Brazil’s Djavan Would Like to Sing to the World

Like his Brazilians colleagues Milton Nascimento and Ivans Lins, pop singer/songwriter Djavan has been quite successful in his native land, with some of his recordings selling as many as 500,000 copies. But now he too wants to reach beyond the cultural boundaries of Brazil and perform for audiences around the world.

“I’m aware there is the possibility to take the music abroad, so why not? I want to sing with the same ease all over the world,” said the artist, who appears Monday at the Palace.

Also like Nascimento and Lins, Djavan is particularly interested in the U.S. market, where Brazilian music is enjoying a warm and burgeoning reception. It’s not surprising, then, that in his new CBS LP, “Bird of Paradise,” he sings three selections in English.

“If someone understands just the music but not the lyrics, the communication is limited,” said Djavan, speaking in Portuguese through translator Ad Caram in a suite at a West Hollywood hotel.

“If you’re singing for a public that speaks another language in their language, then the communication is more direct. Lyrics add to the message.”

Though his English interpretations are smooth and don’t reveal a strong accent, Djavan feels it will be a while before he’s completely comfortable singing in his new tongue. “It’s hard to sing in a language other than your own, especially the first time,” he said. “But I’m happy with the results because I was making an effort to maintain the feeling, the expression and the color of the voice.”

He likes the obvious differences between the Portuguese and English renditions. “When you hear on the same record the same person singing in both languages, you’ll be able to make a comparison that, if I only sang in English, wouldn’t be available,” the 39-year-old musician said.

On “Bird of Paradise,” lyricists Michael Franks and Brock Walsh did the translations of Djavan’s original words, which focus on various aspects of love and the tough social conditions that exist in Brazil. He writes about the latter in a matter-of-fact manner.

“Brazil is a country that lives in great difficulties, and when I speak of social problems, I do it objectively, but without sadness,” he said. “I stick with reality. The news itself is sad already. I’m an extremely optimistic person.”

While Djavan has several LPs out in Brazil, and one other-- “Djavan,” also on CBS--out domestically, “Bird of Paradise” is his first project to be recorded in the United States and also have the advantage of worldwide CBS distribution. To make the LP, he used a core group of L.A. studio and contemporary jazz musicians--drummer Harvey Mason, keyboardists Ronnie Foster and Greg Phillinganes and bassist Nathan East among them--whose work he knows and whom he considers “musical peers.”

“I have a feeling of the affinity that some of these people will have with me,” he said. “There’s a musical flexibility that lets me bring out from them the best of my music. They play only that which my music needs.”

Like many creative people, Djavan--whose songs have been recorded by such American pop and jazz artists as the Manhattan Transfer and guitarist Lee Ritenour--attempts to maintain a schedule for composing, but ultimately fails in that endeavor.

“Composition should be executed like any other kind of work, regularly, so many hours a day,” he said, “but I’m not at that point. Fundamentally, I compose under pressure. When I have to do a new LP, I may spend three to four months without a break, and I get very torn up when I am in that mode.”

However or whenever he writes, Djavan finds that songs have a life of their own. “The very raw song in the beginning itself suggests how it wants to be framed and from there I experiment, try different arrangements and with a lot of care, I listen for what is best,” he said.

Born in Northeastern Brazil, Djavan started singing at 11, picked up guitar soon after that and by 16 had left home, ultimately moving to Rio de Janeiro. There he composed songs for Brazilian stars Roberto Carlos and Gal Costa, and in 1979 made his solo recording debut. “Djavan,” a compilation of two earlier Brazilian CBS efforts, was released here in 1985.

Despite his lengthy career, Djavan feels that “Bird of Paradise” represents a “beginning. I’m finally at the starting gate.” And while he hopes to attract worldwide attention, he’s not about to forget his roots.

“For me, still, Brazil is fundamental,” he said. “It’s the base. The rest of the world would have no reality if I wasn’t happening in Brazil.”