“I’m not an ambassador of Brazilian music around the world,” Ivan Lins says rather modestly from his home in Portugal. “There are more Brazilian artists doing that like Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso. But I’m really honored to take my music around the world – my country’s music.” He’ll be bringing his country’s music to the stage of the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow night when he headlines Journey to Brazil.
Lins is a singer/songwriter who has had hits with such songs as “Love Dance”, “Começar de Novo,” “Velas Içadas” and “Dois Córregos.” His songs have been performed by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Michael Bublé and dozens more.
Of those many recordings, Lins gleans a lot about the artists themselves when he hears their interpretations.
“I love to see how the other artists understand my music,” he says, “and how they feel themselves with my music inside of them. Mostly it is so beautiful the way they understand. My music belongs to me, but I did each song with my feelings. I cannot impose my feelings to everybody. They have a different feeling about the music, but usually when they are talented they do incredible things.”
One singer whom Lins admires is one of his guest artists at the Bowl – Dianne Reeves. It isn’t just her vocal prowess that Lins responds to. “She is an incredible singer and she is very creative. She easily can keep the Brazilian pronunciation and spirit. She’s done some concerts in Brazil and she is very inside her music. We had a collaboration 20 years ago. It was the first time we played together and she sang two of my songs. She captured the Brazilian music easily. Sometimes I think maybe she was born in Brazil.” Lins cracks himself up with that thought.
Reeves won’t be the only previous collaborator joining Lins for the show. In 1985 GRP Records released an album called Harlequin. That album found Lee Ritenour, Davie Grusin and Lins recording together. It sold well and received three Grammy nominations. All three men will share the stage at the Bowl. Ritenour’s World of Brazil opens the evening. This won’t be their first reunion.
“I’ve done some shows with them. Especially in Japan. In October and November I’m going to play with them again in Japan. We are great friends and they love my music and I love theirs. This collaboration is always beautiful. At the end of my show they are going to join me, too. It’s going to be everybody on stage.”
Throughout his career Lins has written and recorded a countless number of songs. On his most recent album, Meu Pais, he had the opportunity to re-record his songs with Brasilidade Geral.
“They’re a great band from the state of Espirito de Santo, which is close to my state, Rio De Janeiro. We did some gigs together and finally they invited me to record this album. The musicians and the arranger are really great. They changed really well my chords. Sometimes people try to change my chords and it’s not that good. I used to change my own chords. Just to have fun and to go out of the routine of the same. I’m very unpredictable when I play live. I love to do that to make each show a different show. It’s my, how do you say, it’s my extreme game. It’s my version of skydiving. I love to take a risk on stage.”
In a 1995 New York Times review of Lins’s show at the Blue Note, critic Jon Pareles said that it seemed for the singer that, “Playfulness was as essential as romance.” Over two decades later, Lins thinks something else has become more important.
“It is still romance, but politics is always in my shows, too. All the time. The politicians in my country, they are really bad and still are. I have to criticize them. I always leave a hopeful message at the end because I don’t want to make the people [to leave] with their head down. We can turn that and change that for something better. But romance is still the center of my music. Love songs and beautiful poetry. In Brazil we use different metaphors and devices that [our] poetry has. I’m telling the audience something I really believe. Love is something you have to sing forever. The world is too violent, too crazy. We need to keep talking about love.”
Rio de Janeiro is famous for its carioca spirit. It’s a way of living that is laid back, non-judgmental and living life with utter joy that is part and parcel of being from the area. It is that spirit that Lins thinks might just make the world a better place.
“We try to spread that spirit with our songs and being on stage and the way we talk to the audience. We are so very relaxed and fun and enjoy a lot of music and we love to dance and sing everywhere. Especially in Rio. In Brazil we don’t have that problem of religions fighting one against the other. The fundamentalists and all that stuff. People of different religions, they sit at the table with a beer and talk about football, women, they talk about everything. This is a great lesson for the world. The way of living in Rio should be more spread out to the world. C’mon, people. Let’s have fun. Let’s enjoy life. It’s just one time. C’mon.”
For tickets go here.
Photos of Ivan Lins courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Main photo by Teco Lamboglia.