Cool bossa nova guitar discs?

[bigou]

Stackbones suggest me this thread and I think it's a good idea. I want to explore that kind music and the only disc I have is Getz/Gilberto. Any other "classic" I have to bought??

[rlindsey0]

 

Stackbones suggest me this thread and I think it's a good idea. I want to explore that kind music and the only disc I have is Getz/Gilberto. Any other "classic" I have to bought??

 

 

There's tons of good stuff. Off the top of my head, you might start with Le Roi de Bossa Nova, by Luiz Bonfa; O Universo Musical de Baden Powell; and any prime-time collection of Joao Gilberto you can find.

[gthom]

I'm sure lots of good recommendations for music will show up, but I'll also recommend a pretty cool book on bossa history by Ruy Castro called (obviously) "Bossa Nova". It's originally in Portuegese and translated, but it was still a good read and gives a lot of context to all the players associated with the movement.

 

I was lucky enough to find it at my local library.

[Etienne Rambert]

The Verve 20th Century Masters's CD's. Two in particular are masterpieces.

The Jobim CD and the Astrud Gilberto CD. There are two Gil Evans' arrangements on the Astrud Gilberton album - using his orchestra. They are the wildest, most exciting and beautiful orchestrations I have ever heard. One is Jobim's Tristeza the other is called Berimbaum

 

Un-friggin-believable! They are my holy grails for orchestration. I still have no clue how to play chords like that on keys - let alone a guitar.

[Stackabones]

Amoroso is pretty good, but Brasil is sublimely beautiful.

 

 

 

After hearing so many great reviews on this one, I finally ordered it. Should be here next week. The White Album.

 

 

 

Charlie Byrd is no slouch when it comes to bossa nova guitar. Go with the classic ...

 

 

 

Most of these are understated, serve-the-song guitar playing recordings. Nothing in your face or over-the-top. Of course, there are some fantastic players ... Bonfa, Almeida, Bosco -- but they all seem really devoted to the song even when they are tearing it up.

 

Once you get deeper into these, we'll have to check out choro and MPB and ...

[Stackabones]

I'm sure lots of good recommendations for music will show up, but I'll also recommend a pretty cool book on bossa history by Ruy Castro called (obviously) "Bossa Nova". It's originally in Portuegese and translated, but it was still a good read and gives a lot of context to all the players associated with the movement. I was lucky enough to find it at my local library.

 

[gthom]

 

 

This album gets played a lot at my house. People who have zero interest in bossanova or guitar always ask what that music is when it's on. One of these days I'm going to sit down and learn Bahia Com H up and down.

[Stackabones]

This album gets played a lot at my house. People who have zero interest in bossanova or guitar always ask what that music is when it's on. One of these days I'm going to sit down and learn Bahia Com H up and down.

 

I never know if anyone is going to get that one. But I don't think I have anything in my collection that is quite as beautiful as Brasil. It's very difficult to express the admiration and devotion I feel for it. The last track, Cordiero Da Nana, is inexpressibly delightful and mysterious ... like some kind of musical koan.

 

There's supposed to be a film of it. Any ideas?

 

This live version of "Bahia Com H" is nice, but the Brasil version just kills.

[YOUTUBE]Q7qyizoeYpg[/YOUTUBE]

[bigou]

I bought Jazz samba. Pretty good discs. I rellay love it. I also order Amoroso/Brasil. I really like this forum. It open my ears to a lot of new music. I'm going to pick up my La Patrie this week I'm excited.

[Stackabones]

I bought Jazz samba. Pretty good discs. I rellay love it. I also order Amoroso/Brasil. I really like this forum. It open my ears to a lot of new music. I'm going to pick up my La Patrie this week I'm excited.

 

 

Be sure to let know about the La Patrie. Pics, clips, etc!!!

[Etienne Rambert]

There are a lot of good Bossa collections out there and not too many bad ones. Try pot luck.

 

But if I had to recommend only one,

it would be this one.

 

Until you've heard Gil Evans' arrangements of Jobim's "Felicadade" (You can hear a 30 sec clip here, BTW), you can have no idea of what Bossa Nova can be.

 

His two Bossa orchestrations on that album are Everest & K-2 AFAIC.

I heard he also arranged an album for Hendrix that is equally as wild. But I suspect it's probably an urban myth. Evans' understood the potential of Bossa. And AFAIC, those two arrangements have never been equalled - let alone bested.

 

I rank right behind Evans, the man who arranged the album inside the cover that stackabones uses for an avatar & a few other Jobim albums as well. Immensely influential with Acid Jazz & with Pop orchestrators. Hugely influential on my own orchestrations too. The team of Antonio Carlos Jobim & Klaus Ogermann loom large.

 

But I have no idea what Gil Evans' was doing with the Bossa Nova. I half-way understand what Ogermann was doing. So Evans is not even an influence. I wish he could be. But I'd need to understand what in the **ll he was doing. The chords & rhythms are not of this world.

That's why Astrud Gilberto's CD with his two arrangements is my first choice.

 

For just getting to know the greatness of the music? How can you miss with:

 

If I had to pick only one song for you to listen to? I would choose Jobim's orchestration/arrangement of Pixinguinha's "Carinhoso", from Jobim & Ogermann's "TIDE" LP.

 

You can hear part of it here.

 

It's probably the most beautiful piece of music I will ever hear in my life. It took 220 takes for Jobim to get it to his satisfaction. And he didn't even write it.

 

It was his tribute. Pixinguinha was dying at the time he recorded it.

 

That's Bossa Nova. 220 takes to get it right.

 

Outside of Evans', I personally avoid American Jazz performers. Getz/Byrd. They take a Jazz orientation that I personally don't like.

 

"Bossa Nova isn't Jazz. It's better,"

 

Someone I respect told me that once.

 

I guess an exquisite guitar-oriented Bossa* would be Manha de Carnivale, written by Luis Bonfa. I like Astrud Gilberto's version of the song. CLIP HERE. Short of Carinhoso, I've never heard anything more beautiful.

 

(*BTW, count the notes - the melody is Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to"). That's Bossa Nova too. It's the best from the American songbook, arranged for guitars to a Brazilian rhythm.

 

While Americans and Brits were listening to crap, Brazilians were preserving and extending the beauty of melody.

 

The world owes Brazil big-time. Not only did they have the best football teams of the 20th century.

They made the best music of the 20th century too.