Tropical is a singer/songwriter album by Jorge Duilio Lima Menezes aka Jorge Ben (born 1942). Released on Phillips Records in 1976 and spanning nine unique tracks, it is part of a notable movement of records which absorbed the Latin traditions and whose artists reworked them with the Disco craze, Funk floods and other comparably radical genres. By the look of things it is already clear right from the start that Jorge Bens Tropical is neither a vintage Exotica record, nor an echopraxia thereof, but firmly situated in that kind of melting pot known as Fusion. Brazilian composers and artists have always been at the frontmost spot, right in the epicenter of Exotica. From the early 1920s till the 70s, a lot of vivacious, flamboyant and exciting music is spawned in and around Brazil. Tropical is thus a high-budget release, even though the label didnt want to afford a huge string orchestra for the record. Still, there is a small amount of violinists on board, big enough to add a susurrant streamlet of delight to the arrangement. The strings do not sound realistic or precise, they echo and glow in a sphere of their own. Be that as it may, the realism of the strings is not demanded on such records, for the remaining parts are equally inauthentic, but still vibrant: Jorge Bens lead vocals are accompanied by Ann Odell on the synthesizer, Jo?o Roberto Vandaluz on the classic and electric piano, with Gustavo Schroeter providing the programmed drums for the feisty tracks. These instances notwithstanding, there is still more than enough room for real instruments, be it Chris Mercers lead tenor saxophone and the vivid, but not overly exotic percussion as played by Jo?o Batista Pereira. As an archetypically Brazilian take on Fusion, Tropical knows to impress. But which ingredients and tonalities can Exotica fans take from the performance? When Exotica artists from Hollywood or New York present their visions of Polynesian isles, sunken temples and eruptive volcanos, they have as much in common with the truth – whichever way it might be interpreted – as the Brazilian viewpoint of the Orient. This, however, is Exoticas magic to many people. Jorge Bens Taj Mahal stands in this tradition by covering a few Middle Eastern traits in an otherwise posh-peachy piece of tropicana. The opener enchants with Jo?o Roberto Vandaluzs appended Latin piano and the shrapnel of multilayered Samba drums, both of which build up the atmosphere for Jorge Bens vocals. There are shawm-like flutes that appear in the far distance, but they seem mere vestiges of the sun-dappled aura of the world cultural heritage. What Taj Mahal lacks in these regards, it gains in a fantastic liveliness and mercilessly staggering drum patterns. Firing on all cylinders, Jorge Ben chooses a slower downbeat for the following Os Alquimistas Est?o Chegando (the alchemists are coming), a polyfaceted kick drum-heavy and curiously hazy piece supercharged with electric piano droplets, Chris Mercers tenor saxophone spirals and synthetic strings as delivered by Ann Odell. A quandary of auroral magic and overly vigorous drums, this is one of the artists missteps, feeling too arbitrary and lackluster.
