Genius of national rock, Flávio Basso receives homage in Opinião

Iconic character of rock from Rio Grande do Sul, singer and songwriter Flávio Basso – who died in December 2015 – will be honored by friends, fans and former band mates starting at 9:30 pm this Thursday (26), at Bar Opinião (Rua José do Patrocínio, 834, Cidade Baixa neighborhood).

Denominated Jupiter Day – Effervescent Frenzy, the event takes place on the date when the artist would have turned 55, and will feature musical and dance performances, in addition to video projections. The entire program recalls the three phases of his career.

Co-founder of the groups TNT (in 1984) and Os Cascavelletes (in 1986), Flavio Basso even recorded a demo-tape (Júpiter Maçã e os Pereiras Azuiz) with a band from Campo Grande, in Mato Grosso do Sul, in 1995. But the connection with Pereiras Azuiz was brief. The following year he assumed the persona Jupiter Maçã (later changing to Jupiter Apple) and anchored his solo career with the acclaimed album The Seventh Effervescence (1997), for which he became recognized as one of the icons of Brazilian psychedelia.

Continuing the sound experiments started with this album, he recorded the CD plastic soda in 1999 – work with which he drew praise from artists such as Tom Zé, Caetano Veloso, Rita Lee and Arnaldo Baptista. In 2002, he released the album hisscivilization, considered by many people to be his masterpiece; and in 2007 he recorded his last studio album: An Afternoon at the Fruteira.

“He united rock, tropicália, psychedelia, bossa nova and jazz, and is still a national reference: a series of bands (from the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná and the Northeast region) emerged very influenced by all stages of his work”, highlights the musician, composer and producer Lucas Hanke, who signs the artistic and musical direction of this Thursday’s event. Co-founder of the band Identidade and founding partner of the production company, label and studio Marquise 51, Hanke was a personal friend, bassist and producer of Jupiter Maçã for almost a decade. “He had the vision that art shouldn’t be a hit of the moment, a floating success that will then pass”, he comments.

And if there’s something that the artist left as a legacy, it’s hits and successes – some more distant and many that remain contemporary. “In all, the three concerts that take place (with three different bands) this Thursday will bring to the public around 40 songs in total, adding Flávio’s three musical phases”, calculates Hanke. According to the artistic and musical director of the event, who put together the repertoires, “there will be a lot of hits”. “The ten songs from TNT’s time were easier to select, as he composed the songs on the first album alongside Charles Master, in addition to two others made in the period he was back with the group, in the early 1990s.”

Putting together the set list for Os Cascaveletes was more complex, adds Hanke. “Some can’t be missing, but we’ll also mix it with other not-so-popular ‘b-sides’, so that there’s some surprise for the audience.” This also applies to Flávio Basso’s solo phase, under the persona of Jupiter Maçã/Apple.

the director of Effervescent Frenzy states that the event should continue to take place annually in celebration of this man who was “one of the great exponents that the arts of Rio Grande do Sul exported to the world”. “Originally, we thought of doing it only last year, as a way to celebrate his birthday, in this sexual and transgressive vibe that he enjoyed”, ponders Hanke. “We did the first event, and then we considered it fair that it continued happening for years to come.”

In 2022, Jupiter Day had a whole scenario prepared for the tribute: in between shows, there were djs and video projections (with all stages of the artist’s career and moments in his life); the environment also featured a photo exhibition, and the stage was occupied with the presence of several musical partners of the icon, such as the São Paulo Thunderbird and Tatá Aeroplano, among others.

In this 2023 edition, Maurício Chaise, Julio Sasquatt, Rodrigo Chaise, Lucas Hanke, Banda Jupiter Day, Rodrigo Funk Man, Preza, Márcio Petracco, Paulo Arcari, Juliano Pereira, Julia Barth, Alice Kranen, Denizele Cardoso, Carlinhos Carneiro , Império da Lã, Os Danadões, Marcelo Gross, Luiz Thunderbird, Tatá Aeroplano, Mari Martinez and Bibiana Graeff. In one of the musical breaks, B Girl Ceia Santos will dance to a beat made by Fredi Chernobyl with several songs by Flávio Basso/Júpiter Apple.

The “Man” (as he was called among friends), who spent years reinventing himself and creating artistic facets as a musician, actor and filmmaker, will also be remembered on the big screens next to the stage, through projections of unpublished videos and the documentary Fishing Jupiter According to Huxleywhich brings together rare concert footage taken from his personal archive, video clips, appearances on TV shows and interviews, in a retrospective that he made of his own career.

“There will also be a projection of a video testimonial that the director of the Modern Kid clip (partnership between Flavio Basso and Thunderbird), André Peniche, will make talking about him”, highlights the artistic director of the event. “The idea is that it will be an interesting night from start to finish”, he concludes.