Tom Zé

At 70 years of age, Tom Zé should probably be strumming his guitar on a beach in Bahia and watching sunsets, but that would be too conventional, and as all of his fans know, Zé hardly travels with the grain. Instead, the man who once said, "I don’t make art. I make spoken and sung journalism,” has written his most ambitious album yet. Na Opereta Segregamulher E Amor is a portrait of the modern tragedy — albeit despite slight influences of its Greek and Shakespearian predecessors it’s distinctly Brazilian. Using variations of multicultural mythology, Zé tells of the desires and passions men have for women that historically and ultimately lead to the repression of them. Written into three acts, each song begins with a variation of pagoda, an improvised samba style, while Zé and his cast (including the beautiful soprano voice of Suzana Salles) trade cleverly written dialogue about love and its different variations. Whether that has to do with gratitude or Red Bull, the music takes a life of its own ranging from the bass-driven introduction that could almost be suited for a dance floor in some type of parallel universe on "Ave Dor Maria,” to traditional samba songs in the vein of Cartola and Jamelão on "Mulher Navio Negreiro” and "Duas Opiniões.” Of course, the other sounds Zé contrives are left totally to imagination. The only North American comparison to Zé would probably be Captain Beefheart, which means that although it may not be the world’s most accessible music, those who do take the time to listen are in for an eclectic musical treat.