‘Para Lennon & McCartney’ to Play Rio’s Sala Municipal Baden Powell

By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Tonight, Wednesday, August 22nd at 8PM the Sala Municipal Baden Powell in Copacabana will host ‘Para Lennon & McCartney – os Beatles e o Clube da Esquina’ (For Lennon & McCartney – The Beatles and the Corner Club) which pays tribute to the influence of the British group on Brazilian musicians Milton Nacimento and Lô Borges.

Para Lennon & McCartney highlights one of the most fascinating passages in Brazilian musical history: how the music of The Beatles became idealized by musicians Milton Nascimento, Lô Borges and Márcio Borges and lead to the formation of the influential Clube da Esquina.

Performing classic Beatles songs such as ‘Yesterday,’ ‘Nowhere Man,’ ‘All You Need Is Love,’ ‘Blackbird,’ ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ ‘Something,’ and ‘Because,’ as well as songs from the canon of Clube da Esquina including ‘Cais,’ (Pier) ‘O Trem Azul,’ (Blue Train) ‘Paisagem da Janela,’ (Window Landscape) and many more, Para Lennon & McCartney aims to bring this magical musical journey to wider public awareness.

Clube da Esquina was an informal grouping of musicians from Brazil’s Minas Gerais region who banded together and created, along with the Tropicália movement, the music that would define the post-bossa nova MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) landscape of the late sixties and beyond.

Including musicians such as Beto Guedes, Toninho Horta, Flávio Venturini, Tavinho Moura, Mauricio Maestro and Tavito, among many others, the group combined traditional Brazilian and African influences with the modern rock ‘n’ roll sounds of The Beatles and American vocal group the Platters.

The fab four’s harmonies and complex musical arrangements shone through in the Clube da Esquina’s newly synthesized Brazilian pop, but to make the influence even more explicit, the song ‘Para Lennon & McCartney’ was released in 1970 by Milton Nascimento, honoring the Liverpudlian songwriters and giving this show its name.

Combining musical renditions from both groups along with images and stories detailing their connections, this show is a fascinating insight into the unifying power of music. Anyone who caught Liane Maya’s Beatles tribute earlier this month or who is looking forward to the BCS’s annual ‘Beatles Night’ will be in for a treat.

What: Para Lennon & McCartney – os Beatles e o Clube da Esquina
When: Wednesday, August 22nd; the show starts at 8PM
Where: Sala Municipal Baden Powell, Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, 360 – Copacabana
Entrance: R$25-R$50