João Gilberto - Brasil

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:12
Size: 64.6 MB
Styles: Brazilian jazz
Year: 1981/2006
Art: Front

[6:34] 1. Aquarela Do Brasil
[5:18] 2. Disse Alguem (All Of Me)
[5:12] 3. Bahia Com H
[4:49] 4. No Tabuliero Baiana
[4:56] 5. Milagre
[1:20] 6. Cordiero De Nana

Bass – Jim Hughart; Cello – Anne Goodman, Rober Lebon; Drums – Joe Correro; Flute – Bud Shank, Eddie Cainf, Glen Garrett, Harry Klu; Harp – Stella Castellucci; Keyboards – Clare Fischer; Percussion – Paulinho Da Costa; Performer – Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia; Synthesizer – Michael Boddicker, Milcho Leviev; Viola – David Schwartz, Helaine Wittenberg, Marilyn Baker; Violin – Bonnie Douglas, Harry Bluestone, Isabelle Daskoff, Israel Baker, Jerry Reisler, John Wittenberg, Joe Goodman, Nathan Ross, Paul Shure, Bob Dubow, Bob Lipsett; Violin, Concertmaster – Gerald Vinci; Vocals, Guitar – João Gilberto.

I'll just make this a brief review. I've been a professional musician for 35 years. In the 1970's when I discovered this album, I was traveling all over the country with a show. I would play this LP constantly; I never got tired of it. Until I heard this, I had always thought of "Brasil" as a raucous, lounge or marching-band sort of tune. Then I heard these artists perform it, and I finally realized what a marvelous song it really was. There must be 100's of recorded version of it, but you'll never find a more beautiful, sophisticated version than this. Of course, the rest of the album is equally good. Great tunes, great singing, and as an added treat, the brilliant orchestrations of the great Claus Oegerman.

I have listened to this record for years on trips to the mountains, the sea; everywhere. It always gives me a placid, serene feeling. Decades later, the music still gives me chills. I cannot recommend this record enough, and I truly hope that someone else will enjoy it half as much as I have over the years. ~BJNick

Brasil

---

Carminho - Carminho Canta Tom Jobim

Size: 106,1 MB
Time: 45:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Bossa Nova, Samba, Fado
Art: Front

01. A Felicidade (3:53)
02. O Que Tinha De Ser (2:59)
03. Estrada Do Sol (Feat. Marisa Monte) (4:03)
04. Meditaçao (3:10)
05. Luiza (2:34)
06. Falando De Amor (Feat. Chico Buarque) (3:32)
07. Wave (3:10)
08. Sabia (3:36)
09. O Grande Amor (3:22)
10. Retrato Em Branco E Preto (2:46)
11. Inutil Paisagem (3:24)
12. Triste (2:57)
13. Modinha (Feat.Maria Bethania) (3:18)
14. Don't Ever Go Away (2:31)

"I might not know who you are, but I know who I am.”

And things could be no different, when someone who sings these words is someone who has always perceived Fado to be her destiny, but who was only able to openly admit it after she truly understood who she was.
In 2009, Carminho sang "Fado". This was her fado, the one she owned since an early age, when she listened to her parents’ records, when she witnessed the gathering of fado singers in her own house and when, still a teenager, she began to sing in the Taverna do Embuçado. This "Fado" was the title of her first album, which was one of the most awaited albums in the new generation of fado singers: for those who had already heard Carminho, her talent was obvious, but they had to wait – until she finished her graduation, until she travelled the world, until she knew who she really was.

And her "Fado" became one of the most acclaimed albums in 2009. It went Platinum – an enviable outcome for a debut album. With "Fado", Portugal surrendered to Carminho’s voice and the doors of the world opened to her talent. It was considered best album 2011 by Songlines magazine, she had shows in European capital cities, in Womex 2011 (Copenhagen) and in the UNESCO headquarters, in Paris, within the scope of Fado as World Heritage candidate. Then came the invitation to participate in Pablo Alborán’s album, which became a phenomenon of popularity in both Portugal and Spain.
It was about time that “Fado” had a worthy successor. And it's just around the corner. On 5th March, Carminho reveals her "Alma" (Portuguese word for soul) with 15 new songs, an album again produced and directed by Diogo Clemente, again wisely combining cover versions and originals (in the special edition, the album has 17 songs and a DVD with Carminho live in concertin May 2011 at Lux Frágil, Lisbon.

The cover versions are less evident. Some not so well known songs by Amália ("Cabeça de Vento"), Dina do Carmo ("À Beira do Cais") or Fernanda Maria ("As Pedras da Minha Rua"), but also from Chico Buarque ("Meu Namorado", de "O Grande Circo Místico") or Vinicius de Moraes ("Saudades do Brasil em Portugal"). The original songs are by Diogo Clemente ("Bom Dia, Amor", about poet Fernando Pessoa), Mário Pacheco ("Talvez", lyrics by Vasco Graça Moura), and Vitorino ("Fado Adeus"). And there are also some new lyrics for traditional fado tunes – one of them, "Folha", written by Carminho herself, and another one, "Impressão Digital", a poem by António Gedeão.

And it is this mixture of past and present that allows us to unveil the future of Fado, in the unrivalled voice of Carminho. A voice which, in her second album, sustains all that Carminho sings in "Talvez": "I might not know who you are, but I know who I am”.

Carminho Canta Tom Jobim

---

Maria Bethânia - My Backyard

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:33
Size: 95.1 MB
Styles: Brazilian jazz vocals
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:26] 1. Alguma Voz [any Voice]
[2:20] 2. Xavante
[4:03] 3. Casa De Caboclo [caboclo's House]
[2:00] 4. Lua Bonita [beautiful Moon]
[2:27] 5. Candeeiro Velho [old Candeleer]
[4:39] 6. Imbelezô Eu Vento De Lá [embellished Me Wind From There]
[2:24] 7. Mãe Maria [mother Maria]
[4:12] 8. Uma Lara Uma Perigosa Yara [a Lara A Dangerous Yara]
[1:51] 9. Moda Da Onça
[3:03] 10. Povos Do Brasil [people Of Brazil]
[3:07] 11. Arco Da Velha Índia [bow Of Old India]
[3:43] 12. Folia De Reis [folly Of Kings]
[3:11] 13. Dindi

This disc, recorded, according to the liner notes, as a way of relieving the emotional turmoil after the death of her mother at 105, focuses attention on her national heritage, "voices of the past that formed part of the creation of Brazil. personified in Bethania's artistic life." It also contains, as a bonus track the one song that may be recognizable to American audiences unfamiliar with Brazilian music, Tom Jobim and Aloysio de Oliveria's "Dindi."

While there is no denying that a knowledge of Portuguese would significantly add to the appreciation of Bethania's music, it is equally undeniable that the emotional honesty of her vocals comes through in spite of any language gap. She has a beautiful voice that exudes passionate intensity. There is a reason she has made all those albums, whatever the language. This is a woman who can sing.

My Backyard

---