Composer and guitarist Ruy Maurity was identified with the "rural rock" scene, which forged an alternative to the jovem guarda and tropicalia and styles. The son of clasical violinist Iolanda Maurity, Ruy was also the brother of Brazilian jazz pianist Antonio Adolfo, who performed on several of his albums. Most of Maurity's music was composed along with Jose (Ze) Jorge, including the hits "Nem Ouro Nem Prata" and "Serafim E Seus Filhos." Here's a quick look at his work...
Ruy Maurity "Este E Ruy Maurity" (EMI-Odeon, 1970)
Recorded not long after he won first place in Rio's 1970 Festival Universitario song contest, this is a pleasant album with flowing, pastoral pop-orchestral arrangement typical of the "blue Brazil" sound of the late-'60s/early '70s Odeon studios... There's also a strong folkie undercurrent, with Maurity's acoustic guitar evoking the music and moody passions of the Northeast moreso than the understated bossa nova style that had dominated Brazilian pop during the '60s. This is sort of a cross between Geraldo Vandre and early Marcos Valle, perhaps a bit of Chico Buarque in there as well. His brother, Antonio Adolfo, is credited as playing piano on here, though his contributions seem to be mostly some jazzy embellishments on a few tunes. A nice, solid melodic pop album, typical of the era. A with most of Maurity's albums, these songs were all composed along with his songwriting partner, Jose (Ze) Jorge, who had performed with him in the song festivals.
Ruy Maurity "Em Busca De Ouro" (EMI-Odeon, 1972)
A big change of pace, this album mainly spotlights Maurity on guitar and vocals, exploring a decidedly regional flavor of folkie, emphatic music. It's nice stuff, though I gotta say it does get a little monotonous -- he strums through the same melodies and rhythms over and over, and while the individual songs are all pleasant, the album taken as a whole is a bit repetitious. Definitely worth a spin, though, particularly if you enjoy albums of similar vintage by artists such as Alceu Valente and Ze Ramalho, or even more folk-freaky artists such as Manduka.
Ruy Maurity "Safra 74" (Som Livre, 1973)
Ruy Maurity "Nem Ouro Nem Prata" (Som Livre, 1976) (LP)
Ruy Maurity "Ganga Brasil" (Som Livre, 1977) (LP)
Ruy Maurity "Bananeira Mangara" (1978) (LP)
Ruy Maurity "Natureza" (Som Livre, 1980) (LP)
Ruy Maurity "A Viola No Peito" (Pointer, 1984)
A perky, airy, upbeat pop album blending regional music with a cross between '80s synthpop and '70s fusion. Sounds like just the kind of thing I would hate, but actually I found this album quite pleasant and listenable. Some nice forro squeezebox from the venerable Chiquinho do Accodeon, arrangements and some keyboards from brother Antonio Adolfo, electric guitar by Ricardo Silveira, and a guest appearance by harmonicat Mauricio Einhorn on "Verao Portenho." Despite the slick production, this is an appealling album -- perhaps it's the bright, relentlessly cheerful tone that won me over. Anyway, it's definitely worth a try.
Ruy Maurity "Do Coracao" (Kuarup, 1998)
