| Fado music reveals the heart and soul of Portugal | | | | no singing, just beautiful melodies played on a tenor. |
| Fado is a style of music that originated in Portugal in | | | | This put it in a whole new light for me. I guess I started |
| the early 1800's. Influences possibly came from the | | | | to hear it differently since it was a sax speaking to me |
| Moors, Arabia, and Africa, all of which the Portuguese | | | | rather than some old Portuguese singer singing about |
| had contact with. The Moors were North African | | | | stuff I couldn't understand, I could understand this |
| Muslims who occupied Portugal and Spain from the | | | | though... Listen to Rao Kyao |
| 700's to the 1500's. They were eventually driven out | | | | The typical instrumentation is 2 Portuguese guitars |
| by crusaders but left great influences in food, cooking, | | | | which in Portuguese is called a guitara and 2 regular |
| architecture and music. | | | | acoustic nylon string guitars which the Portuguese call |
| Many North Americans have never heard of fado, not | | | | a viola. |
| surprising since it's not being played on your local | | | | The biggest star of Fado was Amalia Rodrigues who |
| commercial radio station. Those that I've met and have | | | | died a few years ago but was active for most of the |
| had a chance to hear it usually fall in love with it. | | | | second half of the 20th century. She was known and |
| Musically, it's very pleasing to the ears and follows a | | | | appreciated internationally and brought the fado of |
| predictable musical pattern. I think it has similarities to | | | | Portugal to the world. There have been Plays and |
| the Blues in America. Not so much in the harmonic | | | | films written about her.... |
| chord progression of the 1, 1V, V that the blues is | | | | She also brought one of the great American tenor |
| based on but the way the music itself came into | | | | saxophonists into the studio with her group to lay |
| existence and what it means and represents to it's | | | | some sax down on a few tracks. Don Byas was a |
| people and country today.The lyrical content of the | | | | contemporary of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, |
| Fado is usually about longing, lost love, hardships, the | | | | the great saxophonists of the early jazz swing era in |
| same things a blues song is usually about. Sonicaly it | | | | America around 1940. But Byas moved to Europe, |
| sounds much different. | | | | living in France, Holland, and Denmark in the mid 40's |
| I hated this music when I was a kid ! Sitting in the back | | | | and remained there for the rest of his life. Fortunately, |
| seat of my parents car, being forced to listen to it, not | | | | while in Portugal for a brief moment he was called in to |
| understanding the lyrics, and it sounded so foreign next | | | | a studio session with the great Amalia and so history |
| to the pop radio stations I listened to on my own time. I | | | | was made with one of the greatest American jazz |
| avoided it when I could and basically forgot about it as I | | | | tenor saxophonists together with the greatest |
| grew up. | | | | Portuguese fado singer. |
| One day, in my 20's and off and away on the | | | | If you've never heard fado music, do yourself a favor |
| saxophone I heard a recording by the Portuguese jazz | | | | and check it out! |
| saxophonist Rao Kyao playing Fado music on his sax, | | | | |