Bluesman André Christovam is one of the most prominent names in the genre in Brazil, and his debut album, "Mandinga" (1 | dG1fSklxS08tOHcwLWc
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00:00There are a lot of blues players who only do the bends, but they don't have the depth that André has.
00:23André is a blues player who has this thing of transmitting emotion, that's why I like him.
00:28He swept a wide spectrum of blues, from arrangements with big bands to simpler arrangements that are beautiful and cool to listen to.
00:40André's album was the first, I think, of these national blues players. After him, there were a number of albums like that, because his album had an excellent repercussion.
00:55For example, I think André's experience resulted, two or three years later, in what is called the explosion of blues in Brazil.
01:06I think this is a merit that cannot be denied to André, who is, in my opinion, not only responsible for this movement, but also the greatest blues musician in Brazil.
01:23We started doing a lot of work, and it was sensational. Situations that generated albums.
01:30The live album in Porto Alegre with Hubert Samlin, which is an icon of the blues guitar.
01:35So André always had this thing of new projects, going forward, going back.
01:41Mandinga is a masterpiece. At the time, we listened to more rock in Brazil, we didn't have access to the internet, we listened to national rock, we listened to metal.
01:51In fact, here in São Paulo there was a very interesting scene, and André was the first guy to make us listen to blues.
01:58I remember that my brother came home with the LP, and I said, damn, what kind of sound is this?
02:02He is very persistent, he was a comrade who had to be perfect in all his situations, his music, his guitar, his voice.
02:13He was always very persistent in this, so much so that he became one of the greatest guitarists, not only in blues, but one of the greatest guitarists in Brazil.
02:22And in blues, I particularly consider him number one.
02:24After the festival, there was a great growth in the interest in blues here in Brazil, and it was very interesting, because I'm sure André felt that way too.
02:35It was a kind of disillusionment, it was a very good feeling that you were doing something kind of unique here, which almost no one did.
02:44We were able to set up a partnership based on this participation in the records, both Flávio's in Mandinga and his in Água Mineral.
02:56Mandinga is Mandinga, Mandinga raised 6,000 people in Ribeirão Preto, in Cava do Bosque, with Junior Wells on stage, Matt Crislins, Eta James,
03:06there was also Albert Collins, there was also Alaouro, Marcinho, there was Alazanza, it was crazy, everyone playing Mandinga.
03:19And I'm a photographer in Água Mineral.
03:21Look, this album for me, it represented more than planting a tree and writing a book.
03:30It represented an entire forest that I planted, because it's marked, no one takes it away from me, and with wonderful musicians,
03:39and with a composer and a singer that only those who had the privilege of playing with him know everything he is capable of doing.
03:50André's thing was not a long time, but it was very intense.
03:55I think I spent two years working with him and they were worth 50, it was very cool.