''A Tábua De Esmeralda'' is the 11th studio album by Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Jorge Ben Jorge Duílio Lima Menezes (born March 22, 1939) is a Brazilian popular musician, performing under the stage name Jorge Ben Jor since the 1980s, though commonly known by his former stage name Jorge Ben (). His characteristic style fuses samba ...

. It was released in 1974 by

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in ...

Themes

The album showcases Ben's interest in

theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

, and, above all,

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

. Its title refers to the Emerald Tablet, a cryptic piece of

Hermetica The ''Hermetica'' are texts attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. These texts may vary widely in content and purpose, but are usually subd ...

reputed to contain the secret of the prima materia and its transmutation; and its artwork incorporates drawings from Nicholas Flamel, who was historically immortalized as a great alchemist for his work on the philosopher's stone. Mysticism and alchemy are not the only thematic territories into which Ben ventures however. In the style of ''

Fôrça Bruta ''Fôrça Bruta'' () is the seventh studio album by Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Jorge Ben. It was recorded with the Trio Mocotó band and released by Philips Records in September 1970, during a time of political tension in dicta ...

'' and '' África Brasil,'' Ben continues to explore his Afro-Brazilian identity with songs such as “

Zumbi Zumbi (1655 – November 20, 1695), also known as Zumbi dos Palmares (), was a Brazilian quilombola leader, being one of the pioneers of resistance to slavery of Africans by the Portuguese in colonial Brazil. He was also the last of the kings ...

” and “Menina mulher de pele preta”. More simple, anodyne love songs make an appearance here as well with tracks such as “Eu vou torcer” and “Minha teimosia, uma arma pra te conquistar”. Other lyrics reflect Ben's signature fascination with the esoteric; “O homem da gravata florida” describes the details of a man's strikingly beautiful tie, while “O namorado da viúva” is about the lover of a widow. Although tracks such as these stand out as notably singular in their subject matter, “O homem...” is in fact about Paracelsus, while “O namorado…” is yet another reference to Nicholas Flamel.

Critical reception

The record was ranked by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

Brazil'' as the sixth greatest Brazilian album of all time, and has been included in Tom Moon's ''

1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die Onekama ( ) is a village in Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 411 at the 2010 census. The village is located on the shores of Portage Lake and is surrounded by Onekama Township. The town's name is derived from "O ...

''. Mike Wojciechowski from ''

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...

'' considered it Ben's masterpiece.Wojciechowski, Mike
"1974: Jorge Ben Jor - A Tábua de Esmeralda"
Tiny Mixtapes, Nov. 31, 2011.

Track listing

All tracks written by Jorge Ben, except where noted # "Os alquimistas estão chegando os alquimistas" – 3:15 # "O homem da gravata florida" – 3:05 # "Errare humanum est" – 4:50 # "Menina mulher da pele preta" – 2:57 # "Eu vou torcer" – 3:15 # "Magnólia" – 3:14 # "Minha teimosia, uma arma pra te conquistar" – 2:41 # "

" – 3:31 # "Brother" – 2:54 # "O namorado da viúva" – 2:03 # " Hermes Trismegisto e sua celeste tábua de esmeralda" (Jorge Ben,

Fulcanelli Fulcanelli (fl. 1920s) was the name used by a French alchemist and esoteric author, whose identity is still debated. The name Fulcanelli seems to be a play on words: Vulcan, the ancient Roman god of fire, plus El, a Canaanite name for God and so ...

, traditional) – 5:30 # "Cinco minutos" – 2:57

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tabua de Esmeralda, A 1974 albums Jorge Ben albums Philips Records albums