Welcome! My name is Felipe Oliveira, and this is the online home of my music project, “Desmadres of Invention.” The name Desmadres of Invention is a Mexican-Yankee cross-language play on words. A nod to Frank Zappa’s irreverence. Desmadres of Invention is not like Mothers, not even close, but it was inspired by their dancing to their own drum beat… and some music too. This project is the materialization of a long-time passion for writing and performing music for a contemporary band inspired by a variety of styles. Fusion, in essence.
Joy in Jail
Among the numerous instrumental musical sketches I keep in a chest, I crafted six into completed pieces for Joy in Jail, Desmadres of Invention’s first recording release.
The EP includes various genres, including progressive rock, jazz, West African, Brazilian, and classical. Four pieces are arranged for a contemporary band, one for a classical string octet and percussion, and a short, moody interlude features two electric basses, my beloved CS80 synth and a Mellotron.
While I would have loved to have devoted more resources to this project, I am happy with the results. Despite many difficulties, it was a joyful undertaking. I hope it will bring you some joy, too.
It is highly recommended to listen with headphones, as neither the devil nor god likes mono. ~Felipe
Kente was born of my love for polyrhythms and was my first full composition.
When I was in drum performance music school, I was searching for a way to make fives and threes live together on the drum kit. It wasn’t until I added four to the mix that the 12/8 signature became the perfect foundation for the phrases and accents in this progressive rock composition.
Once the basic rhythmic structure was established, the main melodic motif came to life on the bass. From there, the rest of the song grew; and its name was born.
Kente is a type of African textile that features intricate patterns and vibrant colors, creating a visual polyrhythm. This piece is a musical reflection of that, with patterns orchestrated on various instruments, all based on a single rhythmic and melodic theme.
Felipe Oliveira ~ Drums, Percussion, Electric Bass, Keyboards
JP Mourão ~ Rhythm & Lead Guitars
Yakub Saputra ~ Electric Piano, Synth Lead
Music & Arrangements ~ Felipe Oliveira
Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Felipe Oliveira
I have been a fan of Brazilian guitarist and composer Paulo Bellinati ever since I saw Pau Brasil live in my hometown of Curitiba in the early 1980s.
Then, many years later, when I heard Los Angeles Guitar Quartet’s soulful and powerful rendering of Baião de Gude I knew I had to arrange it for a full band.
It was my chance to create on top of my favorite Brazilian rhythm, baião. (Or is it Arabic?)
Yes, horns, lots of horns!!! Inspired by João Bosco. And a touch of Frank Zappa for good measure. Yes, Marimba too.
Finally, while I am at it, let’s name this project Desmadres of Invention…
Felipe Oliveira ~ Drums, Electric Bass, Keyboards
Bob Brumbeloe ~ Lead Guitar
JP Mourão ~ Rhythm Guitars
Yakub Saputra ~ Electric Piano
Jerry Tachoir ~ Marimba
Shannon Canchola-Limon ~ Flute
Mike Cordone, Fabian Chavez, Randy Garcia ~ Horns
Music ~ Paulo Bellinatti
Arrangements~ Felipe Oliveira
Horn Arrangements ~ Felipe Oliveira & Yakub Saputra
Mixed by Ricardo Labaki
Produced & Mastered by Felipe Oliveira
L’Etoille’s entire form, rhythm, harmony, melodies, and pallette of sounds were created in one afternoon.
Sometimes, creative energy flows through us unabated, allowing Spirit to speak through us without hindrance.
The tarot card that represents our essential expression in the world is L’Etoille, or the Star. This card symbolizes openness, receptiveness, readiness, responsiveness, and being guided by a star above.
One might associate such spiritual concepts with serene and peaceful music, such as Gregorian chants, Tibetan throat singing, or the works of Bach. However, in this case, Spirit spoke through the language of progressive rock, with fat and smooth distorted guitars, synthesizers, and a tight rhythm section.
Felipe Oliveira ~ Drums, Electric Bass, Synth Lead, Keyboards
JP Mourão ~ Rhythm & Lead Guitars
Music & Arrangements ~ Felipe Oliveira
Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Felipe Oliveira
A short interlude.
Felipe Oliveira ~ Electric Bass, Keyboards, Percussion
Music & Arrangements ~ Felipe Oliveira
Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Felipe Oliveira
Prelude to a Dream was born in a jam session on two guitars—a steel-string acoustic and a Strat.
For this EP, I first thought I might arrange it as a rock ballad to stay true to my rock genes. But after some soul-searching, the spirit of Simon Jeffes and Penguin Café Orchestra spoke instead.
Those who know PCO’s “Signs of Life,” but particularly “The Snake and the Lotus,” might hear a connection. Here, however, we have a string octet, percussion, and some synthesizers sprinkled here and there.
Felipe Oliveira ~ Percussion, Synths
Xochitl Martinez ~ Violins
Rita Andrade ~ Violas
Danica Pinner ~ Cellos
Music ~ Felipe Oliveira & Blair Liggett
String Arrangements~ Felipe Oliveira & Yakub Saputra
Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Felipe Oliveira
This piece was also originally written for two guitars, but after some experimentation, it took on a different form. The melody and cadence suggested a groove that leaned toward West Africa with a groovy bass line, snare accents, and yes, horns!
The result is a dense tapestry of grooves and melodies. A synth lead and drum solo duet maintains the spirit of Desmadres of Invention, a fusion of progressive rock, jazz, and world music.
Felipe Oliveira ~ Drums, Electric & Synth Bass, Synth Lead, Keyboards
JP Mourão ~ Rhythm & Lead Guitars
Yakub Saputra ~ Synth Lead Solo
Mike Cordone, Fabian Chavez, Randy Garcia ~ Horns
Music ~ Felipe Oliveira & Blair Liggett
Arrangements ~ Felipe Oliveira
Horn Arrangements ~ Felipe Oliveira & Yakub Saputra
Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Felipe Oliveira
Felipe Oliveira
Starting a band in my fifties is exciting, but it is not without significant obstacles. On bad days, I feel like Ray Lomas—too old to rock ‘n’ roll, too young to die. On good days, I do the stuff you can see and listen to here.
I am a graduate of Drum Performance from the Cornel School of Contemporary Music in Los Angeles, which was a blessing that helped me catch up on some music knowledge and skills I had missed before and meet talented musicians and other music industry professionals — some of whom you can hear and enjoy in Joy in Jail.
In addition to Desmadres of Invention, I am a member of Oliva, a world-pop project co-produced with Xochitl Martinez, who deserves my deepest gratitude and without whom Joy in Jail would not have come to fruition. Oliva’s first EP, “Flow,” was released in December 2021.
My collaboration with Brazilian author LC Guimarães, writing and setting music to recited poetry (in Portuguese) for our project Orix, can be found on our website.
Desmadres of Invention
Well, one thing at a time. Now that the album has been completed and released, the plan is to put together a band, play “Joy in Jail” and other tunes live, and go from there. Hopefully, this will lead to collaborations and more writing and arranging.
I am forming a quartet or quintet, depending on the skills of whoever rises to the occasion. Drums/Percussion, Bass, Guitar, and Keyboards. Plus, a guitarist who can also play keyboards or vice versa. A guitar with a MIDI pickup would be ideal. Taurus pedals, a Stick, anyone? No sight-reading is required. However, the ability to read charts and some music notation will be required.
If you are interested in participating in this endeavor or have other creative collaboration ideas, please use the form below to contact me.
Videos
The Sun & Saturn
The name “Joy in Jail” sprang spontaneously from that part of the mind that wants to speak in symbols, like poetry.
The name is not random or a coincidence. Just about everything we do in life is part of a script written on the larger cosmos of planets and stars. For some, that is a matter of belief; for others, it is nonsense. For me, it is a fact that has been verified so many times that it has become second nature and an integral part of my expression, including art.
Those familiar with Traditional Astrology may know what a birth chart Sun-Saturn opposition might mean in a person’s life. It plays out differently for different people. For me, it is summarized in the haiku “Joy in Jail”.
The interplay of restraint, obstacles, discipline, patience, coldness, and sobriety of Saturn with the light, warmth, dissipation, knowledge and joy of the Sun. If one is present, the other never fails to show up in my life.
In other words, this personal cosmic script elicits an acute awareness of life’s pendulum of opposites and thankfully, the blessing of a profound acceptance of its duality in all of its pleasure and pain.
At this point, the reader may have figured out that the album cover is a graphic rendition of these concepts. Plus, I think it is pretty, and beauty is good.
For more of my thoughts on these subjects, there are some links in the connect section below.
The name “Joy in Jail” sprung spontaneously from that part of our minds that wants to speak in symbols, like poetry. It means what it says, and it synthesizes how I perceive life:
The experience of physical life is like a jail. Yet, joy is the expression of the Essence of our being.
I don’t want to make this into a philosophical essay. For those interested, I have a website and a book published devoted to the spiritual dimensions of Joy in Jail.
However, I want to present the name’s connections to Traditional Astrology because they are not random coincidences.
Just about everything we do in life is part of a script written on the larger cosmos of planets and stars. For some, that is a matter of belief; for others, it is nonsense. For me, it is a fact that has been verified so many times that it has become second nature and it has become an integral part of my artistic expression.
Those familiar with Traditional Astrology may know what a birth chart Sun-Saturn opposition might mean in a person’s life. (I have yet another website that elaborates on this subject.)
How that opposition plays out is different for different people. For me, it is summarized in the haiku “Joy in Jail”.
The interplay of restraint, obstacles, discipline, patience, coldness, and sobriety of Saturn with the light, warmth, dissipation, knowledge and joy of the Sun. They are never alone in my life. If one is present, the other never fails to show up.
In other words, this little personal cosmic script elicits an acute awareness of life’s pendulum of opposites and the blessing of a profound acceptance of its duality in all of its pleasure and pain.
At this point, the reader may have figured out that the album cover is a graphic rendition of these concepts. Plus, I think it is pretty, and beauty is good.
The links to the aforementioned websites can be found in the Connect section below.
Music & Merch
For your convenience, Joy in Jail is available for streaming on all major platforms. However, please consider supporting the artist by purchasing music from this website. Thank you!
For your convenience, Joy in Jail is available for streaming on all major platforms. However, please consider supporting the artist by purchasing music from this website. Thank you!
Kente (Single)
$0.99
Baião de Gude (Single)
$0.99
L’Etoile (Single)
$0.99
A Blue Cloud (Single)
$0.99
Prelude to a Dream (Single)
$0.99
The Edge of Freedom (Single)
$0.99
Printable PDF files.
The Edge of Freedom
$24.99
L’Etoille
$24.99
Prelude to a Dream
$24.99
Baião de Gude
$24.99
Kente
$24.99
Fun stuff.
Joy in Jail T-Shirt Black
$24.99
Joy in Jail T-Shirt Red
$24.99
Happy Devils T-Shirt Black
$24.99
Happy Devils T-Shirt Red
$24.99
Joy in Jail Art Poster
$24.99
Happy Devils Poster
$24.99
Connect
Want to connect? Send me a message!
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More about Felipe Oliveira at felipeoliveira.com
shorts
Want to connect? Send me a message!
