Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Floriano Bonfa', Showcasing Se
Rob Stoneman ocean child | Mother Earth, The Milky Way | 08/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A Composer has a number of hurdles to overcome before they are taken seriously.
Hopefully they are young enough to enjoy their accomplishments, and the world appreciate how far they have come.
I admire Jobim's meteoric rise to radio and TV in the 1950's.
The 27 tracks off the album Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Floriano Bonfa' reveal certain size microphones and microphone placement to cut and record 78 rpm's for play on the large crystal tube radios popular in homes before smaller transistor radios overtook the beach, and widespread use of the lighter weight Stereo LP.
The treasure trove of 27 tracks, all rarities, are highlighted by songs performed by the original cast members of Jobim and de Moraes' play Orfeu da Conceicao, which features a small cluster of motifs our Composer loved to return to throughout his most distinguished career.
Bonfa' help construct the music for de Moraes and Jobim's play, the songs A Felicidade and Manha De Carnival aren't on this CD, they are on the Black Orpheus soundtrack.
In de Moraes' play, the song Someone To Light Up My Life was used to celebrate Orpheus had met his better half, his soulmate Eurydice.
Fans of Wave will be delighted to find Lamento was originally a vehicle for Orfeu to pour his heart out.
Much like Porgy and Bess, Orpheus and Eurydice's time together is short lived, but their union will define who they are, and what they are about for the rest of their lives.
You are forewarned here, Orfeu da Conceicao is a Tragedy, Orfeu has to reconcile himself to his fate, nothing is permanent, the lilting melodies may cause some heartache.
Jobim and Vinicius were supposed to have written a number of the songs for their play transcontinental over the phone.
I remember the big phone recievers and heavy round cords, the image makes me love Ma Bell and large hunks of plastic even more!
I've noticed the film Black Orpheus by Marcel Camus has aged well, it's still very contemporary.
The songs A Felicidade and Manha De Carnival are the centerpiece of Black Orpheus. Bonfa' wrote Manha De Carnival when Jobim needed help completing the Soundtrack.
While performing cuts off her new dynamite album, Into White, Miss Carly Simon told the QVC television audiance Manha De Carnival is one of the two or three songs recognised and loved the world over by the most people in spite of the language barriers because the beautiful melody speaks to everybody's heart.
Big Time!
Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Floriano Bonfa' is a good companion piece alongside the album, Antonio Carlos Jobim Sinfonia Do Rio de Janeiro, both items are featured on El Records and their Subsidiary label Cherry Red Records.
Purchase the CD Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Floriano Bonfa'... break the shrink wrap open... admire the attractive one piece swimsuits on the front cover our ancestors enjoyed for a day in the sun, and fall in love all over again!
"
Collectors item
Lee Whiteside | Dwight, Illinois United States | 04/20/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I say it is a collectors item for several reasons. First of all the quality is not great. It sounds like it was copied from a vinyl record. Almost all of the songs are from recordings in the 50's. They have that sound to them. It's like watching the old b&w movies. There are 27 tracks and about half of them are vocals, either male of female voice. All are sung in Portugese. So I guess my main complaint is not enough of the two composers, Jobim and Bonfa. When they do perform they are mixed in with the orchestra. Lots of harmonica, accordion, woodwinds, and orchestra but not enough of Luis' beautiful guitar to suit me. It is more or less just ethnic music. Except for about six tracks I don't really like the rest of it very much. But maybe if you are a collector...."
Track Listings (27) - Disc #1