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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.

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Carmen McRae said once that Stevie Wonder is a genius, and I should add that his discography is the greatest proof that Carmen was not just giving her opinion, but actually describing a fact, a musical indisputable truth.

A great example of his Wonder-touch is Stevie Wonder´s Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, usually cataloged as representing the B-side of his vast oeuvre, due to its extremely experimental nature. You may remember that I previously mentioned this album here, suggesting that it is the perfect soundtrack to enhace the healing energy of taking care of plants, but it is certainly much more than that.

The album would be classified today as conceptual. All tracks revolve round the subject brought to light by the controversial 1973 book The Secret Life of Plants, by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, which served as the basis for the homonymous 1979 documentary, directed by Walon Green.

The soundtrack, by Stevie Wonder, was released separately under a slightly modified title. In fact, the change was subtle, but it reinforces the independent character of the work in relation to the book and the documentary. Now, the journey is what matters. And what a ride!

The careful listener will be rewarded with an album with a unique atmosphere. With his genius touch, Stevie creates a dreamlike aura that makes any controversy seem unimportant, just as he would do again in the 1991 movie Jungle Fever, but this is another story.

Anyway, my journey to the journey of Stevie has to do with the fact that no matter where I live, there will be plants around me. No matter how big or small, how well or poorly lit the rooms are, I always manage to keep green spots on the house (and yes, I am very proud of it).

It was a matter of time until the book by Tompkins and Birdbook fell into my hands, but by then I still did not know about the soundtrack. As a matter of fact, I only became aware of it because of… another re-interpretation!

The song was Flower Power and it was part of the 1991 album Slow Food, from the Brazilian jazz group Nouvelle Cuisine. They also deserve a full text on their contribution to the transition from the colourful music scene of the late 1980s to the minimalist 1990s, but for now I can tell you that I was immediately hooked by the arrangement.

Ironically, it was the strong bossa nova influence that brought me to the Mr. Wonder. As you can see, flower power always finds a way.

Be seeing you!

G.F.