Nouvelle Cuisine is the name of a culinary movement born in France in the 1970s. Among its characteristics are the appreciation of freshness, lightness and delicacy of dishes. The “new kitchen” is based on the concept of exploring the natural flavors of each ingredient.

Preserving the “signature” element of the food to the maximum and equally careful about the visual presentation of the dishes, the nouvelle cuisine appealed for the senses to reach the soul of the gastronomic experience. The movement also lent its name and its concept to a very interesting and often unmentioned chapter in the history of Brazilian jazz in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1987, when rock and roll was the hegemonic rhythm in the Brazilian music scene, five musicians formed a… jazz group. The artistically daring act, in itself, would be worthy of note, but Nouvelle Cuisine, the quintet was much more than that, especially thanks to its vocalist Carlos Fernando.

Accompanied by Guga Stroeter (vibraphone and drums), Flávio Mancini Jr. (double bass), Luca Raele (piano and clarinet) and Maurício Tagliari (guitar), Carlos Fernando imprinted good taste and refined technique in a scene marked by excesses. I remember the strong impression the group made on me when I first saw them live.

Extreme care and good taste was present in each and evry element on stage, from the sober costumes of the musicians, to the lighting; from the repertoire to the minimalistic arrangements and, above all, the velvety, singing of Carlos Fernando.

I would achieve the same musical enchantment years later, attending a performance by the group Madredeus, and listening to Tereza Salgueiro and her divine vocals. The feeling of being in front of a special voice is not easily forgotten.

By the time I saw the Nouvelle Cuisine on stage, I was living in the city of Campinas, in the country side of São Paulo, studying History, and in charge of the vocals in a music band whose repertoire was mostly formed by Brazilian Jazz. I remember how excited we got, when the quintet came to town, and we all went to the concert. It was like facing a possible future for our quartet.

We were innocent, I know, but in our defense I might add that, at the time, Nouvelle Cuisine was at the height of its fame. They had just released a second album by Warner Music (which is, amazingly, still not fully available for streaming), and being treated by the mainstream media like stars. For us, all that buzz was like a sign that the jazz scene was definitely consolidated. Big mistake.

Nouvelle Cuisine recorded only three albums and Carlos Fernando recorded also a couple of solo albums. Certainly much less than this remarkable composer and performer would deserve. What happened? I dare to say, Nouvelle Cuisine was the right band in the wrong time.

While the fin-de-siècle scene created great expectations, the 2000s took a completely different path and there was no place for the good taste that Nouvelle Cuisine represented.

For those of you who want a taste of this delicatessen, there are tracks and compilations to be found on Youtube and Spotify. I leave here the link to my favorite one, a bossa-nova reinterpretation of the song by Stevie Wonder: Flower Power. Bon appétit.

Be seeing you!

G. F.