Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World by Ruy Castro Page B
Authors: Ruy Castro
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they were listening to Lúcio Alves. For João, it was an homage to his friend. Lúcio thanked him and accepted the compliment, but in truth, it became a thorn in his side. Perhaps he realized, for the first time, that João might pose a threat.
João Gilberto had shown that, if he wanted, he could be the next Lúcio Alves. His record would prove that he could also be the next Orlando Silva. What would happen when he decided to become himself—João Gilberto?
In Rio’s Lapa neighborhood in 1951, marijuana could be purchased almost openly. One of the dealing spots was the sidewalk outside the Primor bar and the Colonial cinema, in the Largo da Lapa, opposite the streetcar depot. The suppliers were the boys who sold cigarettes on wooden trays. On those trays, in amongst the innocent Lincoln, Caporal Douradinho, Liberty Ovais, and other commercial brands, one could select cigarettes that came rolled in three different sizes and prices:
fino
,
dólar
, and the thickest,
charo
. There is no record of the prices at that time, but apparently they were cheap, considering their exceptional quality—without a doubt, in order to lure customers. In close company, marijuana was called
mato
, “herb,” or, by the initiated,
Rafa
—an abbreviation of the expression “Is Rafael there?,” used to inquire if there was any reefer available.
No one ran a significant risk by smoking it in public places. Although it wasn’t exactly a crime, it was advisable not to do it around the police because it might give them ideas. Passersby weren’t a problem: few people knew how to identify it by its smell. As almost no one really knew what sort of effect it would have, the worst thing that could happen to someone who was caught smoking it was to acquire a reputation as a “screwball.” That is, nothing that would really contribute to further tainting the image that musicians and singers already had.
Despite the apparent liberalism, few white musicians and singers had that reputation in the early fifties. The
sambistas
on the hill always had marijuanaat their disposal, but it took a long time to come down into the city; and when this happened, shortly after World War II, it was on a small-scale basis. At first, its main consumers were American soldiers on leave in Rio, who were already stoned when they disembarked at the pier in Praça Mauá. There they would make contact with Cuban sailors, who were always ahead of the game when it came to matters like this and would resolve their problem. Many of those soldiers became friends with the Rádio Nacional musicians, whose hangout was Zica’s Bar in Praça Mauá, almost right next to the radio station. Zica’s was not really a spot for drug dealing, restricting itself to a profitable trade of contraband whiskey and the sale of dollars. But between the comings and goings of the marines, Cubans, and musicians, there was an awakening interest in the product even among those who didn’t smoke commercial cigarettes. Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra came to Rio that year and introduced the Rádio Tupi gang to the product’s wide variety of uses.
Almost everyone in Os Garotos da Lua smoked
Rafa
, and when they first offered it to João Gilberto, in the Bairro de Fátima apartment, he discovered qualities in it that normal cigarettes, which he tried to smoke despite a certain amount of nausea it caused, decidedly did not have. It gave him the impression of sharpening his senses, allowing him to perceive sounds and colors of which he had previously been unaware. It also appeared to awaken a semi-inexplicable mysticism which until then, at the age of twenty, he had unconsciously repressed. It was an easy conquest. From that moment on, he never smoked Lincoln, Caporal Douradinho, or Liberty Ovais again.
João Gilberto had only recently arrived from Bahia when he came across João Donato at Rádio Tupi. Neither of them had ever seen the other in his life. They stared at one another for a moment and João
João Gilberto had shown that, if he wanted, he could be the next Lúcio Alves. His record would prove that he could also be the next Orlando Silva. What would happen when he decided to become himself—João Gilberto?
In Rio’s Lapa neighborhood in 1951, marijuana could be purchased almost openly. One of the dealing spots was the sidewalk outside the Primor bar and the Colonial cinema, in the Largo da Lapa, opposite the streetcar depot. The suppliers were the boys who sold cigarettes on wooden trays. On those trays, in amongst the innocent Lincoln, Caporal Douradinho, Liberty Ovais, and other commercial brands, one could select cigarettes that came rolled in three different sizes and prices:
fino
,
dólar
, and the thickest,
charo
. There is no record of the prices at that time, but apparently they were cheap, considering their exceptional quality—without a doubt, in order to lure customers. In close company, marijuana was called
mato
, “herb,” or, by the initiated,
Rafa
—an abbreviation of the expression “Is Rafael there?,” used to inquire if there was any reefer available.
No one ran a significant risk by smoking it in public places. Although it wasn’t exactly a crime, it was advisable not to do it around the police because it might give them ideas. Passersby weren’t a problem: few people knew how to identify it by its smell. As almost no one really knew what sort of effect it would have, the worst thing that could happen to someone who was caught smoking it was to acquire a reputation as a “screwball.” That is, nothing that would really contribute to further tainting the image that musicians and singers already had.
Despite the apparent liberalism, few white musicians and singers had that reputation in the early fifties. The
sambistas
on the hill always had marijuanaat their disposal, but it took a long time to come down into the city; and when this happened, shortly after World War II, it was on a small-scale basis. At first, its main consumers were American soldiers on leave in Rio, who were already stoned when they disembarked at the pier in Praça Mauá. There they would make contact with Cuban sailors, who were always ahead of the game when it came to matters like this and would resolve their problem. Many of those soldiers became friends with the Rádio Nacional musicians, whose hangout was Zica’s Bar in Praça Mauá, almost right next to the radio station. Zica’s was not really a spot for drug dealing, restricting itself to a profitable trade of contraband whiskey and the sale of dollars. But between the comings and goings of the marines, Cubans, and musicians, there was an awakening interest in the product even among those who didn’t smoke commercial cigarettes. Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra came to Rio that year and introduced the Rádio Tupi gang to the product’s wide variety of uses.
Almost everyone in Os Garotos da Lua smoked
Rafa
, and when they first offered it to João Gilberto, in the Bairro de Fátima apartment, he discovered qualities in it that normal cigarettes, which he tried to smoke despite a certain amount of nausea it caused, decidedly did not have. It gave him the impression of sharpening his senses, allowing him to perceive sounds and colors of which he had previously been unaware. It also appeared to awaken a semi-inexplicable mysticism which until then, at the age of twenty, he had unconsciously repressed. It was an easy conquest. From that moment on, he never smoked Lincoln, Caporal Douradinho, or Liberty Ovais again.
João Gilberto had only recently arrived from Bahia when he came across João Donato at Rádio Tupi. Neither of them had ever seen the other in his life. They stared at one another for a moment and João
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