Imyra, Tayra, Ipy, Taiguara

Taiguara

1976

Cover of Imyra, Tayra, Ipy, Taiguara
Top 100

Why This Album Matters

Imyra, Tayra, Ipy - Taiguara, Taiguara's eleventh studio album, is widely recognised as a fundamental landmark both in the musician's career and in the history of Brazilian music. Recorded in Brazil after a period of the artist's exile, the album encapsulates an innovative sound and profound artistic expression. Its relevance is dramatically underscored by its initial fate: in a record period of just 72 hours after its release, the album was summarily banned and withdrawn from shops by the Brazilian Military Dictatorship, with all existing copies destroyed. This act of repression not only silenced the work for decades but also catapulted the album to mythical status, making it a symbol of resistance and stifled creativity.

Context

The release of Imyra, Tayra, Ipy - Taiguara marked Taiguara's return to Brazil in 1975, following an initial period of exile abroad. During his stay in England, the artist had already attempted to record Let The Children Hear The Music, a work that, ironically, was censored even outside Brazil and never saw the light of day. With permission for a new recording by EMI-Odeon in 1975, Taiguara sought to express his views in a political landscape still under the yoke of the Military Dictatorship. However, the immediate banning of the album and the subsequent destruction of the copies forced Taiguara into a new exile, this time to England and Tanzania, preventing him from releasing new work until 1983, with Canções de Amor e Liberdade.

Recording

The recording of Imyra, Tayra, Ipy - Taiguara extended for approximately six months, a process that, according to musical director Wagner Tiso, was influenced by Taiguara's perfectionism, leading to minor creative frictions. Aware of the relentless censorship that had already vetoed his previous album and various songs, Taiguara employed poetic analogies and metaphors in the lyrics to circumvent repression and communicate his subversive ideas. To ensure the recording, the musician even used pseudonyms and the name of his wife, Gheisa Gomes Chalar da Silva, as the author of the three songs considered most provocative: "Terra das Palmeiras", "Situação", and "Público". The album's complex harmonies were conceived collectively by the talented musicians involved, who included Taiguara himself (vocals, piano, synthesiser, mellotron, arrangements and orchestrations), Hermeto Pascoal (flute, bass flute, arrangements and orchestrations), Toninho Horta (acoustic guitar), Nivaldo Ornelas (saxophone and flute), Novelli (acoustic bass), Zé Eduardo Nazário (percussion and drums), Paulo Braga (drums and percussion), Jaques Morelenbaum (cello), Ubirajara Silva (bandoneon) and Lúcia Morelenbaum (harp), under the baton of Wagner Tiso.

Songs

The songs on Imyra, Tayra, Ipy - Taiguara are a testament to Taiguara's astuteness in times of repression. The artist employed poetic analogies to disguise critical messages, addressing profound themes in lyrics that superficially appeared to be about other subjects. In "Terra das Palmeiras", for example, the verse that calls for a "muzzled beloved" and a "thrush" that no longer sings, evokes the suppression of freedom, while in "Primeira Bateria", the declaration "liberdade/quero até morrer por você" reveals an unwavering commitment. The opening vignette, "Pianice", is a symphonic piece resulting from Taiguara's studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Irony also punctuates the album, as in "Público", where the verse "eles querem lotar o Maracanã/e precisam de mim, lá vou eu" satirises the artist's phase as a "festival winner". Ary Barroso's emblematic "Aquarela do Brasil" is reinterpreted on the track "Aquarela de um país na lua". Taiguara's indigenous, African, and Hispanic ancestry is revered in compositions such as "A Volta do Pássaro Ameríndio", "Sete Cenas de Imyra", "Luanda, Violeta Africana", and "Como em Guernica", the latter performed in Spanish. The album's concept is reinforced in the original liner notes, which feature the definition of the word "Taiguara" from the Tupi-Guarani "Taygoara", meaning "unconstrained, free, master of oneself".

Legacy

Despite the ban in 1976, the impact of Imyra, Tayra, Ipy - Taiguara resonated globally. Japanese producers acquired the copyright and released the album in Japan in 1980, keeping its musical relevance alive. In Brazil, the desire to rescue the work culminated in a "Repatriation Campaign" in 2005, led by Taiguara's daughter, Imyra Chalar, which mobilised approximately 100,000 signatures. This massive mobilisation achieved its objective, and in 2013, Imyra, Tayra, Ipy - Taiguara was finally officially released across the entire national territory, with remastering and release by the Kuarup record label. To celebrate this historic moment, musicians who participated in the original 1976 recording, such as Wagner Tiso, Toninho Horta, Jaques Morelenbaum, Nivaldo Ornelas, Novelli and Zé Eduardo Nazário, performed a special concert in honour of the album's release in Brazil.

Rankings

Tracks

Credits

Co-producer

Milton Miranda, Wagner Tiso

Conductor, Piano

Wagner Tiso

Directed By

Renato Corrêa

Backing Vocals

Lucinha, Malu, Marizinha, Nivaldo Ornelas, Novelli, Wagner Tiso

Vocals

Taiguara

Acoustic Bass

Novelli

Acoustic Guitar

Toninho Horta

Alto Saxophone

Jorge Ferreira Da Silva

Alto Saxophone, Clarinet

Netinho

Baritone Saxophone

Genaldo Medeiros

Cavaquinho

Neco

Cello

Alceu De Almeida Reis, Ana Bezerra De Mello Devos, Edmundo Oliani, Giorgio Bariola, Jaques Morelenbaum, Jorge Kundert Ranevsky, Peter Dauelsberg, Watson Clis, Zygmunt Stanislaw Kubala

Concertina

Ubirajara Correia Da Silva

Drums

Paulinho Braga

Flute

Hermeto Pascoal, Mauro Senise, Raul Mascarenhas

Flute, Piccolo Flute

Celso Woltzenlogel

French Horn

Toninho, Zdenek Svab

Harp

Lúcia Morelenbaum

Oboe

Braz Limonge Filho

Percussion

Zé Eduardo Nazario

Saxophone

João Theodoro Meirelles, Nivaldo Ornelas

Tenor Saxophone

Walter Rosa, Zé Bodega

Trombone

Antônio Macaxeira, Edmundo Maciel

Trumpet

Formiga, Heraldo, Maurilio

Viola

Arlindo Penteado, Géza Kiszely, Hindemburgo Pereira, Murilo Da Silva Loures

Violin

Adolpho Pissarenko, Alfredo Vidal, Cynira, Frantisek Bartik, Gentil Dias, GianCarlo Pareschi, Jorge Faini, José Alves Da Silva, José Dias De Lana, Marcello Pompeu Filho, Nathercia Teixeira, Octávio Miranda Ilha, Otávio Canabrava Waladares, Paschoal Perrota, Ricardo Wagner, Robert Arnaud, Salvador Piersanti, Walter Hack, Wilson Teodoro

Engineer

Dacy Rodrigues, Sérgio Bittencourt, Toninho

Engineer

Nivaldo Duarte

Lacquer Cut By

Osmar Furtado

Layout, Photography By

Thomas Michael Lewinsohn

Books

Álbum 2 - 1972 a 1978

Pedro Alexandre Sanches · 2022

Como contar a história da música brasileira? A série Álbum propõe partir destas criações que atravessam o tempo e marcam a experiência de diferentes gerações: os discos. Iniciando em 1950 e chegando até hoje, o jornalista e crítico musical Pedro Alexandre Sanches reconta esta história visitando a trajetória de artistas, gêneros e movimentos, em diálogo com o percurso político e cultural do país. Este volume aborda o período de 1972 a 1978, incluindo os álbuns mais relevantes da época.

The 500 Greatest Brazilian Albums of All Time

Ricardo Alexandre · 2022

The election was spearheaded by journalist Ricardo Alexandre, creator of the Discoteca Básica podcast. Ricardo consulted 162 specialists including journalists, YouTubers, podcasters, musicians, record-shop owners and producers. The result was published as a 200-page hardcover book, with graphic design by Fernando Pires.

Os Outubros de Taiguara

Janes Rocha · 2017

Primeiro livro editado pela Kuarup, a obra Os Outubros de Taiguara, escrita pela jornalista Janes Rocha, retrata a vida do cantor e compositor e traz em destaque um amplo levantamento sobre a ação da censura a esse que foi um dos artistas mais perseguidos pela ditadura militar. A obra mostra ainda dados de sua carreira e trajetória.

300 Important Albums of Brazilian Music

Charles Gavin, Tárik de Souza, Carlos Calado, Arthur Dapieve · 2008

Conceived by Titãs drummer and musical researcher Charles Gavin, the 434-page book brings together covers and reviews of albums released between 1929 and 2007. The texts were written by journalists Tárik de Souza, Arthur Dapieve and Carlos Calado.

Analyses

Discogs

Imyra, Tayra, Ipy, Taiguara – Discogs

discogs.com