele já estava bem marcado pelo cancer. A terceira vez na minha querida Petrópolis, no Teatro Municipal (onde era antigamente o Cinema Dom Pedro), talvez em 1999, pouco antes dele morrer. Soberbo...
Raquel Triano
guariba63 felicidade mesmo, salve Baden!
WILLIAM FERNANDES
Que qualidade na execução! Extraordinário Baden e Raphael foram magníficos!
Julio Soto
a master. One the greatest guitarist of all time
charly
que maestro Baden !!!
Claudio Cursini
Era um mestre no violão - ele, toquinho, paulinho nogueira, joao bosco e outros
IRINEU FILHO
BADEN..... O MESTRE DO VIOLÃO
IRINEU FILHO
@wellington da silva souza...... Pois é..... O próprio brasileiro não sabe dar valor à música brasileira (de qualidade).
wellington da silva souza
Ele foi um dos maiores violonistas brasileiros mas infelizmente aqui no Brasil ele é pouco conhecido.