‘Music is what keeps me alive!’, celebrates Jota Moraes, producer of hits that span generations and mark Brazilian cultural miscegenation

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In an exclusive interview with g1, the instrumentalist assesses that new names bring freshness to the pagode genre, which has also been contemplated by the female presence. Jota Moraes acts as arranger, instrumentalist, producer and musical director Izabelly Fernandes/g1 How many elements can a song contain? Harmony, rhythm and melody are the main ones. But, along with this, there are also subjective ones, which reveal a social, emotional, cultural and historical charge, and this is what differentiates the genres. Samba, funk, country music, pagode, axé, jazz, pop, bossa nova… It’s difficult to imagine that the music heard today is the result of a mixture of all these styles. To lay ears, this seems far from making any sense, but this whole combination has a name and it is a phenomenon of “musical miscegenation”. Who says this is Jota Moraes, an important arranger and instrumentalist in the Brazilian music scene, and known for being the creator of hundreds of hits in the pagode genre. Throughout his musical career, João do Amor Divino Moraes Pontes, or simply Jotinha, as he is affectionately known among his friends, played a fundamental role in the construction of what is appreciated musically today. On this October 7th, which celebrates Brazilian Composer’s Day, Jotinha speaks exclusively to g1 about the current MPB scenario. Jota Moraes works as an arranger, instrumentalist, producer and musical director Personal collection Known for working on hits performed by big names in Brazilian music, such as Caetano Veloso, Elis Regina, Erasmo Carlos and Guilherme Arantes, among countless artists, Jota evaluates the mix of genres as something very healthy. “All of this is very valid. It’s like a river with tributaries, which thickens as they meet. Different rhythms end up forming a new current, a new musical movement. It was like that with bossa nova, and it gained worldwide repercussion. What we heard today is the result of that,” he commented. His contribution to what is now known as pagoda is also proof of this miscegenation. The arranger explains that the genre is the result of the influence of different rhythms, mainly Brazilian Popular Music. “I have always played different types of music, from jazz to bossa nova, from tango to bolero, and, with that, I ended up taking a lot of what I learned along the way to pagode, giving a new look to this genre. Practically, I created the style from this mixture and it worked”, he revealed to g1. Jotinha is responsible for making the dreams of many Brazilian artists come true Personal collection Legacy in music Jota Moraes was an arranger, instrumentalist, producer, musical director and, so to speak, friend of Gonzaguinha (1945-1991) for 12 years. For the boy who was born in the interior of São Paulo, this was a dream that had come true. But, in addition to feeling fulfilled on his journey as a musician with important partnerships, he was also responsible for making the dreams of many artists at the beginning of their careers come true. With his arrangements, many names had samba and pagode hits on the music market in the 1990s, such as Alexandre Pires and Só Pra Contrariar, Exaltasamba, Martinho da Vila and Fundo de Quintal, in addition to the prudent Thiaguinho. Thiaguinho is one of the stars who have arrangements by Jota Moraes Personal collection Among the hits co-produced and arranged by him, the highlights are “Lindo Lago do Amor”, by Gonzaguinha, “Melhor Eu Ir”, by Péricles, “Moranguinho do Nordeste” , by Grupo Karametade, “Cheiro de Amor”, by Maria Bethânia, and “O Amor e o Politics”, by Rosana. To g1, Jota Moraes recalls how pagode was an important milestone in Brazilian music, given its resounding success and the effect that the rhythm had on people. “It was something unbelievable. Interestingly, the pagoda had the feat of even stifling North American music, which dominated the market around the world. I think Americans must have been worried about this news,” he joked. At the time, the musician received a magazine with the positions of the 100 most played songs on the radio and, of these, 10 had arrangements made by him. With his frenetic work routine, he produced around 15 arrangements daily. Today, with life a little slower, he still manages to do three to four of these a day. Moraes believes that, even with the changes caused by miscegenation, pagode has become a promising musical field Personal collection Even after almost 30 years, these hits still remain in memory and are successful with re-recordings that take on a new look. “I’m very happy that these songs that were highlighted in the 1990s and 2000s still receive this prominence. Sometimes, I even redo one piece of work or another at the request of friends. I modify it, add other instruments, change the introduction a little, compare it with the original. It’s a really cool job”, commented the arranger. Today, Moraes believes that, even with the changes caused by the miscegenation process, the genre has become a very promising field, with prominent artists and great musical quality. “Throughout my life, I have made many arrangements, produced many albums. Today, I see that the genre is renewing itself, but there are a lot of quality people coming. The singer Dilsinho himself, for me, is one of the biggest revelations in the segment, in addition to other groups, such as Menos É Mais and Di Propósito. Ferrugem, then, isn’t even mentioned, as he already has very good ideas in his head, and, with these new arrangers, pagode has been gaining a very cool new sound. I’m very happy when I see these people with such quality cultivating this legacy”, analyzed the instrumentalist. Jota Moraes discovered the piano with her brother Aluísio Izabelly Fernandes/g1 Female renewal The presence of women in the pagoda, whether as performers, vocalists or even as band musicians, according to Moraes, reveals one of the sides of this renewal process that the genre has been presenting. “When he appeared, there were few singers who represented women in the style, like Adriana Ribeiro, Eliana de Lima, Alcione. They played an essential role in enabling many others to gain their space today,” he comments. The singer Maria Rita is one of the artists who have arrangements by Jota Moraes. Personal collection The singer Ludmila, for example, who is now internationally recognized, is considered by Jota as one of the great female names of contemporary pagoda. “It was a big bet for the market. I myself produced one of her albums that won the Latin Grammy. Just like her, today there are several singers starting out who promise to have great success”, he emphasizes to g1. For Jota, this renewal was felt not only on stage, but, mainly, in musical production. Currently, he records and writes arrangements for the new generation of pagode, which includes names like Ludmilla and Marvvila. “Today, we see a lot of female arrangers, instrumentalists, something that, before, we didn’t see. It was a very masculine market, but today, we can say that this process of renewing the music market is also contemplated by the end of prejudice and the presence of all people in all spaces and functions. This is very good”, said the producer. Jota Moraes arrived in Oeste Paulista in mid-1955 Personal collection Prudent past Playing marbles in the backyard, Jota Moraes lived most of his childhood in Presidente Prudente (SP). Born in Caçapava (SP), he arrived in Oeste Paulista in mid-1955, when his father, a military man, was transferred to work in Presidente Prudente. At the age of 12, the routine of kids and games soon began to share space with his first experiences in music. Observing his older brother, who used to rehearse with friends at home, Jota saw an awakening desire to learn about it and became excited about the idea of ​​being in the musical world. The drums were the first instrument he learned to play, but it didn’t take long for him to also become interested in other types of percussion, such as the vibraphone, and also in the piano keys with his brother Aluísio. He performed in small shows around the city, however, he says that his first major experience in music was in performances on Rádio Presidente Prudente AM, with maestros Zito de Oliveira and Milton de Almeida. The band ‘The Brothers Quartet’ emerged and performed at night with the brothers. Personal collection The arranger recalls that cultural performances in the region were rare at that time, due to the difficult location of Presidente Prudente, almost 600km away from São Paulo ( SP), and the bad roads that gave access to the place, often making it difficult for artists to come. However, he remembers the opening of a kind of nightclub, where some musicians and singers from the city started to perform. “In this place, we had shows with artists like Nelson Gonçalves, Moacyr Franco, among others, but, in addition, the place opened doors for new artists, like me and my brothers, to perform. We put together a quartet called ‘The Brothers Quartet’ and we played every night, from Monday to Saturday”, he highlights to g1. Another connection with Oeste Paulista that remains to this day is related to his wife, who is from Álvares Machado (SP), a city neighboring Presidente Prudente. Both met at the age of 14, got married and, since then, the arranger says that this is one of the reasons why he travels to the region, in the far west of the State of São Paulo. “With the pandemic, we didn’t visit my wife’s family for about three years, but now we were able to return. It’s always a pleasure to return to Presidente Prudente”, he celebrates. The drums were the first instrument that Jota Moraes learned to play Personal collection The work doesn’t stop Creator of great arrangements that became hits in the Brazilian music world, writer of soundtracks for national cinema classics, such as the series “Os Trapalhões”, and author of concerts for orchestra, Jota Moraes confesses that he still has aspirations for his career. “I’ve done a lot during my life, but my biggest wish is to have more time to write another concerto. I would like to dedicate myself more to instrumental music, remembering the times of ‘Cama de Gato’ [grupo que integrou em 1992, ao lado de Pascoal Meirelles, Mauro Senise, Arthur Maia e Mingo Araújo]”, he tells g1. At 75 years old, the arranger still doesn’t give up working and says that he is always trying to create something new. “I wake up around 4:30 am and, by 7 am, I’m already in front of the computer. I only stop at 7pm. During the day, my life is creating, making arrangements, looking for new things, among other things,” he says. Jota Moraes works with different generations of samba and pagode Personal collection Today, most work is done remotely, through video calls and emails, but this does not mean that the activity has become calmer. “I have several projects with pagode and samba groups that are gaining momentum, not only in Rio de Janeiro, but also in other places. Even at my age, I insist on continuing to work. I can say that I am a super old man and music is what keeps me alive!”, he concluded to g1. Jota Moraes works with different generations of samba and pagode Personal collection Jota is the author of soundtracks for national cinema classics, such as the series ‘Os Trapalhões’ Izabelly Fernandes/g1 At 75 years old, the arranger says that he does not give up working and that at all times he is trying to create something new Personal collection VIDEOS: Everything about the Presidente Prudente region See more news at g1 Presidente Prudente and Region.

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