One World Magazine, may 2000
Titel: A musical "melting pot": Brazil

The reporter Rafaela Essmeister in conversation with
brazilian musician Fernando Paiva about Brazilian
music, his work and the situation in Austria.

Essmeister: You were travelling in Brazil some time
ago to make some research....
Paiva: It was for a musical in Vienna . I was
researching the different influences which signify
Brazilian music. During the travel around the country
lot, I realized that it would take years to write
f.ex. a book about Brazilian music. There is an
unbelievable richness in the music, that overcomes all
the borders.
Essmeister: What about the african influence ?
Paiva: If you think in terms of population, we are,
after Nigeria, the second largest black country on
the planet. The mix of races (Italians, Germans,
Indians, Polish, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese,
Afro-brasilian etc.) has created a strong mutual
basis. The contemporary musicians take singular
aspects from different music traditions and work with
the material in their own way.
Essmeister: How do the musicians see their social and
political role ?
Paiva: It is important to make the people listen and
think. For me, the only deciding criteria is to make
art. Not to listen to the market, but to be true to
yourself is already a form of political statement and
resistance.
Essmeister: What kind of music does your band play,
the Fernando Paiva Group ?
Paiva: Our music has its roots in folklore, but it is
strongly influenced by classical music and jazz. The
classical music offers us different possiblities:
contrapuncts and different levels of dynamics. From
jazz we get the improvisation. We play some of our own
compositions and música brasileira, f.ex. Hermeto
Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti.
Essmeister: You like to listen to classical music -
who are musicians that you would like to work with ?
Paiva: With Beethoven or Mozart (laughing). It would
be very interesting to work with the Vienna
Philharmonic Orchestra, or with Joe Zawinul, he is
also somehow a Brasilian.
Essmeister: Does internet create, through the
MP3-files, a democratization  ?
Paiva: In a way yes. We are not dependant on any kind
of barriers: geographic, religious or cultural.
Internet overcomes those barriors. I make use of this
possiblity myself.
Essmeister: How did your work as a Brazilian artist
living in Austria change in the last times ?
Paiva: I came to Austria in 1988, because I wanted to
make music and regarded Vienna as the right place. The
circumstances for an artist are not bad. I am
integrated in the society myself. I realize, though,
that I get controlled by the police more often, when I
am with my friend Laurinho Bandeira. This has
obviously to do with the color of his skin.
Essmeister: Do you try to make people sensitive to
these problems with your performances ?
Paiva: In our duoprogramme we do so crazy things, that
we brake through all kinds of borders. In our
performances people get in contact with our culture
and learn to confront other cultures and people a
little more relaxed. We show how "harmless" we are. I
believe, that each artist has the obligation to break
down stereotypes. With my music I try to cover a
brighter field as what I would by playing just samba.
Exactly like the Austrians would not just play waltz.
As an artist you have to bring the people to think.
And you have to be on the search yourself and develop
further. The same applies to everything. It is our
mission as human beings.