Baden Powell/João Gilberto/Luiz Bonfa: Brazil On Guitar, 3CD Set

• Stan Getz once asked Brazilian conductor Júlio Medaglia, "Why doesn't Baden Powell move to Europe or the United States, where he would become the world's greatest guitarist?" To which Medaglia replied, "Because, maybe, he's already the world's greatest guitarist."

• The guitar in popular Brazilian music came to prominence during the late 1950s with the advent of Bossa Nova. Bossa evolved from the samba tradition; the style encapsulated in João Gilberto's ingenious distillation of the almighty roar of the samba drums down to the beat of a single guitar.

Each of the leading Brazilian guitarists of the era articulated bossa in a personal way; João Gilberto's first recordings were the blueprint, intense, concentrated performances of the early masterpieces; Baden Powell combined sensitivity and fire, easily one of the top ten guitarists of all time, a classically trained child prodigy who, with his eclectic interest in the African spiritual and Gregorian plainchant may be seen as the link between bossa nova and Tropicalia. Another marvellous guitarist who united refinement with passion, the tragically ill-fated virtuoso, Rosinha de Valença; Laurindo Almeida, an eloquent player who anticipated bossa, with an equal facility for the guitar music of Villa-Lobos; and Luiz Bonfá; who, along with two of the leading architects of bossa, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, created memorable tunes for Black Orpheus, a film which despite its questionable authenticity, sparked international enthusiasm in Brazilian music.

‘Brazil On Guitar' includes Baden's 1961 album ‘Um violão na madrugada (A Guitar at Dawn)’, two further complete LPs which he distinguished; ‘A Noite do meu bem’ by the ever-popular Lúcio Alves and ‘Jóia Moderna’ by Alaíde Costa (a favourite of João Gilberto). Here also are Baden's sublime contributions to albums by Carlos Lyra, Elizete Cardoso, and the American flautist Herbie Mann. Rosinha de Valença's live performance of Baden's ‘Consolação’ is miraculous.

To showcase the revolutionary guitar of João Gilberto, there are 14 numbers, including unforgettable songs from the pen of Jobim that quite simply changed the world.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE

CARLOS LYRA & BADEN POWELL

1  Rapaz de bem

2  Sem saudade de você

HERBIE MANN & BADEN POWELL

3  Consolação

4  Deve ser amor

ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM & HERBIE MANN

5  One Note Samba

BADEN POWELL Um violão na madrugada (A Guitar at Dawn)

6  Do jeito que a gente quer

7  Minha palhoça

8  Fluido de saudade

9  Luz negra

10  Insônia

11  Improviso em bossa nova

12  Lição de baião

13  Dona Baratinha

14  Prelúdio ao coração

15  Luar de agosto

16  Dum... dum... dum... dum...

17  Linda

18  Samba triste

LÚCIO ALVES WITH BADEN POWELL - A Noite do meu bem (The Night of My Love) - (Songs and Music written by Dolores Duran)

19  Idéias erradas

20  A noite do meu bem

21  Estrada do sol

22  Castigo

23  Noite de paz

24  Vou chorar

25  Por causa de você

26  Fim de caso

27  Pela rua

28  Quem sou eu

29  Solidão

30  Canção da tristeza

DISC TWO

JOÃO GILBERTO

1  Chega de saudade

2  Lobo bobo

3  Desafinado

4  Bim Bom

5  Samba de uma nota só

6  Um abraço no Bonfá

7  Meditação

8  O pato

9  Corcovado

10  Outra vez

11  O barquinho

12  Saudade da Bahia

13  Você e eu

14  Insensatez

ALAÍDE COSTA WITH BADEN POWELL Jóia Moderna

15  Encontro com a saudade

16  Samba de nós dois

17  Se foi passado

18  Gostar de ninguém

19  Só de mentirinha

20  Ponto final

21  Canção do amor sem fim

22  No mundo da lua

23  Gosto do seu lhar

24  Sem você

25  Segue a vida em paz

26  Lágrima

ROSINHA DE VALENÇA

27  Acalanto

28  Consolação

ELIZETE CARDOSO

29  Cidade Do Interior

30  Outra Vez

31  Chega de Saudade

DISC THREE

BLACK ORPHEUS (Orfeu Negro) Selections from the Original Film Soundtrack

1  Luiz Bonfá Manhã de Carnaval: Aula de Violão

2  Luiz Bonfá Manhã de Carnaval (2a Agostinho dos Santos & Roberto Menescal - Manhã de Carnaval - Orfeu)

(2b Luiz Bonfá – Manhã De Carnaval: Cena Do Nascer Do Sol) 3 Agostinho Dos Santos & Roberto Menescal - A Felicidade

4  Luiz Bonfá - Samba De Orfeu 4a Jorge dos Santos, Aurino Cassiano & Maria Alice – Samba De Orfeu

LUIZ BONFÁ

5  Night and Day

6  Shearing

7  Quebra Mar (The Seawall)

8  Luzes do Rio (Lights of Rio)

9  Chopin

10  George Back in Town

11  Eurydice

12  Batutacada

13  Garoto

LAURINDO ALMEIDA

14  Brazilliance

15  Mystified

16  Villa-Lobos: Etude No. 11

17  Villa-Lobos: Etude No. 5

18  Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasieleiras No. 5 - Aria (Mezzo-soprano: Salli Terri)

19  Faure: Sicilienne

20  Falla: Farruca from The Three-Cornered Hat

Villa-Lobos: Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra

21  Allegro preciso

22  Andantino e andante

23  Cadência

24  Allegro non troppo

Guitar: Laurindo Almeida. Unspecified chamber orchestra. Conductor: Mario Tavares

GAROTO

25  Alma Brasileira

26  Duas contas