Born José Gomes Filho, in Paraíba, Brazil, a region in the northeast of the country, Jackson do Pandeiro's mother, Flora Mourão, was a musician and singer who played several percussion instruments.
As a child he had originally wanted to play the accordion, but his parents could not afford it and bought him a pandeiro, a type of tambourine, in its place. He began playing music with the zabumba, however, in order to assist his mother in performances. When Jackson was 13 years old his family moved to Campina Grande, a city in Paraíba. After the move, Jackson lived in João Pessoa, where he performed in various cabarets and on the radio; and also to Recife, where he eventually began working in a radio station and took the pseudonym of Jackson do Pandeiro. Originally his mother had nicknamed him "Jack", after the actor Jack Perry, who played parts in cowboy films which were popular in Brazil during Jackson's youth. He had his first hit with "Sebastiana", a song based on traditional Brazilian rhythms.
The single was followed by a number of albums that were successful with audiences throughout Brazil. Soon after, he joined his future wife Almira Castilhos de Albuquerque on a trip to Rio de Janeiro, financed by his recent success. The two had been performing in a duo together and were eventually married in October 1954. However, the duo and marriage were jointly ended in 1967, and Jackson's popularity diminished soon after. Jackson did find some greater success later, though, when the popular singer and guitarist Gilberto Gil, as well as the singer Gal Costa, recorded some of his material in 1972.
Discography
1954: Sua Majestade - o Rei do Ritmo
1955: Jackson do Pandeiro
1956: Forró do Jackson
1957: Jackson e Almira - Os Donos do Ritmo
1958: Forró do Jackson
1959: Jackson do Pandeiro
1960: Cantando de Norte a Sul
1961: Ritmo, Melodia e a Personalidade de Jackson do Pandeiro
1961: Mais Ritmo
1962: A Alegria da Casa
1962: ...É Batucada!
1963: Forró do Zé Lagoa
1964: Tem Jabaculê
1964: Coisas Nossas
1965: ...E Vamos Nós!
1966: O Cabra da Peste
1967: A Braza do Norte
1970: Aqui Tô Eu
1971: O Dono do Forró
1972: Sina de Cigarra
1973: Tem Mulher, Tô Lá
1974: Nossas Raízes
1975: A Tuba da Muié
1976: É Sucesso
1977: Um Nordestino Alegre
1978: Alegria Minha Gente
1980: São João Autêntico de Jackson do Pandeiro
1981: Isso é que é Forró!
Como Tem Ze Na Paraiba
Jackson do Pandeiro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Zé de baixo, Zé de riba
Tesconjuro com tanto Zé
Como tem Zé lá na Paraíba.
(coro repete)
Lá na feira é só Zé que faz fervura
Tem mais Zé do que coco catolé
Outros cem no comércio tem de Zé
Tanto Zé desse jeito é um estrago
Eu só sei que tem Zé de dar com o pé
Faz lembrar a gagueira de um gago
Que aqui se danou a dizer Zé.
Num forró que eu fui em Cajazeira
O cacete cantou e fêz banzé
Pois um bebo no meio da bebedeira
Falou mal e xingou a mãe dum Zé
Como tinha só Zé nesse zunzum
Houve logo tamanho rapapé
Mãe de Zé era a mãe de cada um
No salão brigou tudo que era Zé...
É Zé João, Zé Pilão e Zé Maleta
Zé Negào, Zé da Cota, Zé Quelé
Todo mundo só tem uma receita
Quando quer ter um filho só tem Zé
E com essa franqueza que eu uso
Eu repito e se zangue quem quiser
Tanto Zé desse jeito é um abuso
Mas o diabo é que eu me chamo Zé...
The lyrics of Jackson do Pandeiro's song Como Tem Zé Na Paraíba are a clever commentary on the prevalence of the name Zé in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. The song talks about the different Zés (a popular nickname for José) that one can find in Paraíba - whether they're from the lowlands or the highlands, in the market or in the government, or causing trouble at a party. The singer is incredulous at the vast number of people named Zé in the state, and the fact that even he himself has the name.
The song also touches on the idea of identity - while there are so many Zés in Paraíba, they are all unique individuals with their own families, jobs, and personalities. This idea is emphasized in the second verse, where a fight breaks out at a party because someone insulted the mother of one of the Zés present. The fact that everyone identifies strongly with their name and their family is also evident in the last verse, where the singer talks about how people in Paraíba tend to name their children Zé when they want a son.
Overall, the song is a humorous ode to the name Zé and the people of Paraíba. It celebrates the unique sense of community that comes from sharing a name, while also acknowledging the individuality of each Zé.
Line by Line Meaning
Vige como tem Zé
Wow, there are so many people named Zé
Zé de baixo, Zé de riba
There are Zé's from all walks of life
Tesconjuro com tanto Zé
It's overwhelming how many Zé's there are
Como tem Zé lá na Paraíba.
There are a lot of Zé's in Paraíba
(chorus repeats)
Chorus repeats the main idea of the song
Lá na feira é só Zé que faz fervura
At the market, Zé dominates
Tem mais Zé do que coco catolé
There are more Zé's than coconut trees
Só de Zé tem uns cem na Prefeitura
There are over a hundred Zé's working in the government
Outros cem no comércio tem de Zé
There are also a hundred Zé's in the business sector
Tanto Zé desse jeito é um estrago
Having this many Zé's is a problem
Eu só sei que tem Zé de dar com o pé
There are so many Zé's, it's hard to keep track
Faz lembrar a gagueira de um gago
It's like the stutter of a person who stutters
Que aqui se danou a dizer Zé.
Who is unfortunately unable to say 'Zé'
Num forró que eu fui em Cajazeira
At a party in Cajazeira that I went to
O cacete cantou e fêz banzé
A fight broke out and chaos ensued
Pois um bebo no meio da bebedeira
A drunk person in the midst of their drunkenness
Falou mal e xingou a mãe dum Zé
Insulted and cursed at a Zé's mother
Como tinha só Zé nesse zunzum
As there were only Zé's in the commotion
Houve logo tamanho rapapé
A big commotion ensued
Mãe de Zé era a mãe de cada um
Every Zé saw the insult as directed towards their own mother
No salão brigou tudo que era Zé...
Everyone who was a Zé got into a fight
É Zé João, Zé Pilão e Zé Maleta
There's Zé João, Zé Pilão, and Zé Maleta
Zé Negào, Zé da Cota, Zé Quelé
There's Zé Negão, Zé da Cota, Zé Quelé
Todo mundo só tem uma receita
Everyone has the same recipe
Quando quer ter um filho só tem Zé
When they want a son, they only have a Zé
E com essa franqueza que eu uso
With the frankness that I use
Eu repito e se zangue quem quiser
I repeat, and whoever is upset may be
Tanto Zé desse jeito é um abuso
So many Zé's like this is too much
Mas o diabo é que eu me chamo Zé...
But the devil is that my name is also Zé
Contributed by Samuel V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ubiracimedeirosazevedo1900
Jackson do pandeiro é um imortal..❤