Pete C

Some of my favorite 60's recordings are the airchecks from the Elis Regina's TV show No Fino da Bossa (co-hosted with Jair Rodrigues). Among the guests on these recordings, if I remember offhand, are Jorge Ben, Baden Powell, Gilberto Gil, Pery Ribeiro and Wilson Simonal.

It was a nice match indeed, and it gave Sinatra a setting where he could tone down his bravado.

Yes, interesting that you mention that. When Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes wrote the original stage musical they were working within established samba traditions. Joao Gilberto's rhythmic innovations appeared shortly thereafter, and subsequent versions of the tunes from the show, and subsequent Jobim compositions, bore the bossa stamp from then on.

Bev, do you know about the Manchester-Sao Paulo Trama connection? A bunch of mostly younger artists who are combining American soul music (mostly seventies-oriented) with Brazilian sounds (and occasionally more contemporary hip hop and techno), who record for the S.P.-based Trama label seem to have caught on in the UK thanks to a DJ in Manchester who dug the stuff, and now Trama has a Manchester base too. Among the artists are Max de Castro & Wilson Simoninha (both sons of bossa singer Wilson Simonal), Jair Oliveira (son of Jair Rodrigues), and Ed Motta. Also, Joyce seems to have a bigger base in the UK than the US, and is connected with the Far Out label there. I almost made a trip to London a while back because Joyce & Ed Motta were playing back to back at the Jazz Cafe. There are lots of full tracks available to listen to on the trama.com.br website. It ain't bossa, though. London has a major Brazilian scene. A few years back I saw an amazing show at the Royal Albert Hall that featured Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, Gal Costa, Virginia Rodrigues & Elza Soares, and the show also featured several London-based Escolas de Samba. It also seems that the kitchen staff at the London hotels I stay at are always Brazilian, and I always talk music with them.

Yeah, the M2S recordings are great, and I had the peasure of seeing them twice. Jim, it looks like I'm gonna be able to catch Joao Bosco & Gonzalo Rubalcaba playing together at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Bosco is one of my favorite MPB artists. Another good collection is The Story of Bossa Nova on Blue Note. One of my favorite instrumental albums of the last couple of years, period, is the stunning Duo, by Cesar Camargo Mariano & Romero Lubambo, on Sunnyside. For great jazz meets bossa piano, I think Camargo Mariano & Joao Donato are the two best.

I went for the eponymous one for its wealth of classic compositions in addition to great playing.

By the way, IMO Astrud Gilberto should be on the bottom of your list.

No, Pharoah plays burning tenor. I believe he plays on Part 3 (of 4) only, but he makes his presence very much known.

From the poll choices you'd think bossa nova was a North American style. I'm going to paste some suggestions I made in the past on Jazz Corner. * * * For a bossa nova collection, this one looks good, and the price is right ($11.98 list): Bossa Nova Brasil (Verve) 1. Desafinado - Gal Costa 2. Telefone - Céu da Boca 3. Pra Iluminar - Leila Pinheiro 4. Ãcuas de Marco - Elis Regina 5. Manha de Carnaval - Luiz Bonfá 6. Coração Vagabundo - Gal Costa 7. Chega de Saudade - Antonio Carlos Jobim 8. De Conversa Em Conversa - João Gilberto 9. Pra Que Chorar - Alcione 10. Surfboard - Roberto Menescal 11. Boranda - Edú Lobo 12. Bom Conselho - Maria Bethania 13. Carta Ao Tom 74 - Vinícius de Moraes 14. Falsa Baiana - Gal Costa 15. Chuvas de Verão - Caetano Veloso 16. Retrato Em Branco E Prieto (Picture in Black and White) - Antonio Carlos Jobim 17. Agua De Beber - Tom Jobim/Astrud Gilberto 18. Consolação - Baden Powell 19. Quem Quiser Encontrar O Amor - Tamba Trio 20. Influência Do Jazz - Carlos Lyra 21. Girl from Ipanema - Stan Getz 22. Samba da Benção - Vinícius de Moraes The best book on the subject is: The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil by Chris McGowan, Ricardo Pessanha * * * For a nice 24/7 webcast of classic bossa & MPB, go to: http://www.bossabrazil.com/ Then click Bossa Brazil on the channels list on the left. It's streaming MP3s, with a choice of 128 or 24k streams, and there's a "Now Playing" box. * * * Originally posted by Reid Has anyone heard the compilation, *Bossa Nova and Samba: Gold Edition*? I haven't heard it, but it looks like a reasonable collection. Track List DISC 1 1. Samba Do Aviao / Antonio Carlos Jobim 2. Roda / Gilberto Gil 3. Samba Em Paz / Caetano Veloso 4. The Girl from Ipanema / Astrud Gilberto 5. Asa Branca / Luiz Gonzaga 6. Abre Alas / Ivan Lins 7. O Velho Francisco / Chico Buarque 8. Essa Moça Ta Diferente / Chico Buarque 9. Tarde Em Itapoan / Maria Bethania 10. Bem Bom / Gal Costa 11. Cançao So Sal / Milton Nascimento 12. O Ronco da Cuica / Joao Bosco 13. Anos Dourado / Maria Bethania 14. Canto de Ossanha / Baden Powell 15. Cinco Crianças / Edú Lobo 16. Bate Bate / Jos Barrense-Dias 17. Origens II / Filo 18. Meu Piao / Astrud Gilberto 19. Procissao / Gilberto Gil 20. Sai da Frente / Bateria Nota DISC 2 1. Samba Do Veloso / Baden Powell 2. Catavento / Milton Nascimento 3. Mamae Eu Quero/Chica Chica Boom Chic / Astrud Gilberto 4. General da Banda / Ivan Lins 5. Sorte / Gal Costa 6. Bahianada / Jos Barrense-Dias 7. Portela, O Mundo Melhor de Pixinguinha / G.R.E.S. Imperio Serrano 8. Por Amor / Filo 9. De Frente Ao Crime / Joao Bosco 10. Soneto Do Amor Total/Samba Em Preludio / Vinicius De Moraes 11. Sei la ... A Visa Tem Sempre Razao / Antonio Carlos Jobim 12. Cavaleiro / Caetano Veloso 13. Agua de Beber / Quarteto em Cy 14. Pretinha / Marcello 15. Iemanja / Gilberto Gil 16. Cantando No Tor / Chico Buarque 17. Wave / Flavio Faria 18. Ultimo Desejo / Maria Bethania 19. Negro Negro / Edú Lobo 20. Muita Firmeza / Bateria Nota * * * I highly recommend Joyce's recent Bossa Duets album: From Dusty Groove: Joyce -- Bossa Duets Magical work from the lovely Joyce -- a set of duets with some of her favorite players and singers -- some of our favorites too! The album has Joyce working in a stripped-down and intimate style -- vocals and acoustic guitar tripping out over gentle bossa rhythms, joined on various tracks by artists that include Joao Donato, Toninho Horta, Johnny Alf, Wanda Sa, and daughter Ana Martins. Given the presence of the older bossa luminaries, the album's got a sophisticated and mature sound that's quite nice, and in contrast to some of Joyce's other recent recordings -- a bit mellower, perhaps, but also more deeply thoughtful, and at many levels, sadder and wiser. Titles include "Lugar Comum", "Voce E Eu", "Yarabela", "Plexus", "London Samba", "O Sapo", "E Vamos La", and "Fa Da Bahia". And just in case you were wondering, all tracks are exclusive to this album -- recorded in 2003!

Wayne is like Dylan: he does such extreme reinventions of his "familiar" repertoire that it's hard to recognize the tunes. I've seen this amazing quartet twice. I've gotten flak for my contention that Footprints Live ranks with his best Blue Note work.

Don't miss it.

I'm not familiar with Frohman by name (though I've probably heard him), but Porcelli & Vega are both great. I've always enjoyed Tito's Latinized takes on hard bop standards. And Vega's album Boperation is really nice too.

The Bop City website only lists Blue Note, but he will be playing Yoshi's in July. http://www.bopcity.com/horacesilver.htm

I agree that he's one of the most compelling younger altos in the straight-ahead vein. He has his own sound, but it is a wonderful synthesis of bop style and beyond with older influences like Benny Carter and a nice bit of Earl Bostic icing. I first saw him with Hargrove in the 80s, and I last saw him with the Dave Holland big band.

Silver purrs: Famed 75-year-old pianist should look backward as well as forward Thursday, April 29, 2004 BY ZAN STEWART Star-Ledger Staff NEW YORK -- Duke Ellington always said his favorite song was the next one, the one he hadn't written. And he always performed new pieces on live dates. But he appeased the longings of those who loved his many classics, at least by playing several of them each night in a medley, if not in longer versions. It's a concept Horace Silver should consider. Silver, the still-nimble, 75-year-old jazz composing and piano giant, opened his first New York appearance in many years Tuesday at the Blue Note. (The infrequency of his live shows is due to both intermittent bouts of ill health and his reluctance to travel.) On his opening set, Silver played only one evergreen: his signature piece, "Song For My Father." The other pieces were drawn from his "new" album, "Rockin' with Rachmaninoff" (Bop City), which he recorded in 1991 and was released last year. As has been his wont, he eschewed such dynamic repertoire songs as the timeless ballad "Peace," the galloping-along "Room 608," the emotive "Señor Blues" and the funky "Filthy McNasty." To be fair, some of the new tunes were as warm and appealing as his best songs. Take the waltz, "Satchmo's Song," which occasionally recalled Silver's beguiling mid-'60s work, "Pretty Eyes." Or "Rocky Meets the Duke," which employed a favorite Silver gambit: Sway between a Latin rhythmic feeling and a swinging, straight-ahead jazz one. Other numbers, like "Sunday Mornin' Prayer Meetin'," a fairly corny reworking of his first hit, "The Preacher," didn't quite rise to the Silver standard. Silver did have a trump card, though, that lifted the level of even the mediocre songs. He brought along, as always, a first-rate band: trumpeter and horn leader Michael Philip Mossman, tenor saxophonists Eric Alexander and Raymond McMorrin, trombonists Steve Davis and Conrad Herwig, bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Add to these fellows the piano expressions of the leader -- an artist who in his heyday sweated through a suit in the course of a set and who today still works hard enough to emit trickles of moisture down his countenance -- and the result was a mostly rewarding musical experience. "Father," a bossa nova with a simple, telling theme, boasted two fine Silver solos, one after the melody reading, another to close the piece. The latter, over an undulating pulse from the impeccable Webber and Farnsworth, included Asian-like chordal statements, little squibs that landed on a ringing note, hard-punched thoughts and more. Alexander also soloed, scoring with his round, glowing tone and sizzling combination of choice notes delivered with commanding technique. "Rocky Meets the Duke" found the octet sounding like a salsa band here, a surging jazz ensemble there. Mossman soloed with a typical array of high, brassy notes and less fevered lines that had a more song-like quality. Then there was the outstanding Davis, he of fat, warm tone and consistently motoring-along thoughts, and tenorman McMorrin, who sported a round sound, an ability to play crafty ideas at horn bottom and top, and an ear-grabbing fluidity. Silver accompanied here with typically percussive accents and built his improvisation on tuneful statements that were underpinned by a hearty rhythm. He used sparer ideas as the linchpin of his solo on "Satchmo's Song," though there were bluesy remarks for another flavor. Here Herwig was impressive with his ebullient sound and solid ideas.

A good resource to know about is froogle.com. It's Google's shopping search engine. Through it I found the item at a site called musicexpress.com--it's in English and they charge in U.S. dollars, though they're based in the Netherlands (though the company is called German Music Express). The price for your item is $13.44 + $4.95 s/h.

There's no simple answer since it depends not only on the artist and his fan base, but the city, size of venue, length of gig.

In Marla's defense I'd like to say that she's not a spammer, and has been a good citizen and participant at Jazz Corner for some time; hopefully she'll share her thoughts and enthusiasms (especially about things vocal) here too.

That one I REALLY love. Do you know David Sanchez's Obsesion? That's beautiful too, and features Franzetti arrangements. But I think Kuhn's music would have been better served by more challenging, more interactive, and less lush arrangements.

According to a Google search I just did it's readily available. Click me.

http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/paloalto.htm Several Palo Alto recordings were later released by the labels the artists moved on to. Meredith D'Ambrosio's excellent Little Jazz Bird was put out by Sunnyside, and Blue Note rereleased Diane reeves' Palo ALto recordings.

I posted my review on Jazz Corner as part of the same promotion. I love Kuhn's playing and writing, but I'm just not into the lush Romantic string thing, and I think it's generally that element that will divide listeners into 2 camps. Finck is indeed excellent.

Get with it, man, that free jazz typing is the wildest. But can the kid do standards?

I Remember Bebop.

Thanks for the Fields/Schlitten clarifications, Chuck.