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Summer
schedule:
As is the case every year, our Connectbrazil.com Weekender
has moved to its 'every other week' Summer schdule
through Labor Day. You'll see our next e-letter in
to your e-mail in-box on Saturday,
July 26th!
Our
year-long celebration of Bossa Nova's 50th birthday
means lots and lots of great music, and here's your
invitation to join the party with this 'Baker's Dozen'
list of some of my favorite Bossa Nova CDs. Keep it
handy - as an easy guide to rounding out your collection!
Remember - this is not an 'All Time Best Bossa Nova'
list. Just CDs that I have really come to enjoy over
the years. Here they are, in no particular order:
Bossa
Nova Sua Historia Sua Gente
Various Artists
This the real Bossa Nova - from the Masters vault
of Rio's legendary Odeon Records comes this uncompromising
collection of 36 songs by the musicians who invented
the style - much different than those north of the
equator who rode the Bossa wave via interpretation.
That's the difference that makes this 2 CD set a highly
recommended - and very entertaining - masterpiece!
Francis
Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Frank Sinatra
A Classic, and timeless with its swinging style. Here's
he CD that propelled Antonio Carlos Jobim to 'household
name' status as the first of two recordings paring
Sinatra with the Brazilian. Sinatra's whisper-soft
singing means that these songs fully reveal their
magic through repeated listening!
Tanto
Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
This debt CD is not only a glorious celebration of
Bebel's pedigree as a performer and songwriter, but
in the years since its release, its become a bellwether
for the 'New Bossa' sound. These eleven songs embrace
tradition without nostalgia, establishing her at the
Vanguard of something equally as new and exciting
as her fathers' "Chega de Saudade" was all
those many years ago.
The
Unknown/Inedito
Antonio Carlos Jobim
With a seemingly unending supply of 'Best of' and
compilation CDs available these days, there's no reason
not to have a few of Antonio Carlos Jobim's albums
in your collection. But this is the album that Jobim
called his all-time favorite - a 24-song celebration
of his 60th birthday with the New Band. Recorded in
1987 - immediately after his 'Passarim' album, this
album was originally released as a limited edition
corporate gift. Now its finally available as one of
Jobim's true masterpiece recordings, and you won't
find these songs in a mocked-up, bargain bin release!
Amoroso/Brasil
João Gilberto
With string arrangements by Claus Ogerman (Antonio
Carlos Jobim's favorite arranger) and Johnny Mandell
(Frank Sinatra's favorite arranger) this double-album
CD re-issue stands today as one of the best collections
of João Gilberto's recordings at the height
of his career. This re-issue also holds 'Brasil',
a mid-70's album recorded with Caetano Veloso, Maria
Bethania, Gilberto Gil to make this an essential CD
for any Brazilian music collection!
Bossa
Nova:Trinta Anos Depois (30 Years After)
Various Artists
Twenty years ago this was one of the best 'best of
Bossa' collections ever produced, and today it's held
in even higher regard by people who chronicle Brazil's
Bossa best for a living - the journalist and reviewers
themselves, who still refer to these tunes as testament
to Bossa Nova's unending popularity!
Casa
(Tribute to Jobim)
Morelenbaum / Sakamoto
This one is really special- the only album completely
recorded in Antonio Carlos Jobim's home studio, overlooking
Rio de Janeiro. This trio of Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto's
creates a revealing and intimate collection of the
music of Jobim, the master of Bossa Nova in this all-acoustic
setting!
Simples
Marcela Mangabeira
This rising star from Rio's debut is nothing short
of spectacular, but don't take only our word for it:
"Marcela is a rare find," says Bossa legend
(and mentor) Roberto Menescal, who also launched the
careers of singers Nara Leão and Leila Pinheiro.
"She will become one of the most renowned singers
of this new generation of Brazilian talents."
We agree!
The Bossa Nova Story
Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz
If you've been searching for a concise, expertly balanced
collection of American Bossa Nova, look no further.
This 3-CD set combines the best of Astrud Gilberto,
Antonio Carlos Jobim and Stan Getz (including all
of the songs from 'Getz/Gilberto'). In fact, these
three volumes will satisfy the most dedicated Bossa
Nova fan for years.
Wanda
Vagamente
Wanda de Sá
As is the case with so many of Bossa Nova's classic
recordings, the price on this CD has risen in recent
months, but its well worth the cost. This is what
Rio's Bossa sound was all about! Wanda Sa's historic
debut was recorded in April 1964 - half a world away
and exactly 13 months after the legendary Getz/Gilberto
sessions. Sá was the original female voice
for Sergio Mendes when he came to the US the stay
in 1965, and her lightly romantic voice carries that
same slightly out-of-tune charisma that became a calling
card for Bossa Nova. An early classic and a favorite
CD with our staff!
Aquarela
do Brasil
Elis Regina and Toots Thielemans
A Historic encounter, due to a casual invitation by
harmonicist Toots Thielemans which led to a Scandinavian
vacation for Elis Regina during one for the happiest
periods of her life - and it shows on this excellent
recording, a Bossa classic and one of her most memorable!
The easy choice here would have been the classic 'Elis
& Tom' album, but I'll bet you'll find more surprises
to enjoy here, play after play!
Greatest
Hits
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
2006 marked the 40th anniversary of this group and
what better way to celebrate than with a dozen of
'Brasil 66's' best hit songs from the days when the
young pianist from Rio really began to make his pop
music mark with the world - with the voices of Lani
Hall, Janis Hansen and Karen Phillipp to provide the
spark! Summertime fun!
Plus
one more:
The
Legendary João Gilberto
João Gilberto
No doubt about it: For true fans of Bossa Nova this
CD represents the "Holy Grail." Comprised
within this volume are the complete and original recordings
from three of João Gilberto's initial Bossa
Nova studio dates, from 1958 to 1961. Originally compiled
and released in 1990, "The Legendary João
Gilberto" quickly sold out, making it nearly
impossible to find these incredible, historic recordings.
The story goes that the mercurial Gilberto was so
disappointed by the presentation of this compilation
that he withdrew his approval for any future release
of these songs by the label. If so, the few remaining
copies in circulation will soon be acquired by collectors.
As
a result of a thorough canvas of our international
suppliers, Connectbrazil offers three copies of this
CD on a first come, first served basis from 'stock
on hand' inventory. Price includes next day delivery
by secured courier and shipping insurance against
loss in transit. In addition to being a valuable piece
of Bossa Nova history, this album is also a joy to
listen to - the recordings and arrangements are literally
priceless, at any cost!
Fifty
years to the week that
Bossa Nova got its start, it seems only fitting to
catch up with the man widely credited as its founding
father. On June 23, the reclusive guitarist João
Gilberto gave a rare performance at New York City's
Carnegie Hall as part of the JVC Jazz Festival. Performing
alone on the same stage where Gilberto first introduced
Americans to such classic songs as "Chega de
Saudade" and "Desafinado," the 77-year-old
Gilberto gave a concert that included both the expected
("Garota de Ipanema" was his last encore)
and the unexpected (a Bossa Nova version of "God
Bless America").
"He
sang as if his fingers and his throat were in separate
spheres, responding to each other from afar,"
Jon Pareles, the New York Times influential jazz critic,
wrote in his review the next day. "Mr. Gilberto's
performance encompassed not only a brilliant musician's
individuality and improvisational skill, but also
an elderly sage's acceptance that nothing lasts forever."
While
the elder statesman of Brazilian
music is said to rarely venture outside his
apartment, his daughter Bebel
maintains a busy performance schedule, appearing
at the recent Aspen Jazz Festival and also joining
the trip-hop group Thievery Corporation at a Hollywood
Bowl concert that included a dozen guest performers,
among them Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell and the
Brazilian singer Seu Jorge. But what the younger Gilberto
performed wasn't exactly Brazilian: A downtempo version
of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of
This)" that was described by some as one of the
concert's highlights.
Speaking
of fathers and their children,
Djavan has two of his sons playing in his band as
he criss-crosses the United States promoting his latest
album "Matizes," his 18th release. Guitarist
Max Viana and drummer João Viana have actually
played with the veteran singer-songwriter for the
last 10 years.
"With
my sons, they're used to my kind of music; growing
up they were there all the time next to me,"
he told the Los Angeles Times, prior to his show at
the Ford Ampitheatre. "Apart from the DNA involved,
they have also grown as musicians, so that makes it
that much easier. It just comes more naturally to
my sons."
We'll
keep things in the Los Angeles
groove as we move on to Devendra Banhart's
recent Hollywood Bowl performance with Gilberto Gil,
whose first U.S. tour in almost a decade is about
to wrap up.
Banhart,
an American folk-rock musician who lived in Venezuela
for most of his childhood, told the Los Angeles Times
that Gil's very eclecticness is what makes him so
appealing.
"It's
so generous, his music," he said. "When
one person can make music that turns you on to a plethora
of genres and cultures, that's education, man; that's
what opens your mind. It's one-stop shopping in this
weird way too, where you don't have to go to a
bunch of different records. On one record you
traverse the globe."
Brazilian
music great Milton Nascimento
is getting the full treatment from a French jazz duo
renown for their tributes to Horace Silver and Yusef
Lateef. Lionel and Stephane Belmondo - collectively
known as Belmondo - have collaborated with the 66-year-old
Nascimento on the simply titled "Milton Nascimento
& Belmondo."
The
album includes new interpretations of Nascimento classics
such as "Porto De Areia," "Cancao Do
Sal," "Travessia," "Milagre Dos
Peixes" and "Nada Sera Como Antes"
- as well as two classical compositions "Berceuse/Malilia"
by Maurice Ravel and "Oracao" by Cesar Franck.
As
you will become increasingly aware over the next few
weeks, the Summer Olympics
are nearly upon us. So we thought we'd share with
you a few stories of Olympics present and future.
First
of all, as noted a few weeks ago, Rio de Janeiro was
named as one of four finalists
to host the 2016 games, along with Chicago,
Madrid and Tokyo. Organizers of the Rio effort recently
held a ceremony where they raised their flag to officially
join the process as a candidate city. Rio mayor Cesar
Maia signed a $500,000 USD transfer fee to confirm
the bid, while elsewhere in the city President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva sent the National Congress a
bill creating an R$85 million credit to support Rio's
attempt to become the firstcity to bring the games
to South America. Noting the success the city had
in hosting the 2007 Pan American
Games, Lula said "we will not start this
bid from scratch."
So
how good are Rio's chances? Depends on which point
of view you decide to take. Oddsmakers have made Rio
a 2-to-1 pick to host the games when the winning city
is announced in October 2009 - behind Chicago, which
is a 4-to-5 favorite.
But
the recently revealed preliminary report from the
International Olympic Committee - and some data collected
by the Chicago Tribune - shows that Rio
still has a long way to go. In fact, the newspaper
added up point totals from the point ratings given
in 11 different categories and found that Rio finished
behind Doha, Qatar, which was eliminated from contention
because the city wanted to host the games in October.
Speaking
of poor facilities, you'd be hard pressed to find
someone with the less exotic trappings of a sporting
superstar than Diego Hypolito, Brazil's one-man
men's gymnastic team.
A
recent victim of Rio's dengue fever outbreak, the
21-year-old Hypolito has been resuming his workouts
in a gymnasium that is also used by local children
as young as three - and two resident cats.
"I'm
not an actor, I'm an athlete and the big problem with
the Brazilian people is that they want to turn athletes
into actors," he told Reuters. "I don't
need to go to parties to get noticed. The results
make my good image."
Despite
his setbacks, Hypolito still has high
hopes. As they should be, considering the fact
that became the first Brazilian gymnast to win a world
title when he captured the men's floor exercise in
2005. Last year, he won the title again in Stuttgart,
Germany.
"Only
time will tell how my head and my body will respond,"
he said. "I want to take part in this and another
three Olympics."
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