Joπo Bosco: Dß licenτa
meu senhor, Sony Music Epic CD 758.230/2-479213. The man my friend Dennis Miller
calls "distilled samba" has come out with a disc that made my top-ten list at
first listening...love at first listening here! His guitar playing is in magnificent form
and his singing reminds me of his first recordings. The selection is superb: from folk to
classics by Ary Barroso and Noel Rosa. Special bonus: duets with Martinho da Vila and
Daniela Mercury (this one in No Tabuleiro da Baiana by Ary). I bought this CD for my
birthday...what a present it turned out to be!!
Gal Costa: Mina d'ßgua do meu canto, BMG US Latin CD 74321-26323-2.
Gal Costa sings classic compositions by Chico Buarque and Caetano Veloso. Some all-time
favorites: Odara, Quem te viu, quem te vΩ, Cajuφna (it sounds beautiful!) and Caetano's
tribute to his mother tongue, Lφngua. We would have liked to see some notes and the
lyrics too. Next time, don't be so cheap, guys!
Gilberto Gil Acoustic, produced
by Gil himself, Atlantic Jazz CD 82564-2. Gil is in top form revisiting some of his great
hits: Expresso 2222, Toda menina baiana, Realce and what a beautiful rendition of Sampa by
Caetano Veloso!
Milton Nascimento: Clube da Esquina and Clube da Esquina 2, World
PacificCDP7243 8 30429 2 0 and CDP 0777 7 91606 2 4. We waited for years for the release
on CD of these two gems Milton recorded in the early seventies. Milton himself supervised
the remastering at the Abbey Road Studios in London. Give yourself or someone you love a
great gift!
Caetano Veloso: Fina
Estampa en vivo, Polygram CD 314 528 918-2. A live performance of some of the
songs from his studio CD below, but that's not all. The show includes Soy Loco por Ti,
AmΘrica, VocΩ esteve com meu bem?, a bossa nova song written by Joπo
Gilberto, Haiti, and other classics from Latin America that did not fit in the
first CD.
Caetano Veloso: Fina Estampa, Polygram CD 314 522 745-2. Caetano gives
new life to old favorites from all over Latin America, and his Spanish accent is very
good. On the cover, a picture of Caetano looking like a "caballero de fina
estampa" himself. Great gift for all lovers of classic Latin America songwriters life
Rafael Hernandez from Puerto Rico. And Capullito de Alheli has me dancing every
time! Beautiful arrangements by cellist Jaques Morelenbaum and Caetano Veloso.
Caetano e Gil: Tropicßlia 2, Polygram CD 518 178-2. Caetano Veloso
and Gilberto Gil recorded this one celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Tropicßlia
record (which is also available on CD now). These guys are still making the
establishment raise their eyebrows, to say the least...just listen to Haiti and
you'll understand why.
Maria Bethania: ┴libi, Polygram
Verve CD 836 011-2. Maria Bethania is Caetano's sister. Not only that, she has been for
the past 30 years one of Brazil's greatest singers, a superstar in her own right. A lot of
her recordings are available in the US, and almost anything she recorded is great. if
you're talking torch songs, then she's at the top of my list. I'm particularly fond of
this one, because she sings some of my all-time favorites: Diamante Verdadeiro,
by her brother Caetano, Ronda by Paulo Vanzolini and Sonho Meu, a samba
by Dona Ivone Lara, the doyenne of samba composers in Rio
.
Gilberto Gil: O Sol de Oslo, Blue Jackel Entertainment CD 5031-2. Gilberto Gil gets together with a bunch of extremely talented musicians, Brazilian and non, and we get a very rootsy Brazilian CD, filled with lovely music. Thank Sπo Paulo label Pau Brasil and Blue Jackel for catching Gil before he re-signed with Warner to record his best in a few years. And you know what? They have another one coming out in 1999!!
Joyce: Astronauta, Canτ⌡es de Elis, Blue Jackel Entertainment CD 5029-2. Joyce pays hommage to the singer who helped launch her career as a songwriter. Recorded in New York, with Joe Lovano, Dori Caymmi, Tutty Moreno, Mulgrew Miller, Rodolfo Stroeter and others.