Making music in Brazil
Posted: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 9:21 AM
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On Assignment
By Michelle Kosinski, NBC News Correspondent
MANAUS, Brazil – Rubens Gomes is not the easiest man to find. But when we had trouble reaching him by phone or email, we decided to set out in a taxi from Manaus – a city of more than a million people, surrounded by rainforest – to find the illustrious Brazilian musician and environmental innovator.
It was a fairly long and uncertain ride to Barrio Zumbi, where Gomes was said to live, past myriad shops and markets full of fantastic colors. One thing that struck us was the large number of workers, wearing uniforms from head to toe in the brightest orange imaginable, who clean the streets and sidewalks at all hours of the day and night. The city was amazingly clean.
Soon after we arrived in Barrio Zumbi, we stopped to ask for directions. By luck, we came across a shop selling musical instruments. The owner immediately knew where to find Gomes, and even climbed into our cab to come along and give us perfect directions, up and down the steep hills and heavily potholed roads of the town.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and on the corners, in open air convenience stores, men gathered to play pool in large groups. Children ran around with their dogs. A boy had a weathered wooden skateboard. One little sweet-faced girl was hugging a puppy almost as big as she was.
And, we actually found him – there was Gomes, a forty-something year-old man, in his home/workshop. He was immediately welcoming even though: a) he had no idea who we were or why we had suddenly shown up in the middle of his day to interview him, and b) none of us spoke Portuguese and we had to rely on my broken Spanish (which my friends would probably laugh at the thought of) to communicate.
Making music
He was a gentle man with a big smile. (Our cameraman commented on how much he looked like Jerry Garcia. As another musician, the similarities were hard to ignore.)
His life started in the same rough way of the children he now calls his students. He was a poor kid who wanted to take music classes, but he had no money for instruments.
However there was plenty of wood – all around him – so he taught himself how to build his own instruments. And, he was good at it. People noticed. They wanted guitars, violins and mandolins, too.
Now, as an adult, Gomes has started a school for teenagers, to teach them to become master luthiers. Their work is jaw-droppingly beautiful – full of detail, with inlaid wood in every design imaginable. The tops of each instrument are crafted to resemble the top of the magnificent opera house in Manaus.
As we took pictures of the work these kids have done, Gomes spent the entire time playing one of his hand-made guitars. It was magical. The town children watched us through the iron gate of the workshop. Gomes knew all of their names, and could keep every one of them in line with a glance.
Life lessons
His school now teaches 60 students, and we spoke to a few of them who were there. They say the students' lives are difficult, and learning a craft like this is more than a profession, it’s an art form that gives them a sense of purpose.
All of the wood they use is scrap, and it comes ONLY from companies whose practices are certified by non-profit organizations to be sustainable and safe for the environment. Now Gibson, a large American musical instrument company, has started selling some of these creations. Other companies are doing the same.
And Gomes’ school has drawn praise – and funding – from the Ford Foundation and the Rainforest Alliance.
As dusk was advancing and we are losing precious light quickly, we shoot everything we could – a feast for the senses, while Gomes continued to play intricate tunes on his intricately-crafted guitar. There were pieces of wood, the shapes of instruments in every stage of production, all over the place. Tools were neatly stored for the weekend. Graceful curves of wood strips starting to look like the bodies of mandolins.
Gomes explained how the students learn so much here – they learn to be artisans, but also patience and respect. And most importantly, he believes, they gain an appreciation for the preservation and conservation of the Amazon and its riches.
It is striking how differently they live from us in the United States, but the level of comfort here feels wonderful. We could feel the power and beauty of the forest, living and breathing around us.
As we were leaving Gomes said, "Anytime you are in the Amazon, this is your home." We laughed, wondering when we might come back. And we wished that anyone who enjoys the sound of one of these fine instruments, anywhere in the world, would be able to hear the soft, inspiring words of the man who is at its source.
