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Carlos do Carmo is one of the most recognized, awarded and acclaimed fado players in history. The “Encyclopedia of Music in Portugal in the 20th century” describes him as “an outstanding figure in establishing changes in the Fado tradition”, being one of “its greatest references, with national and international recognition”.
Born in Lisbon on December 21, 1939, Carlos do Carmo said goodbye to the stage in 2019.
Son of the fado singer Lucília do Carmo (1919-1998), “one of the most striking voices” of 20th century fado, according to the same source, Carlos do Carmo grew up in a fado environment. Since 1947, his mother owned the Adega da Lucília fado house, in Bairro Alto, Lisbon, currently Arcadas do Faia, which was managed by Carlos do Carmo in 1962.
This was not the plan his parents drew up for him, who in 1956 sent him to Switzerland to study languages and hotel management.
His musical vocation, however, awakened in 1963, when he recorded his mother’s fado, “Loucura”, on an album by the Mário Simões Quartet.
Carlos do Carmo revealed, throughout his career, “a clear voice and clear diction carefully adjusted to the meaning of the poems”, according to the Encyclopedia directed by the ethnomusicologist Salwa Castel-Branco, where it is also said that the changes that he made fado because of his musical tastes that include references to bossa nova, by Frank Sinatra and Jacques Brel, of whom he recorded “La valse a mille temps”.
After April 25, he became “the highest representative of the new fado,” according to the same source.
The article dedicated to him in the Encyclopedia recalls that in 1976, RTP invited him to perform all the songs that compete for the Festival da Canção, “A song for Europe”, which “confirmed his prominent position in the Portuguese music scene”.
Carlos do Carmo represented Portugal at the XXI Eurovision Song Contest, held in The Hague, with “Uma Flor de Verde Pinho”, ranked 18th.
The following year his album “Um Homem na Cidade” was released, entirely composed of poems by José Carlos Ary dos Santos (1937-1984), music by José Luís Tinoco, Paulo de Carvalho, Martinho d’Assunção, António Victorino d’Almeida and Fernando Tordo.
This album “pointed out different trends that came to be seen as agents of change in the musical tradition of fado,” says the Encyclopedia, which highlights “some notable musical innovations”, maintaining the harmonic tonal structure.
This work refers to “the production of high technical quality” by Carlos do Carmo, evident in his works.
Carlos do Carmo has been recording regularly since 1980, when a self-titled album came out, and he has not yet said goodbye to the studios.
His discography includes songs such as “Por Morrer uma Andorinha”, “Bairro Alto”, “Canoas do Tejo”, “Os Putos”, “Lisboa Menina e Moça”, “Estrela da Tarde”, “Pontas soltas”, “O homem de castañas “and” Um Homem na cidade “, among other songs.
He sang at Olympia and at the National Auditorium in Paris, at Le Carré, in Amsterdam, at Place des Arts, in Montreal, Canada, at the operas in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, in Germany, in ‘Canecão’, in Rio de Janeiro, and in the Latin America Memorial, in S. Paulo, Brazil, in the Royal Albert Hall, in London, among many other rooms. He said goodbye to the stage on November 9, 2019, with one last concert at the Coliseu in Lisbon.
Emphasizing that the exit “is only from the stage, from the stage”, Carlos do Carmo, in an interview with the Lusa agency, affirmed that the decision “was not difficult” to make, “it was thought” and “this was the moment”.
“I took it last year. 57 years singing, almost all over the world. There are few countries where he has not sung. It was a long trip, [foram] many hotels, many settings, it’s a lot and it’s a good time to calm down. And since I really like hearing well sing, I will still take it easy to listen to those who sing well, “said the singer to Lusa.
“Whoever has a career like I did -and there are people of the new generation, fortunately, who are doing it-, with a paternalistic air, I recommend: ‘be careful with your health, go, do it, you have every right, how much the wind is wet, but be very careful with your health, these health things do not warn you and when you are sick you will see that the effort is inglorious, “he said.
With a career spanning over 50 years, Carlos do Carmo was recognized in 2014 with a career at the Latin Grammy Awards, which also earned him the Personality of the Year award – Martha de la Cal, from the Associação Imprensa Estrangeira in Portugal.
In 2015 he received the “Grande Médaille de Vermeil” from the city of Paris, “the highest distinction” in the French capital, and, a year later, he was awarded the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit, of the Presidency of the Republic.
In 2013, when he turned 50, he released the album “Fado é amor”, which he recorded as a duet with several fado singers, among which were Ricardo Ribeiro, Camané, Mariza, Raquel Tavares and Marco Rodrigues.
* With Lusa
(in update)
