Sunday, July 22, 2007

"A Trip To Brazil: 40 Years of Bossa Nova"

"A Trip To Brazil: 40 Years of Bossa Nova"
Compilation Produced and Annotated by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
(Universal/Motor Music 565382-2)

Released on October 20, 1998

Take a trip to Brazil with:
- 50 tracks on 2 CDs, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Bossa Nova, many of them for the first time on CD;
- a 28-page booklet with rare photographs and extensive annotations by Arnaldo DeSouteiro, Brazil's leading jazz journalist;
- historic performances by great musicians such as João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Eumir Deodato, Astrud Gilberto, Elizeth Cardoso, Sergio Mendes, Quincy Jones, Walter Wanderley, MarcosValle, Wes Montgomery and many more
- all the hits from the recent soccer advertisements and one soccer legend in person: Pelé sings the Bossa Nova!
- total playing time: 153 minutes
- mastered from the original master tapes

Excerpt from the liner notes written by Arnaldo DeSouteiro:

"The celebration of the 40th anniversary of the bossa nova - based on the date of its "official" bithday, the recording of the legendary version of "Chega de Saudade" by Elizeth Cardoso and João Gilberto in January 1958 - is a good opportunity to revise some concepts as well as to clarify some points.

As the tracks in this compilation clearly demonstrate, "bossa nova music" preceded the "bossa nova movement," the latter being basically a mass-media invention that gave rise to all those legends about reunions in the apartments of young middle-class girls and boys in such areas of Rio de Janeiro as Ipanema and Copacabana. In fact, bossa nova was already pratically in its teens when these reunions, along with the famous shows in Copoacabana's "Beco das Garrafas," started taking place.

Yet the genius who promoted this revolution in Brazilian music, in terms of rhythm, melody and harmony, was not even born in Rio, but in Bahia, and he presented the new concept to his colleagues when he arrived for the second time in Rio, in 1957, back from an eight-month stay in the small city of Diamantina (in Minas Gerais), which he had spent isolated in the home of some relatives. What exactly happened there, only God knows. But what happened when João Gilberto showed his "new style" in Rio, all the world knows...

One by one, all of Gilberto's fans (and enemies too) became schocked at what they were hearing: a new samba beat, a new way of singing, new concepts of harmonizing, and so forth. As to the beat, many mantain (rightly) that Gilberto adapted for the guitar a type of beat that João Donato had already been employing some years before on the piano, and even on early recordings as accordionist. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Gilberto perfected that beat, being influenced simultaneously by the modern guitar approach of Luiz Bonfá and Garoto.

At the same time, Gilberto developed a new singing style - very soft, subtle and charming. Antonio Carlos Jobim, one of the first to hear that "magic", was totally fascinated, and began to compose new material inspired by Gilberto's style, songs that basically were created to be sung by him. That was the beginning of the "bossa nova repertoire."

Following the release of Cardoso's version of "Chega de Saudade", the effect of Gilberto's revolution spread even more. Guitarists everywhere in Brazil were trying to play like him, to the point that the ones who learned the beat very quickly opened "guitar schools," at which they taught "how to play like João Gilberto." Even already established arrangers, such as Lindolpho Gaya, Lyrio Panicalli and Leo Perachi, revised their styles, opening their ears to that new music, which demanded less pompous orchestrations and lighter ornamentation, closer to the impressionistic notions of Debussy and Ravel, two major influences on Jobim's harmonic conception - along with Villa-Lobos, of course.

The first bossa nova period extended till 1962, the year when the bossa nova craze began in the USA. At the same time, in Brazil, a second generation of bossa nova composers/musicians/arrangers started to display their strong potential. But, while Gilberto was "cool", they were "hot": in contrast to that early soft sonority based essentially on guitar and voice, they preferred to play in trios, quintets, large ensembles; indeed, some even refused to use the "bossa nova" label. And then a new wave, "samba-jazz", took over the music scene. It was a truly brilliant generation and their talents eventually transcended the bossa nova boundaries.

Gilberto continues his perpetual evolution to this very today. Every time he plays one of the songs that he has been playing for forty years, he does so employing new syncopations and new phrasings. Furthermore, everything he plays becomes bossa nova. That is why we can say that the bossa nova is João Gilberto, yet João Gilberto is bossa nova and much more. Cheers!"

Arnaldo DeSouteiro, May 1998

Arnaldo DeSouteiro is Brazil's top jazz producer and leading jazz journalist, as well as being a renowned publicist and educator
(He is also a member of IAJE, the International Association of Jazz Educators)

CD 1
1. Eu Quero Um Samba - Os Namorados
2. Chega de Saudade - Elizeth Cardoso
3. Outra Vez - Joao Donato
4. O Barquinho - Tamba Trio
5. Batida Diferente - Sérgio Mendes
6. Samba de Uma Nota Só (One Note Samba) - Sylvia Telles
7. Balansamba - Roberto Menescal
8. Rio - Lucio Alves
9. Telefone - Dom Um Romao
10. Influencia do Jazz - Carlos Lyra
11. Silk Stop - Os Gatos
12. Upa Neguinho - Edu Lobo
13. Canto de Ossanha - Baden Powell
14. Nanã - Quarteto Em Cy
15. Lamento No Morro - Nara Leão
16. Samba da Pergunta - Os Cariocas
17. Pensativa - Luiz Carlos Vinhas
18. Mas Que Nada - Tamba Trio
19. Desafinado - Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd
20. Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars) - Antonio Carlos Jobim
21. Dorme Profundo - Marcia
22. Soul Bossa Nova - Quincy Jones
23. Insensatez (How Insensitive) - Dick Farney & Lindolpho Gaya
24. Tania - Meirelles & Os Copa 5
25. Samba de Orfeu - Luiz Bonfá & Ithamara Koorax
26. Voce Esteve Com Meu Bem? - Caetano Veloso

CD 2
1. Girl From Ipanema - João Gilberto & Stan Getz
2. Manhã de Carnaval - Luiz Bonfá
3. Triste - Antonio Carlos Jobim
4. Surfboard - Eumir Deodato
5. Fotografia - Antonio Carlos Jobim
6. Minha Saudade - João Donato
7. Ela é Carioca - Sérgio Mendes & Bossa Rio
8. Crickets Sing For Anamaria - Marcos Valle
9. Preciso Aprender A Ser Só - Meirelles & Os Copa 5
10. Só Danco Samba - Roberto Menescal
11. On My Mind - Astrud Gilberto
12. So Nice (Summer Samba) - Walter Wanderley
13. Know It All - Wes Montgomery
14. Wave - Oscar Peterson
15. Non-Stop To Brazil - Quincy Jones
16. Samba With Some Barbecue - Paul Desmond
17. The Gentle Rain - Astrud Gilberto
18. Weekend - Tamba 4
19. A Trip To Brazil - Luiz Henrique
20. I Want To Hold Your Hand - Gary McFarland
21. To Say Goodbye - Edu Lobo
22. Aguas de Marco (Waters Of March) - Elis Regina & Antonio Carlos Jobim
23. Meu Mundo é Uma Bola - Pelé & Gerry Mulligan
24. Eu Sambo Mesmo - João Gilberto


CREDITS
Ray Alonge French Horn
Lúcio Alves Vocals
Wayne Andre Trombone
Mingo Araujo Percussion
Jorge Arena Conga
Zeca Assumpcao Bass
Milton Banana Drums
Ray Barretto Conga
Sergio Barroso Bass
Rubens Bassini Percussion, Conga
Chico Batera Drums
Bebeto Bass, Flute, Vocals
Joe Beck Guitar
Alfredo Bessa Percussion
Keter Betts Bass
Willie Bobo Percussion
Luiz Bonfá Guitar
Paulinho Braga Drums
Waltel Branco Guitar (Electric)
Luis Brasil Guitar
Ray Brown Bass
Charlie Byrd Guitar
Gene Byrd Guitar (Rhythm)
Elizeth Cardoso Vocals
Ron Carter Bass
Carlos Castilho Arranger, Vocals
Oscar Castro-Neves Guitar
Jimmy Cleveland Trombone
Rudy Collins Drums
John C. Constable Liner Notes
Copinha Flute
Joe Correro Drums
Marcelo Costa Drums
Cynara Vocals
Jorge Ferreira da Silva Sax (Alto)
Wilson DasNeves Drums
Helio Delmiro Guitar
Jack del Rio Percussion
Deodato Piano, Arranger
Aloysio de Oliveira Vocals
Laudir DeOliveira Percussion
Buddy Deppenschmidt Drums
Paul Desmond Sax (Alto)
Arnaldo DeSouteiro Percussion, Producer, Compilation, Annotation
Raul DeSouza Trombone
Bill Dickinson Bass
João Donato Piano, Arranger
George Duvivier Bass
John Eckert Trumpet
Dick Farney Piano
Paul Faulise Trombone
Dorio Ferreira Bass
Durval Ferreira Guitar
Severino Filho Piano, Arranger
Clare Fischer Arranger
Astrud Gilberto Vocals
João Gilberto Guitar, Vocals
Urbie Green Trombone
Sol Gubin Drums
Manuel Gusmão Bass
Herbie Hancock Piano
Luiz Henrique Guitar, Vocals
Jim Hughart Bass
Antonio Carlos Jobim Arranger, Vocals (bckgr)
Quincy Jones Arranger, Conductor
Sam Jones Bass
Christian Kellersmann Executive Producer
Jim Keltner Drums
Ithamara Koorax Vocals
Herbert Laws Flute
Nara Leão Vocals
Gracinha Leporace Vocals
Edu Lobo Guitar, Arranger, Vocals
Carlos Lyra Guitar, Vocals
Edison Machado Strings, Drums, Horn
Willem Makkee Mastering
Márcia Vocals
George Marge Flute
Luiz Marinho Bass
Jose Marino Bass
Gary McFarland Arranger, Vocals, Vibraphone
Sergio Mendes Piano, Arranger
Roberto Menescal Guitar
Helcio Milito Drums, Vocals
Tony Miranda French Horn
Wes Montgomery Performer
Jota Moraes Piano
Airto Moreira Drums
Sidinho Moreira Percussion
Jaques Morelenbaum Arranger
Paulo Moura Sax (Alto)
Gerry Mulligan Sax (Baritone)
Tião Neto Bass
Ohana Drums
Os Cariocas Performer
Os Gatos Performer
Os Namorados Performer
João Palma Percussion, Drums
Pedro Paulo Trumpet
Don Payne Bass
Romeo Penque Flute (Bass)
Oscar Peterson Piano
Raoul Poliakin Violin
Baden Powell Guitar, Arranger
Seldon Powell Flute
Quarteto em Cy Performer
Elis Regina Vocals, Performer
Bill Reichenbach Drums
George Ricci Cello
Jerome Richardson Flute, Overdubs
Bobby Rosengarden Percussion
Dom Salvador Piano
Michito Sanchez Percussion
Sandoval Sax (Tenor)
Walter Santos Vocals (bckgr)
Lalo Schifrin Piano, Arranger
Bobby Scott Piano
Don Sebesky Arranger
Joe Shepley Trumpet
Claudio Sion Drums
Sivuca Accordion
Chico Spider Keyboards
Marvin Stamm Trumpet
Tamba Trio Performer
Grady Tate Drums
Sylvia Telles Vocals
Marcos Valle Guitar, Vocals
Emanuel Vardi Viola
Caetano Veloso Guitar, Vocals
Luís Carlos Vinhas Piano
Wagner Trumpet
Walter Wanderley Organ
Sadao Watanabe Sax (Alto)
Bill Watrous Trombone
Chauncey Welsch Trombone
Kai Winding Trombone
Leo Wright Flute


Special thanks from Arnaldo DeSouteiro to: Elge Agricola, Beatriz Albano, Lu Araujo, Alda Baltazar, Letícia Birk, Luiz Bonfá,Celso Brando, Marcia Brito, Giselle Bundchen, Anna Carolina, Gisele Valle de Carvalho, Deborah Cohen, Eumir Deodato, Jorg Feyer, João Gilberto, Quincy Jones, Christian Kllersmann, Ithamara Koorax, Matthias Künnecke, Rodrigo Lopes, Lu Monteiro, Isabel Nery, Carolina Roberto de Oliveira, José Pimentel de Pinho, Carlos Pingarilho, Cristina Ruiz-Kellersmann, Marcia Schmitz, Creed Taylor, Richard Templar, Roberto Torres, Tárik de Souza and Marcos Valle for their invaluable cooperation.

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