Showing posts with label Brazil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brazil. Show all posts

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Eliane Elias - Mirror Mirror

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:16
Size: 84,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:07) 1. Armando's Rhumba
( 6:27) 2. Esta Tarde Vi Llover
( 5:47) 3. Blue Bossa
(11:33) 4. Corazo´n Parti´o.mp3
( 4:53) 5. Mirror Mirror
( 6:45) 6. Sabor A Mi
( 6:15) 7. There Will Never Be Another You

Multi GRAMMY® winning pianist/singer/composer Eliane Elias’ latest album MIRROR MIRROR on Candid Records is a lifelong musical dream come true an extraordinary piano duet recording of Eliane with the late legendary jazz great Chick Corea, and famed Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés. While her highly successful recordings have predominantly featured her alluring voice and piano mastery, the piano has always been her first love and working with these two incredible icons was a rare opportunity to record in a two-piano setting, something she hasn’t done in many years. For the world-renowned performer, this organically created collection represents more than simply a culmination of an illustrious career that includes nearly 30 recordings, over 2.3 million albums sold, nine total GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY nominations, a GRAMMY win for Best Latin Jazz Album (Made in Brazil, 2016) and a Latin GRAMMY win for Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album (Dance of Time, 2017). MIRROR MIRROR marks the classically trained pianist’s first piano-only recording since 1995’s Solos and Duets, a set of piano solos and six duets with pianist Herbie Hancock.

The recordings took place in NYC at Yamaha’s Artist Services in Manhattan with Corea and Brooklyn’s Bunker Studios with Valdés. It features Chick on four tracks, Chucho on three and was produced by Elias with her award-winning team of co-producers Marc Johnson and Steve Rodby, and mixed and mastered by Rich Breen. Though Corea and Valdés alternate in the track list with the opening Corea duet “Armando’s Rhumba” followed by the Valdés duet “Esta Tarde Vi Llover” before the next Corea duo “Blue Bossa,” etc., the flow is remarkably seamless – but the story behind the recording of the album is best told in two distinct segments.Having always counted Corea as one of her chief influences, Eliane first met him in 1978 in Brazil. Meeting on occasion over the years on the road they spoke of someday playing or recording together. Having at last set aside a date to do so, by design the two’s sole literal preparation was about song suggestions. In Eliane’s view, she and Chick had been getting ready for their session with lifetimes dedicated to their craft, their instruments and the art of improvisation.

“Despite him being a generation older, our influences were similar; Bud Powell, Bill Evans, in fact, we had both done tributes to Evans. We also played with many of the same bassists and drummers and, of course both were rooted in classical training. He played Mozart and Scarlatti, I played Bach and Ravel. Those shared influences poured out as we played and one can feel our affinities through the inventiveness of the rhythms and harmonies, how we felt time with each other and how we treated the songs.” When he passed unexpectedly in February 2021, Elias, devastated, was deep in the mixing process with four improvisational duets she had recorded with him. Revisiting the music for release reminded her just how effortlessly they communicated and of the instant rapport they shared.You can discern the duo’s chemistry from the elegant opening of “Armando’s Rhumba”. Ditto the opening sensitive lyrical approach and hypnotic intertwining of notes that drives “Blue Bossa”. The other tracks are the title track “Mirror Mirror” and “There Will Never Be Another You,” the title of which captures what words are insufficient to describe; the beautiful moments Eliane and Chick created in tandem.

In contemplating who she would like to work with to complete a piano duets album, the idea of playing with Valdés came quickly to mind, and Eliane describes the sessions as spontaneous, full of heart, passion, and energy and just as importantly, another dream fulfilled. She and Valdés ran into each other at festivals and other venues over the years, and have a deep affection for each other’s playing. Before they started recording at their Model D Steinway and Sons pianos, they had a brief meeting in Miami to go over song choices. Valdés was enthusiastic about her unique suggestions of tunes by Mexican and Spanish composers. He knew the songs but was surprised she did – until Eliane told him about her mother Lucy, the daughter of a Spanish Basque who exposed her to countless Spanish language and Latin songs in addition to her extensive jazz collection. They looked over Eliane’s charts in a fun afternoon of playing together, so that when they arrived at the studio a few days later, the only question was, “Do you solo first or do I? Eliane and Chucho create an intoxicating mix of Cuban and Brazilian rhythms throughout their three tunes, from the elegantly romantic “Esta Tarde Vi Llover” to the mood-swinging ”Corazon Partío” and “Sabor a Mi,” a sensual bolero which begins introspectively, then evolves into a percussive jam. “The give and take, the way I accompanied him and he accompanied me, and how we answered each other reflects how completely connected we were,” Eliane says.

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Eliane began her classical piano studies at age seven and at twelve was transcribing solos from the great jazz masters. By 15, she was teaching piano and improvisation at one of Brazil’s most prestigious schools of music. Her performing career began two years later, working with Brazilian singer/songwriter Toquinho and the great poet Vinicius de Moraes, who was also Antonio Carlos Jobim’s co-writer/lyricist. Later in NYC, after performing for several years with Steps Ahead and recording on their self-titled second album (also featuring Michael Brecker, Michael Mainieri, Peter Erskine and Eddie Gomez), she launched her solo career in 1984 with a collaboration album with Randy Brecker titled Amanda.

Eliane’s first official album under her own name, Illusions, featured Stanley Clarke, Steve Gadd, Lenny White, Eddie Gomez and Toots Thielemans and hit #1 on the Radio & Records Contemporary Jazz chart. Voted Best New Talent in the Jazziz magazine critics’ poll in 1988, Eliane is a four-time Gold Disc Award recipient, a three-time Best Vocal Album winner in Japan and winner of the 2018 Edison Lifetime Achievement Award in Holland. Her 2019 album Love Stories, as most of her previous releases, hit #1 on the jazz charts worldwide.

“The title MIRROR MIRROR wasn’t chosen simply because it was one of the songs Chick and I recorded,” says Eliane. “It was all about the two pianos facing each other like a beautiful mirror image, and how in each duet we reflected each other’s thoughts and ideas back and forth. To me, the piano is an extension of my body, heart and soul and is at the center of everything I do. I will always be proud and grateful for the opportunity to have registered these special musical encounters with these two master musicians.” http://news.theurbanmusicscene.com/2021/07/eliane-elias-to-release-new-album-mirror-mirror/

Mirror Mirror

Sunday, June 30, 2024

Milton Nascimento & Jobim Trio - Novas Bossas

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:23
Size: 124.5 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Latin jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:44] 1. Tudo Que Você Podia Ser
[4:09] 2. Dias Azuis
[3:27] 3. Cais
[3:50] 4. O Vento
[4:38] 5. Tarde
[2:03] 6. Brigas Nunca Mais
[4:54] 7. Caminhos Cruzados
[3:32] 8. Inutil Paisagem
[3:29] 9. Chega De Saudade
[3:50] 10. Medo De Amar
[2:40] 11. Velho Riacho
[6:05] 12. Esperanca Perdida
[3:59] 13. Trem De Ferro
[3:58] 14. Samba Do Aviao

Milton Nascimento: vocals; Daniel Jobim: piano; Paulo Braga: drums; Paulo Jobim: guitar; Rodrigo Villa: bass.

Tom Jobim was the originator of the new Bossa Nova beat in Brazil in the late 50's and it was Joao Gilberto that first mastered the guitar technique to introduce it to the world in 58. They both said that Milton Nascimento was the only singer that could reach the original pitch of the compositions and so it is entirely fitting that he has teamed up here with Tom's son Paulo and grandson Daniel for a recording session to celebrate both Tom Jobim and the anniversary of his invention of the Bossa Nova. Mixing songs by Tom Jobim, Milton Nascimento and Daniel Jobim, this is a true master class in the art of the Bossa and a new milestone in Brazilian music. An important, as well as a sublime release.

Novas Bossas

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Eliane Elias - Dance Of Time

Styles: Vocal, Brazilian Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:20
Size: 129,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. O Pato
(3:50)  2. You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
(5:20)  3. Copacabana
(4:59)  4. Coisa Feita
(5:15)  5. By Hand (Em Maos)
(3:48)  6. Sambou Sambou
(4:59)  7. Little Paradise
(6:33)  8. Speak Low
(3:20)  9. Samba De Orly
(5:38) 10. Na Batucada Da Vida
(4:22) 11. An Up Dawn
(3:55) 12. Not To Cry (Pra Nao Chorar)

Way back in 1991, Brazilian-born pianist Eliane Elias opened Illusions, her debut solo album, with a tune called "Choro." It offered a swinging distillation of the musical form that has been at the heart of her life-long study of samba. Since then, she's revisited her musical heritage over and over again, wedding modern jazz to post-1960 Brazilian jazz and MPB. In the process, she's developed an instantly identifiable sound as a pianist. Dance of Time follows 2015's fine Made in Brasil, a set that relied most heavily on bossa nova. Teaming again with collaborative producers Steve Rodby and husband Marc Johnson, Elias is accompanied by a stellar rhythm section: bassist Marcelo Mariano, guitarist Marcus Teixeira, drummer Edu Ribeiro, and percussionists Marivaldo dos Santos and Gustavo di Dalva on most of this set. Recorded in Brazil and New York, the date also includes a wonderful guest list that includes Take 6's Mark Kibble, Randy Brecker, Mike Manieri, Joao Bosco who adds his voice and guitar to a lovely reading of his own "Coisa Feita" and Toquinho.

The program contains readings of killer sambas such as "O Pato," Joao Donato's eternal "Sambou Sambou," the wonderful "Samba de Orly" (co-composed by Toquinho, who also sings on it, Vinicius De Moraes and Chico Buarque), and Ary Barroso's "Na Batacuda da Vida." Each of these numbers remains faithful to the originals, but Elias' arrangements, pianism, and breezy, syncopated vocals graft them so thoroughly onto swinging, straight-ahead, modern post-bop, it's difficult to accept they weren't always in the jazz fakebook. But she goes further. She injects Harry Warren's slippery pop blues "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me," with a slow choro backbeat. She also transforms Kurt Weill's and Ogden Nash's sultry "Speak Low" into simmering, polished modern jazz with a fantastic multi-tracked backing vocal by Kibble and great soloing from Brecker.

The best tunes here, however, are her own. "By Hand ("Em Maos") offers another backing vocal from Kibble, as Elias stitches samba onto bossa in a lithe, sensual groove. "An Up Dawn" is a vehicle for her intricate, syncopated chord voicings on her instrument's middle and lower registers, which create an interlocking dance of samba, tango, and bluesy ragtime. "Not to Cry (Pra Nao Chorar)" is a co-write with Toquinho who lends his guitar and weathered yet effective vocal in a duet. He began the tune in 1978 as a vehicle (for Elias) with the working title "Eliane." He completed it for this album with participation from the tune's muse. Their singing voices are an elegant yet earthy study in contrasts, while his lilting guitar chords pace her keyboard embellishments. Its tenderness sends the set off with a sweet whisper. Dance of Time is inspired, deftly musical, and truly accessible to a wide range of listeners from jazz to pop to Brazilian music. It's virtually flawless.By Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/dance-of-time-mw0003020224

Personnel: Eliane Elias (vocals, piano).

Dance Of Time

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Maucha Adnet & Gustavo Bergalli - Unit

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2005
Time: 42:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 97,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:14) 1. Felicidade
(7:35) 2. To Wisdom The Price
(3:42) 3. Por Causa De Voce
(4:15) 4. After The Sun
(4:01) 5. Agua De Beber
(3:55) 6. Minha Saudade
(3:38) 7. So Tinha De Ser Com Voce
(2:58) 8. Chega De Saudade
(6:01) 9. Estate

On this record Jazz Unit collaborates with the Brazilian singer Maucha Adnet. The result is nothing short of great. With her warm, sensual voice Maucha brings out the essence of Bossa Nova to the delight of the listener.

Also featured on this album is Gustavo Bergalli that delivers a striking performance on trumpet/flugelhorn. This recording reflects the level of musicianship that Jazz Unit possesses. Or in the words of Maucha Adnet herself; They are great musicians ... and really captured the "vibe" of Bossa Nova. Check out Jazz Unit's First Cd, Bridges and Yaqui.

MAUCHA ADNET(vo), GUSTAVO BERGALLI(tp,flh), HAKAN ANDERSSON(acc), NICLAS HOGLIND(g), JONAS CASTELL(b), KRISTOFER JOHANSSON(ds,perc).

Unit

Friday, April 5, 2024

Raul De Souza - Sweet Lucy

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:31
Size: 95,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Sweet Lucy
(3:19)  2. Wires
(7:34)  3. Wild And Shy
(4:18)  4. At Will
(4:57)  5. Banana Tree
(6:17)  6. A Song Of Love
(4:25)  7. New Love
(5:09)  8. Bottom Heat

Raul De Souza is one of the mysteries of the jazz world. In the 1970s, it was obvious that the Brazilian trombonist had a lot going for him: a distinctive and appealing tone, major chops, versatility, and a lot of soul and warmth. So why did he mysteriously fade into such obscurity in the 1980s? In an ideal world, De Souza would have built a huge catalogue. But regrettably, his recording career was short-lived. Produced by George Duke, 1977's Sweet Lucy is the first of three albums that De Souza recorded for Capitol in the late '70s. Vocal-oriented funk jams like "Wires" and the title song (both written by Duke) are catchy, but the fusion and pop-jazz instrumentals are where De Souza really shines. When he stretches out on "Bottom Heat," "Wild and Shy," and other pieces that he composed himself, De Souza shows a great deal of potential as a soloist. The LP's weakest track is a performance of the Brazilian ballad "New Love (Cancão do Nosso Amor)," which finds De Souza attempting to sing. 

The song is gorgeous, but De Souza doesn't do it justice because, quite honestly, he can't sing calling his voice thin is being charitable. Besides, De Souza doesn't need to use his vocal chords to sing; he does plenty of "singing" with his trombone, and his command of that instrument makes Sweet Lucy an LP that is excellent more often than not. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-lucy-mw0000869231

Personnel:  Trombone – Raul De Souza;   Backing Vocals – Deborah Thomas (tracks: 1, 2, 5), Lynn Davis (tracks: 1, 2, 5), Sybil Thomas (tracks: 1, 2, 5), Victoria Miles (tracks: 1, 2, 5);  Bass – Byron Miller, Embamba (tracks: 6, 7);  Drums – Leon Ndugu Chancler;  Guitar – Al McKay;  Keyboards – Dawilli Gonga (tracks: 1, 2, 6), Patrice Rushen;  Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Freddy Hubbard* (tracks: 2, 3, 8)

Sweet Lucy

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Bill Gati - Piano Expressions

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:36
Size: 117,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:12) 1. All of Me
(4:51) 2. April in New York
(2:23) 3. Bye Bye Blues
(4:17) 4. Building Blocks
(2:07) 5. Good Times
(4:08) 6. Hit It
(1:41) 7. Joy
(4:11) 8. Love Song
(4:29) 9. Love
(3:32) 10. May in New York
(9:13) 11. Peace in the Valley
(5:25) 12. Something Else

William Gati Bom April 1O, 1959, in Rio Di Janeiro, Brazil Initially trained as a classical pianist (he studied at Juilliard from the age of 8), William Gati has been drawn to Jazz while studying with the great John Lewis (Modern Jazz Quartet). After graduating from City College (1981), he has played in various church venues and has been influenced by gospel music. He has also been involved in directing and performing in musicals and has been influences by the Broadway Show style. His greatest strength, however, is in improvising and performing jazz standards and original compositions.

He has been influenced by Sir Roland Hanna (a good friend and Professor at Queens College), John Lewis (another friend), Herbie Hancock, Dr. Billy Taylor and Duke Ellington. He has performed with various local Jazz artist such as John Dooley (bass),Hank Holzer (drums), Premik Tubbs (wind), and John Smith (drums). He has played in Lincoln Center, Queens College, Forest Park Band Shell, local halls and various other venues.

He has three CD's independently produced called "Piece of Pie," "Box 0' Chocolates," and "Intricate". All three recordings are collections of original jazz compositions written, performed and recorded by Mr. Gati. He explores various musical concepts in a truly jazz style.

William Gati is also a talented saxophonist, vocalist, writer, architect (he is registered) and painter. He believes that we must all let the music out from within us. His work has been featured in many books and articles for example "Who's Who in the East," "Who's Who in the World," "Newsday," "Creations in Space," and "Personality Types".

His jazz style is soulful, smooth and technical all in various proportions. He loves to play straight-ahead jazz but particularly enjoys playing original compositions. His performances are lively and interesting because they are spontaneous and inspired by the moment. He will play the piano, play the saxophone and sing (but not all at the same time) as well as tell stories and inspiring anecdotes. He can put on a very entertaining, creative and memorable performance
.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/bill-gati/

Piano Expressions

Monday, September 4, 2023

Eliane Elias - Brazilian Classics

Styles: Vocal, Piano, Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:45
Size: 169,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:10)  1. Passarim
(3:50)  2. Chega De Saudade
(5:08)  3. Carioca Nights (Noites Cariocas)
(3:54)  4. Garota De Ipanema (Girl From Ipanema)
(7:50)  5. Milton Nascimento Medley
(4:46)  6. Waters Of March / Aqua De Beber
(4:23)  7. One Note Samba
(4:14)  8. Crystal And Lace
(2:09)  9. Jazz 'n' Samba (So Danço Samba)
(4:59) 10. Brazil (Aquarela Do Brasil)
(3:10) 11. Iluminados
(5:14) 12. Jet Samba (Samba Do Aviao)
(3:46) 13. Wave
(6:39) 14. Black Orpheus (Manhã De Carnaval)
(5:48) 15. Dindi
(1:37) 16. O Polichinelo (Clown)

Now that longtime Blue Note pianist/singer Eliane Elias has left the label for RCA/Bluebird, several compilations of her work are being released, including the present item, Brazilian Classics. A cynic might note “just in time for Christmas,” but even if its release is motivated mainly by marketing concerns, the CD provides a useful, focused troll through Elias’s back catalogue. Although Elias has ranged far and wide in her recordings (which include hard bop, pop-jazz, and classical pieces), this is the music with which she is most associated  bossa/jazz classics from the songbooks of Jobim, Nascimento, and others from her native Brazil. Elias is at home with this material and her piano work is muscular and confident. As such, the best tracks on the album are the instrumentals that feature her in a trio setting, mostly with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Throughout punchy and inventive takes on “Passarium,” “One Note Samba,” and “Black Orpheus,” Elias goes toe-to-toe with the rhythm section, with exciting results. Her tendency to introduce subtle reharmonizations and rhythmic variations keeps these well-worn tunes from sounding like boring retreads.

Somewhat less successful are the tracks featuring her vocals. While her thin yet husky delivery is appropriately unstudied on Só Danço Samba,” it can’t quite carry “Chega De Saudade” or “Girl From Ipanema” convincingly. Having Elias’s young daughter sing on “Ponta de Areia” was not the wisest of decisions either, bringing to mind, as it does, grade school recitals best left forgotten. That said, however, Brazilian Classics is an appealing listen, thematically unified and impeccably produced. The hardcore jazz fan may do better with Elias’s Plays Jobim album, from which many of the best tracks with Gomez and DeJohnette are taken. But bossa nova fanatics, or maybe those wishing for a warm Brazilian breeze in the dead of winter, will enjoy this generous selection of Elias’s work.By Joshua Weiner https://www.allaboutjazz.com/brazilian-classics-eliane-elias-blue-note-records-review-by-joshua-weiner.php

Personnel: Eliane Elias, piano, vocals; Eddie Gomez, Marc Johnson, bass; Jack DeJohnette, Peter Erskine, drums; Michael Brecker, sax; Cafe, percussion

Brazilian Classics

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Oscar Castro-Neves - All One

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:07
Size: 144.5 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[4:51] 1. Double Rainbow
[4:49] 2. All One
[4:10] 3. Kurski Funk
[4:47] 4. Morrer De Amore (I Live To Love You)
[5:18] 5. Holding With An Open Hand
[2:46] 6. Não Me Diga Adeus
[4:41] 7. Naima
[4:42] 8. Historia De Un Amor
[4:53] 9. 'round Midnight
[5:23] 10. The Very Thought Of You
[5:05] 11. More Than Yesterday
[2:47] 12. There Will Never Be Another You
[4:36] 13. Prelude Op. 28, No. 20
[4:16] 14. One Bad Habit

Acoustic Bass – Brian Bromberg; Backing Vocals – Isela Sotelo, Kenny O'Brien, Luis Chaparro, Paulina Aguirre; Drums – Alex Acuña, Mike Shapiro; Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor], Bass Clarinet – Gary Meek; Percussion – Kevin Richard; Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Clavinet – Don Grusin; Violin, Viola – Charlie Bisharat; Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Arranged By – Oscar Castro-Neves.

Oscar Castro-Neves has been one of the most important Brazilian musicians on the jazz scene for some time. His skills as a guitarist, vocalist, composer, and arranger are all on display in this release. Starting with a swinging instrumental setting of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Double Rainbow," which incorporates Charlie Bisharat's Gypsy-like violin, Gary Meek's multiple reeds, and pianist Don Grusin, Castro-Neves signals that this is not going to be a predictable release. His compositions include the funky, strutting "All One" and the infectious "Holding with an Open Hand." The surprising rendition of "'Round Midnight" begins dramatically, then suddenly turns into a lively upbeat bossa nova. Equally compelling are his arrangements of standards like "The Very Thought of You" and "There Will Never Be Another You," both of which feature his warm, friendly vocals. The only disappointment is the inclusion of smooth jazzer Michael Franks' lightweight, monotonous "One Bad Habit" to close an otherwise flawless CD.By Ken Dryden

All One

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Sergio Mendes - Pure Bossa Nova

Styles: Bossa Nova
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:05
Size: 101,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:24) 1. Ela é Carioca
(3:10) 2. Só Tinha de Ser Com Você
(3:08) 3. Sò danço samba
(4:07) 4. Corcovado
(3:45) 5. Batida Diferente [Album Version]
(2:21) 6. Nanà
(3:24) 7. Inútil Paisagem
(2:53) 8. O Amor Em Paz
(2:10) 9. Tristeza De Nos Dois
(2:19) 10. Noa... Noa...
(3:17) 11. Consolaçao
(3:18) 12. Desafinado
(2:23) 13. Outra Vez
(5:19) 14. O Morro Não Tem Vez

Yet another compilation to add to the many that already exist, Pure Bossa Nova is a collection of some of pianist, arranger, and composer Sergio Mendes' greatest hits from the mid-'60s, when he was most popular.

Culled from work with his trio, his eponymous group, and full band Bossa Rio, label Planet Rhythm includes 14 songs from Mendes' extensive catalog on the album and manages to, thankfully, leave out what is practically an easy listening anthem, "The Girl from Ipanema." Some arrangements are more inspired by jazz ("Ela é Carioca," "O Amor Em Paz," "Batida Diferente") and others by samba ("Tristeza de Nós Dios," "Só Danço Samba"), but all are pure Mendes and, well, as the title of the album states, pure bossa nova.

And while Mendes is generally classified as light or easy jazz, the songs aren't campy or saccharine like many other things in those categories. It may not be difficult music, but that doesn't mean it's not complex. The drums are always moving, there's a lot of improvisation, and plenty of great musicianship. For already stalwart fans of Mendes, this record doesn't bring anything new to a collection, but for those who want to explore one of the great composers and performers of the genre, Pure Bossa Nova is a perfect place to start. By Marisa Brown
https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/pure-bossa-nova-mr0001437483

Pure Bossa Nova

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Oscar Castro-Neves - Playful Heart

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:43
Size: 128,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Waters Of March
(2:52)  2. Groovin' High/Whispering
(3:48)  3. Watch What Happens
(3:46)  4. My Foolish Heart
(4:29)  5. Manha De Carnaval/Prelude #3
(4:23)  6. Four Brothers
(4:43)  7. The Fool On The Hill
(3:17)  8. Lorry's Swing/Autumn Leaves
(4:38)  9. Send In The Clowns
(4:00) 10. Everything Happens To Me
(4:48) 11. Twenty Year Love Affair
(5:32) 12. Wave
(6:21) 13. Caruso

The beloved Brazilian guitar legend's resumé is so chock-full of varied musical experiences  jazz, pop, film scoring, ten years with Sergio Mendes that his brilliant solo efforts can't help but include informal homages to different eras of his life. He starts out here getting straight to the heart of the matter, paying tribute to his fellow countryman Antonio Carlos Jobim with a self-contained plucky guitar/vocal duet of "Waters of March," which includes spirited scat passages. He moves into samba mode for a lively medley of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker tunes, "Groovin' High/Whispering," deferring to Toots Thielemans' always engaging harmonica for melody as he harmonizes gently; then they switch roles. His other medley is a wilder, more percussive mix of a standard and an original, "Lorry's Swing/Autumn Leaves." 

Mixing modes, tempos, and moods, he mines standards ("Watch What Happens," "My Foolish Heart") and Brazilian classics (more by Jobim and Luiz Bonfá), and offers a dreamy take on "The Fool on the Hill," the Beatles song that Mendes made a famous cover of. No matter the rhythm pattern, outside percussion influence, or ensemble contribution (Don Grusin and Gary Meek make notable contributions), the soul of each tune is Castro-Neves' precise, melodic strings. From the diversity of this disc, it's clear he has a lot of beautiful memories to play with. ~ Jonathan Widran  http://www.allmusic.com/album/playful-heart-mw0000323776

Personnel : Oscar Castro-Neves (vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass); Gary Meek (winds); Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Don Grusin (piano); Calos Del Rosario (bass, drums, percussion); Charlie Bisharat.

Friday, June 9, 2023

Astrud Gilberto - The Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:30
Size: 95.0 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Latin jazz vocals
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)
[2:11] 2. Once I Loved
[6:31] 3. The Girl From Ipanema
[1:49] 4. Bim Bom
[2:45] 5. How Insensitive
[2:44] 6. Felicidade
[1:55] 7. Manha De Carnaval
[2:22] 8. Fly Me To The Moon
[1:59] 9. Dreamer
[2:53] 10. Light My Fire
[2:55] 11. O Morro
[2:39] 12. Meditation (Meditação)
[2:39] 13. Dindi
[2:49] 14. Beach Samba
[2:21] 15. Berimbau

The honey-toned chanteuse on the surprise Brazilian crossover hit "The Girl From Ipanema," Astrud Gilberto parlayed her previously unscheduled appearance (and professional singing debut) on the song into a lengthy career that resulted in nearly a dozen albums for Verve and a successful performing career that lasted into the '90s. Though her appearance at the studio to record "The Girl From Ipanema" was due only to her husband João, one of the most famed Brazilian artists of the century, Gilberto's singular, quavery tone and undisguised naïveté propelled the song into the charts and influenced a variety of sources in worldwide pop music.

Born in Bahia, Gilberto moved to Rio de Janeiro at an early age. She'd had no professional musical experience of any kind until 1963, the year of her visit to New York with her husband, João Gilberto, in a recording session headed by Stan Getz. Getz had already recorded several albums influenced by Brazilian rhythms, and Verve teamed him with the cream of Brazilian music, Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto, for his next album. Producer Creed Taylor wanted a few English vocals for maximum crossover potential, and as it turned out, Astrud was the only Brazilian present with any grasp of the language. After her husband laid down his Portuguese vocals for the first verse of his and Jobim's composition, "The Girl From Ipanema," Astrud provided a hesitant, heavily accented second verse in English.

Not even credited on the resulting LP, Getz/Gilberto, Astrud finally gained fame over a year later, when "The Girl From Ipanema" became a number five hit in mid-1964. The album became the best-selling jazz album up to that point, and made Gilberto a star across America. Before the end of the year, Verve capitalized on the smash with the release of Getz Au Go Go, featuring a Getz live date with Gilberto's vocals added later. Her first actual solo album, The Astrud Gilberto Album, was released in May 1965. Though it barely missed the Top 40, the LP's blend of Brazilian classics and ballad standards proving quite infectious with easy listening audiences.

Though she never returned to the pop charts in America, Verve proved to be quite understanding for Astrud Gilberto's career, pairing her with ace arranger Gil Evans for 1966's Look to the Rainbow and Brazilian organist/arranger Walter Wanderley for the dreamy A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness, released later that year. She remained a huge pop star in Brazil for the rest of the 1960s and '70s, but gradually disappeared in America after her final album for Verve in 1969. In 1971, she released a lone album for CTI (with Stanley Turrentine) but was mostly forgotten in the U.S. until 1984, when "Girl From Ipanema" recharted in Britain on the tails of a neo-bossa craze. Gilberto gained worldwide distribution for 1987's Astrud Gilberto Plus the James Last Orchestra and 2002's Jungle. ~bio by John Bush

The Collection

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Luciana Souza - The Book of Longing

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:44
Size: 94,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:14)  1. These Things
(3:27)  2. Daybreak
(4:34)  3. Alms
(4:57)  4. Night Song
(3:12)  5. Paris
(4:00)  6. The Book
(4:47)  7. Tonight
(4:19)  8. We Grow Accustomed to the Dark
(3:14)  9. A Life
(2:56) 10. Remember

Since releasing her Sunnyside debut, The Poems of Elizabeth Bishop and Other Songs in 2000, Brazilian vocalist and composer Luciana Souza has woven poetry into the fabric of her work. Subsequent recordings such as Neruda, Tide, and Speaking in Tongues have all employed this approach as the prime vehicle of creative expression for her as a singer and composer, and she shapes the poems as complementary means in generating human connection and meaning. The Book of Longing is titled after Leonard Cohen's collection of poems, lyrics, and drawings of the same name. Here she strips down her charts to offer a new direction in ten relatively brief songs. Souza chose guitarist Chico Pinheiro and bassist Scott Colley as her accompanists (she provides organic percussion selectively), as well as her husband and longtime producer Larry Klein to helm these sessions. The program includes four works by Cohen, and one each by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Christina Rossetti, and Emily Dickinson, alongside a trio of her own songs. Her own "These Things" offers gently syncopated rhythms and minimal textures provided by strings and whispering percussion, Souza's vocals inhabit words and the spaces between them with disciplined phrasing and concision as her musicians provide a color palette that adds depth and dimension. One cannot help but hear the trace influence of Joni Mitchell on this tune. "Daybreak" hearkens back musically to her Brazilian influences, such as Tom Jobim and Dory Caymmi, as slippery bossa is kissed by chamber jazz. Cohen's "The Book" is a vehicle for Souza's canny ability to find the stillpoint inside a lyric. As Colley's bass highlights the changes, Pinheiro's chord voicings and single-string fills add an airy backdrop to her vocal, enveloping it effortlessly. Souza travels through each syllable in the tune's lyric, imparting tenderness and tolerance amid the melancholy weight of meaning it contains. On "Night Song" (also by Cohen), her wordless vocalese introduction engages in taut yet breezy interplay with her sidemen. Their intuitive soloing is fleet and creates a net for Souza, who bridges the feelings of separation and loneliness in the lyric to the unconditional love it celebrates. Dickinson's "We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" is introduced by a rugged bassline. Along with Pinheiro's guitar, they deliver riffs suggestive of blues and rock. But when Souza begins to sing, she wraps both instrumentation and words in a jazz embrace to quietly dynamic effect. Rossetti's "Remember" is a languid elegy, and Souza allows the words to penetrate her to the marrow. Her painfully intimate delivery equates the oncoming pain of death's impossible-to-bear separation with a present in which two souls are joined in the union of heartbreak and longing. Her desire and acceptance drip like honey from her lips, arresting the moment in time. On Book of Longing, Souza displays yet again, her stark and remarkable originality in works of deceptive simplicity and elegance. The empathy and equanimity she displays with her sidemen is actually the sound of musical and emotional generosity. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-book-of-longing-mw0003184454

Personnel:  Luciana Souza - voice & percussion;  Chico Pinheiro - guitar;  Scott Colley - bass

The Book of Longing

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Antonio Carlos Jobim - Verve Jazz Masters 13

Styles: Vocal, Bossa Nova
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:34
Size: 131,4 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)
(2:39) 2. Vivo Sonhando (Dreamer)
(3:40) 3. So Danco Samba
(2:47) 4. Desafinado (Off Key)
(3:35) 5. Aguas De Marco (Waters Of March)
(5:29) 6. O Grande Amor
(2:53) 7. Agua De Beber
(3:15) 8. Chovendo Na Roseiro (Double Rainbow)
(6:55) 9. O Morro Nao Tem Vez
(2:12) 10. Fascinating Rhythm
(2:57) 11. Insensatez (How Insensitive)
(3:11) 12. Inutil Paisagem (Useless Landscape)
(3:25) 13. O Morro não tem Vez
(2:06) 14. Por Toda Minha Vida
(2:43) 15. Triste
(4:23) 16. Borzeguim

Antonio Carlos Jobim's entry in the exhaustive VERVE JAZZ MASTERS set of historical reissues is one of the best single-disc Jobim anthologies available. It's not got much in the way of historical range, since it stops in the mid-'60s, just before Jobim left Verve for Reprise and then A&M. However, since Jobim's Verve years were, in the minds of many, his career highpoint, VERVE JAZZ MASTERS 13 distills the best of his most artistically and commercially successful period. Nearly all of Jobim's greatest songs are here in their definitive versions, and the whole is sequenced thoughtfully, so that the disc has a logical and delightful flow. This is magnificent stuff, as well as being the birth of bossa nova. https://www.allmusic.com/album/verve-jazz-masters-13-mw0000112351

Personnel: Antonio Carlos Jobim - Vocal, Guitar, Piano; Stan Getz - Tenor Saxophone; Joao Gilberto - Guitar, Vocal; Tommy Williams - Bass; Luiz Bonfa Bass; George Duvivier Bass; Paulo Ferreira Drums; Paulo Braga Drums; Paulo Jobim Guitar, Vocal, Producer

Verve Jazz Masters 13

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Elis Regina - The Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:16
Size: 78.5 MB
Styles: Brazilian jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:31] 1. Águas De Março
[3:50] 2. Corcovado
[3:08] 3. Bala Com Bala
[3:09] 4. Wave
[3:05] 5. Retrato Em Branco E Preto
[3:12] 6. Inútil Paisagem
[4:28] 7. A Volta
[2:39] 8. Bonita
[3:10] 9. Chovendo Na Roseira
[2:15] 10. Modinha
[1:42] 11. O Que Tinha De Ser

For the relentless way she drove herself and members of her band she was nicknamed ‘Pinmentinha’ (Little Pepper). This is her collection. Beautiful, classic popular Brazilian music! Highly recommended!

The Collection

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Angela Hagenbach - Feel the Magic

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Label:  Harvest Media Group,LLC
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:55
Size: 137,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:38)  1. Love for Sale
(5:19)  2. Peel Me a Grape
(3:50)  3. Obsession
(3:36)  4. Nice and Easy Does It
(5:42)  5. Feel the Magic
(3:37)  6. Retribution
(6:03)  7. So Many Stars
(4:05)  8. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(7:00)  9. Retrato Em Branco e Preto
(4:44) 10. Easy to Love
(6:14) 11. Something Cool
(6:03) 12. Baby, Baby All the Time

Internationally known model turned jazz vocalist, Angela Hagenbach's third album for her Amazon label finds her in the company, although not exclusively, of many of the musicians with whom she has worked on previous albums. These include the important rhythm section of Joe Cartwright, Danny Embrey, Gary Helm, and James Jeffrey. What is striking about Hagenbach are the dramatic alterations to her voice she is able to make from one track to another to conform it to the way she wants to deliver a tune. And she does this with ease, without any diminishment in the quality of her singing. On "Peel Me a Grape," her voice is enticingly light, while on "Retrato em Branco e Preto," one has to take a look at the liner notes to see whether a new singer has been recruited for this tune; her voice drops to a lower register, resulting in a husky, smoky rendition of this Antonio Carlos Jobim Brazilian classic. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" is the vehicle not only for some well-done scatting, but it allows Hagenbach to show her ability to fool around with the lyrics, adding some new ones without damaging the theme of one of Duke Ellington's greatest. "Baby, Baby, All the Time" shows Hagenbach's blues side, as she rides into the chorus on top of Cartwright's lead in piano. Unlike June Christy's renowned sorrowful version of "Something Cool," Hagenbach's borders on the defiant. On "Easy to Love," she recalls Anita O'Day. On other tunes, she shows touches of Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae. With her excellent range, perfect pitch, and her unerring sense of what she's singing, there is no reason why Hagenbach shouldn't become one of jazz's foremost vocalists, and to get there in a hurry.~Dave Nathan 
http://www.allmusic.com/album/feel-the-magic-mw0000331169 .

Feel the Magic

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Claudia Rezende - Copacabana

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:33
Size: 138.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:38] 1. Gotta Be Somebody
[3:50] 2. Take Me Breath Away
[4:12] 3. Copacabana
[3:19] 4. This Old Heart Of Mine
[3:16] 5. I Dreamed A Dream
[3:13] 6. A Moment Like This
[3:21] 7. Never Gonna Give You Up
[3:40] 8. This Love
[4:53] 9. Because You Loved Me
[4:13] 10. Come Back To Me
[4:09] 11. Goody Goody
[4:03] 12. Freedom
[3:20] 13. Got To Be Real
[4:12] 14. Haven't Met You Yet
[3:47] 15. Kiss From A Rose
[3:20] 16. I Love Your Smile

Copacabana

Monday, July 12, 2021

Joao Y Astrud Gilberto With Antonio Carlos Jobim & Stan Getz - Samba E Bossa Nova

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:47
Size: 118.6 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[6:26] 1. Garota De Ipanema
[5:25] 2. Corcovado
[2:21] 3. O Pato
[3:17] 4. Samba De Uma Nota So
[3:05] 5. Samba De Minha Terra
[4:00] 6. Meditaçao
[4:19] 7. It Might As Well Be Spring
[2:51] 8. Um Abraço No Bonfa
[2:03] 9. Bim Bom
[2:43] 10. A Felicidade Adieu Tristesse
[1:58] 11. The Telephone Song
[4:23] 12. Only Trust Your Heart
[3:22] 13. Eu E Voce
[4:04] 14. Rosa Moreno
[1:24] 15. Doralice

I was on a luckless search looking for a review of this album when a friend called and asked what I was doing. So I told him and asked him if he knew where somebody might have written a relevant review of this album. He said there was only one word I needed to write - WOW!

Samba E Bossa Nova

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Various - Antonio Carlos Jobim & Friends (3 Parts)

Brazilian songwriter and vocalist Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927–1994) was one of the creators of the subtle, whispery, jazz-influenced popular song style known as bossa nova. He has been widely acclaimed as one of Brazil's greatest and most innovative musicians of the twentieth century.

Jobim's place in the annals of popular music was secured by a single hit song, "The Girl from Ipanema" (1964), which he co-wrote with lyricist Vinícius de Moraes. His creative contributions to jazz, however, went much deeper; many of his songs became jazz standards, and, in the words of Richard S. Ginell of the All Music Guide , "Every other set" performed in jazz clubs "seems to contain at least one bossa nova." Jobim was sometimes called the George Gershwin of Brazil, not so much because of any musical or lyric similarity Jobim's songs tended to have oblique, often poetic lyrics quite unlike the clever romantic rhymes of George Gershwin's brother Ira but because his music became the bedrock for the work of jazz musicians for decades after its creation.

Album: Antonio Carlos Jobim & Friends (Part 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:22
Size: 133.6 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian jazz
Year: 2015

[2:40] 1. Antônio Carlos Jobim - The Girl From Ipanema
[2:28] 2. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Agua De Beber
[5:15] 3. Dizzy Gillespie - One Note Samba
[3:36] 4. João Gilberto - Só Danço Samba
[4:17] 5. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Corcovado
[2:48] 6. Astrud Gilberto - How Insensitive
[4:13] 7. Stan Getz - Chega De Saudade (No More Blues)
[3:31] 8. Elis Regina - Águas De Março
[2:15] 9. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Wave
[2:27] 10. Caetano Veloso - Meditação
[4:55] 11. Gal Costa - A Felicidade
[4:26] 12. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Captain Bacardi
[2:40] 13. Astrud Gilberto - Dindi
[4:41] 14. Stan Getz - O Grande Amor
[3:09] 15. Elis Regina - Inútil Paisagem
[2:40] 16. Walter Wanderley - Song Of The Jet
[2:13] 17. Ella Fitzgerald - Desafinado

Album: Antonio Carlos Jobim & Friends (Part 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:35
Size: 152.4 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian jazz
Year: 2015

[4:44] 1. Wes Montgomery - O Morro Nao Tem Vez
[2:10] 2. Astrud Gilberto - Amor Em Paz
[3:50] 3. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Brasil Nativo
[5:03] 4. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Para Machuchar Meu Coracao
[6:21] 5. Herbie Hancock - Ela E Carioca
[3:09] 6. Elis Regina - Retrato Em Branco E Preto
[5:48] 7. Ella Fitzgerald - Jazz Samba
[2:45] 8. Astrud Gilberto - Felicidade
[2:51] 9. João Gilberto - Vivo Sohando
[5:27] 10. Joe Henderson - Dreamer
[2:06] 11. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Triste
[2:32] 12. Astrud Gilberto - Eu E Voco
[2:39] 13. Elis Regina - Bonita
[5:18] 14. Joe Henderson - Portrait In Black And White
[4:34] 15. João Gilberto - Este Seu Olhar
[1:44] 16. Elis Regina - O Que Tinha De Ser
[5:26] 17. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Ana Luiza

Album: Antonio Carlos Jobim & Friends (Part 3)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:12
Size: 147.0 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Brazilian jazz
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[6:36] 1. Joe Henderson - Boto
[3:29] 2. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Luiza
[3:59] 3. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Remember
[5:03] 4. Gal Costa - Se Todos Fossem Iguais A Voce
[3:18] 5. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Chansong
[8:46] 6. Lee Ritenour - Stone Flower
[2:19] 7. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Mojave
[6:39] 8. Stan Getz - Once Again (Outra Vez)
[3:09] 9. Elis Regina - Chovendo Na Roseira
[2:07] 10. Nelson Riddle - Por Toda Minha Vida
[2:27] 11. Astrud Gilberto - She's A Carioca
[2:17] 12. Astrud Gilberto - Water To Drink
[3:44] 13. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Looks Like December
[3:16] 14. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Nuvens Douradas (Golden Clouds)
[3:11] 15. Joe Henderson - Happy Madness
[3:44] 16. Antônio Carlos Jobim - Anos Dourados


Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Lisa Ono - Cheek To Cheek

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz 
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:21
Size: 104,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:11)  1. Take The A Train
(3:06)  2. Baubles Bangles And Beads
(4:00)  3. Cheek To Cheek
(3:02)  4. Satin Doll
(3:46)  5. Fly Me To The Moon
(3:29)  6. I Got Rhythm
(5:51)  7. Caravan
(3:35)  8. All Of Me
(3:44)  9. Hello Dolly
(4:01) 10. The More I See You
(3:06) 11. It Don't Mean A Thing
(4:23) 12. Caravan (Instrumental)

Lisa Ono is one of the best Japanese interpreters of contemporary bossa nova. A singer, violonista (acoustic guitar player), and songwriter, she has had her albums released internationally. To date, she has recorded 12 albums (Catupiry, 1989; Nanã, 1990; Menina, 1991; Serenata Carioca, 1992; Namorada, 1993; Esperança, 1994; Minha Saudade, 1995; Rio Bossa, 1996; Essência, 1997; Bossa Carioca, 1998; Dream, 1999; and Pretty World, 2000) with special appearances by top artists like Tom Jobim, Sivuca, Paulo Moura, Danilo Caymmi, and Toots Thielemans. Having lived in Brazil until she was ten, she took advantage of her father's connections he was a nightclub owner in the city of São Paulo and was Baden Powell's manager. Moving back to Japan, he opened the Saci Pererê nightclub, where Lisa Ono began to perform the Brazilian repertory, especially samba and bossa nova. She also founded the label Nanã, which promotes Brazilian music in Japan. ~ Alvaro Neder https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lisa-ono-mn0000413875/biography

Personnel: Lisa Ono - vocals, guitar

Cheek To Cheek

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Eliane Elias - Love Stories

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:39
Size: 100,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:15)  1. A Man And A Woman
(5:02)  2. Baby Come To Me
(5:52)  3. Bonita
(5:25)  4. Angel Eyes
(5:52)  5. Come Fly With Me
(3:59)  6. The Simplest Things
(4:04)  7. Silence
(5:48)  8. Little Boat
(4:17)  9. The View

A Grammy-winning Brazilian pianist and songstress with a sultry voice, impeccable phrasing, and romantic flair chooses to take on the many feelings and emotions of love for her next record. That would seem like a natural fit. To say that this is in the wheelhouse of Eliane Elias is to be the master of the obvious. But if you listen intently you will hear just how fervently she dove into the deep end of the pool of love. The love scenes about to unfold were romanticized by lavish strings and orchestration prevalent throughout the bossa-nova-tinged Love Stories. As if a temptress leading you on to your next liaison, the record opens with a provocatively hushed Elias melding with the broad orchestral arrangement in the theme song from the 1966 Oscar winning French film A Man and a Woman. Now more than a light and catchy pop song, "Baby Come to Me," has an array of spices added to the recipe. Take 6 vocalist Mark Kibble mixes a dash of his rich harmony to Elias's tasty come-hither ingredients. The instrumental arrangement on this tune is among the most flavorful on the album. "Bonita," written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, is sung with unfeigned delight and with the sincerest of Elias' expressionism. Her piano offers a soft, yet significant, role in the elegance of its presentation. A tune generally thought of in connection with Frank Sinatra is next as the romance continues to develop. Elias gives "Angel Eyes" a wink and a sparkle that make it her own. One great Sinatra tune begets another as the high-spirited "Come Fly with Me" kicks in.

Sinatra took listeners to a wonderous fantasy land that they could revisit every time they heard him sing it. Elias emotes an earnest invitation of frankness (no pun intended) to a beautiful place to which listeners might actually travel. Elias stretches instrumentally and rides a vibrant groove with her ensemble. The relationship gets mature with the Elias original, "The Simplest Things." It's a song of imagery that few could sing with such feeling, vulnerability and believability. Lyrically profound, it eschews the superficial and dares to appreciate what matters most. The anguish of love is addressed with "Silence." Elias digs deep into her soul in order to touch listeners. Love is beautiful. Love is sweet. But "Silence" examines the heartbreaks in genuine and truthful fashion. Brighter days are found as we sail in her "Little Boat." The mood kicks way up with an adventurous piano solo that ripples along the coast of the sea of orchestration. The story comes to a close with an exploration of the sexy and passion-laced allure of love. Elias bids us adieu, until we meet again, with the full flight of her voice, phrasing, and discerning pianism on "The View." This amorous aspect of love is illustrated by Elias's signature poetic sound. ~ Jim Worsley https://www.allaboutjazz.com/love-stories-eliane-elias-concord-jazz-review-by-jim-worsley.php

Personnel: Eliane Elias: vocals and piano; Marc Johnson: bass; Mark Kibble: background vocal; Marcus Teixeira: guitar; Daniel Santiago: guitar; Robert Menescal: guitar; Edu Rieeiro: drums; Rafael Barate: drums; Paulo Braga: drums; Celso de Almeida: drums.

Love Stories