EDUARDO
MATEO
& JORGE TRASANTE
"Mateo y Trasante"
"If Eduardo Mateo was a genius, and
that fact no one who has heard his music
doubts, then ‘Mateo y Trasante’ is his
masterpiece. Eduardo Mateo, Jorge Trasante
and this wonderful album, marginalized
during the course of a dictatorship,
resisted the dictators, and those who came
afterwards. There were some who said that
Mateo and Trasante were both crazy, that
Mateo could not sing. Mateo and Trasante
resisted the vile and ruthless criticism of
those skeptics: those who resisted the
quality and depth of this record. Mateo and
Trasante resisted, immovable, as are those
who know that history will have its day of
judgment. To paraphrase someone who knew
music and much more, for the truth and
Mateo, I sign my name here."
—Daniel Figares, 2006
As many of you who have followed along with us
while we chart a course through the rich
musical heritage of Uruguay know full well, a
military dictatorship took control of the
country in the early 1970’s, causing most
well-known musicians to emigrate. The nation’s
most influential musician, enfant terrible
iconoclast Eduardo Mateo, had no chance to do
so. And yet it was during this dark period
that Mateo reached his zenith as a composer
and arranger—in case of this album, with a lot
of help from world famous Afro-folk
percussionist Jorge Trasante. On "Mateo y
Trasante" (1976), Mateo’s second post-El Kinto
album, he goes further than ever before in his
sonic explorations of different percussion
variations and guitar techniques, evolving a
more complex musical style. Even Mateo’s voice
underwent a relevant mutation for the album,
which many people thought the result of a deep
mental illness. (Trasante explains that Mateo
was deeply influenced by Arabic music, and
used the new modulations he discovered to "get
into different characters with his voice.")
Many of Mateo’s old fans and fellow musicians
could not really connect with his new musical
personality and this work went unnoticed.
According to Mateo biographer Guilherme de
Alencar Pinto, only around 343 copies of the
album were sold; yet this record is now
considered a legitimate work of art, and
indisputable evidence of Mateo’s genius. This
Lion Productions edition comes with a 32-page
booklet which contains abundant information on
the making of the album, as told by Jorge
Trasante, lyrics in English and in the
original Spanish, historical background on the
Uruguayan scene, a score of incredible photos,
and a brief overview of the legendary Sondor
label. Our sincere thanks to Enrique Abal Oliú
for allowing us to use his amazing photos, and
to Daniel Figares for allowing us to translate
text from his book Mateo y Trasante: Treinta
Años, 1976-2006, which is the source for all
of Jorge Trasante’s musings on this epochal
album included in this reissue. Printed on FSC
recycled, chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer
fiber paper manufactured using biogas energy.
Track Listing: 1. Dulce
brillo (4:15)
2. Canto a los soles (2:22)
3. Amigo lindo del alma (4:55)
4. Y hoy te vi (2:45)
5. Palomas (2:20)
6. Un canto para Mamá (4:03)
7. El blues para el bien mio (3:08)
8. Canción para renacer (3:55)
9. Voz de diamantes (2:00)
10. Canción para el Tamborero (2:25)
Catalogue number: LION
634
UPC: 778578063429