A reggae connoisseur (and main interpreter of the style’s songs) as a member of the Titas (i.e. between 1982 and 2002), singer and composer Nando Rees had a special relationship with Jimmy Cliff, one of the pioneers of Jamaican music who died on Monday. At the beginning of his career, he was the composer of “Querem meu sang”, a version of one of Cliff’s biggest hits, “The Hard They Come”, which the band recorded on their first LP, in 1984. Over time, the song became one of Titàs’ biggest hits, which he sang at Nando’s shows.
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-I was following Jimmy Cliff and I said he toured with him (Gilberto) Jill, in 1980. I think I watched this show, and I had a poster at home, so I might have seen it – says the singer to GLOBO. – At that time I was really into reggae music, and I remember there was a Carbono 14 house in São Paulo, and they showed a lot of VHS videos, great documentaries. I saw one by Jimmy Cliff, called “Bongo Man,” and it’s great. And there was the song “The Harder They Come” that we played even before it was recorded on the first album. I made this version which I think is very good, and I remember seeing the movie too (For which she wrote the song “Balada sangreta” from 1972 starring Cliff), which is great. In other words, I had more information to put the words into context, as well as a certain dedication and interest in creating copy.
Fifteen years after presenting “Querem meu sang”, Nando Reyes found himself in front of Jimmy Cliff, in body, when the Jamaican went to Rio de Janeiro, in 1997, to participate in the recording of the song “Acústico MTV” by Titas (which he considers “one of the greatest moments” of his life) and to perform a duet of the song with Nando.
— It was a short and brief meeting, he arrived on the day of registration and was very nice. I don’t remember if we rehearsed the song… I think so, just to get the breakdowns right. He only sang one take and that was it. But it’s always impressive to be alongside a character of that stature and to sing with them. That was the only time I saw it, says Nando, who never concealed his astonishment that the author approved of his version. -I have no idea if he knows what this is about (My handwriting) or not. But I think so, don’t you? Even because of the invitation that was extended to him, and because he accepted it.
In 1994, his version of “The Harder They Come” was already covered by Cidade Negra, one of the biggest reggae bands in Brazil.
— They performed Querem meu sang at the time they became a hit, and the song was certified as the official version in Portuguese — says Nando Reis proudly.
As for the former Tita family, Jimmy Cliff is remembered in history as the person largely responsible, along with Bob Marley, for the spread of reggae music around the world.
-Jimmy Cliff had this advantage that he wasn’t Rastafarian, he had his own look. She had a huge hit in the 1980s with “Reggae Night.” He’s a pivotal man in reggae music, as well as being a great singer – believe me. – A few reggae artists came to Brazil. Bob Marley came once, Peter Tosh another time… Jimmy Cliff was perhaps the first to establish a more intense relationship with country.