Fact: More Italians live in Brazil than any other country outside of Italy. Premise: Could that explain why so many great New Bossa sounds come not from under the Brazilian, but the Tuscan sun? Answer: Maybe, but all of this talk will fade away in mere moments once you push the play button on this two-disc set called Café Roma 3.
As the title implies, this is part of an ongoing series of Jazzy Italian Lounge music. Café Roma 3 is a unique collection of unreleased tracks by many of today’s hottest Lounge and New Bossa musicians, smartly set with a breezy combination of vocals in English, Portuguese and Italian and augmented by instrumental gems that’ll make you forget about the differences between, say, the Mediterranean and Rio coastlines.
Highlights include Phonorama’s ‘Lemon L‘, ’Ibiza Breezing’ by the Safariways, a crisply chilled cover of ‘Estate’ (in English) and ‘Bossa Bothinho’ by Liliana Gimenez on Disc One. The second CD holds its own treasures: Brass’s ‘Café Roma’, Brazilian Jumble’s ‘O Sol Que Beija Voce’, ‘Melodias E Preposicoes’ by Vibraphile and the short but sweet ‘Sulla Vespa’ from Mazachigno. And those are just the highlights – you’ll find plenty to love with these 20 tracks.
We’ve sampled several volumes in this series, and while all have their musical moments, only the best will make it to our pages. Café Roma 3 is one of them. The track ordering is perfectly tuned to the ‘getaway’ feeling we all have when thoughts of the day… drift away.
There’s no doubt that Bossa Nova is Brazil’s gift to the world, and its equally true that (currently) Bossa’s original spirit – wistful, spritely and romantic – is alive and well, and in the capable hands of a new generation of musicians worldwide –especially in Italy.
And don’t worry that these names and songs are unfamiliar – you’ll soon discover these tunes to be new friends – always ready for another visit – just as Astrud, Sergio and Antonio have been all along.
