Search - Elis Regina :: Trem Azul

La última aparición de Elis Regina

Javier Linares Flores | México | 06/22/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Esta es una grabación ilegal realizada por un aficionado. Elis Regina se encontraba en una etapa de crisis en su vida personal y artística:se acababa de separar de su esposo, el gran pianista y arreglista Cesar Camargo Mariano, y las compañías discográficas no querían trabajar más con ella , todo esto debido al ferreo carácter que siempre manifestó. Cuando Cesar y Elis se dejaron este espectáculo ya estaba listo, y reemplazó a Cesar por un tecladista y arreglista de pésima categoría, para colmo, ella se presentaba a los ensayos con mal humor, lo cual no hizo más que crear una atmósfera de tensión entre ella y su grupo.Para empeorar todo Elis salió al escenario bajo la influencia de drogas, hecho que se puede apreciar bastante a lo largo del disco. Quizá por las drogas, Elis abusó demasiado de sus cualidades vocales, llegando a caer en pura griteria durante casi todo el disco. En retrospectiva es un disco únicamente para admiradores fieles de Elis (PERO MUY FIELES)y no para fans nóveles que pueden quedar decepcionados (POR NO DECIR ESPANTADOS) y muy especialmente si uno ha escuchado sus finas grabaciones de principios de los setentas. Como mencionamos, esta fue una grabación no autorizada y la calidad de sonido es regular, los gritos están a la orden del día y es de lo más notorio la mediocridad de los arreglos y los músicos (a excepción como siempre de Luixao, el bajista que siempre estuvo con ella) ya que uno estaba acostumbrado a los arreglos de Cesar Camargo enmarcando la voz de Elis. En pocas palabras un espectáculo que si Elis se hubiera empeñado en rodearse de gente grande y poner todo de su parte hubiese sido un gran testamento de ella hacia nosotros sus fans y no un testimonio de una decadencia (que todos pensamos hiba a ser pasajera )total."

Elis, Elis... how we miss you.

Dade | Sorocaba, SP, Brasil | 12/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply the best female singer ever."

ELIS REGINA'S FINAL RECORDED PERFORMANCES: 'THE HURRICANE',

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 03/31/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Four Stars for the overall CD. Five HUGE Stars for a superb live performace by Elis Regina, the immortal Brazilian super diva. She is in great form, fronting a hot brass, reed, and guitar combo. In front of a boisterous crowd, she rips through 25 fast-paced songs, some of which are short, while others are abbreviated intros to full songs (Ivan Lins' "Começar De Nova" is just a tantalizing one verse transition). This is her final recording before the tragic accident that took her life in 1982 at age 36, plunging Brazil into a state of mourning that persists to this day even though her own daughter, Maria Rita, has emerged as a superstar. The CD was remastered as much as possible from a pirated 8-Track master: it has a sharp, clear sound to it, delivering her every breath, but the 'recorded behind the curtain' aspect is still there. This is my 20th recording by Elis and she was as vital a performer at the end of her career and throughout, as she was in her first recordings at age 16 which can be found on the CD Dose Dupla. She serves up songs by famous composers, many of whom were good friends: Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Lô Borges, Caetano Veloso, Rita Lee, Ivan Lins, and Beto Guedes, among others.



The show has some initial up-tempo numbers to get the audience set up, but then she delivers pure, undiluted, top-drawer 'furacão'. The 'Best of the Best' begin with the Lô Borges/Ronaldo Bastos title track,' "O Trem Azul" (The Blue Train) which is delivered near the beginning of the show and is repeated at the very end. Both versions are touching mid-tembo renditions of one of her favorite songs, which harkens back to the landmark CD by Mr Nacimento & the Clube da Esquina'. "Vento De Mao" (Winds of May) is pure joy to hear. The 'voice with guitar' waltz, " Valsa De Euridice", is overpoweringly beautiful with Elis hitting those incredible mid-range notes that only her voice could produce. "Menino do Rio" (River Boy) is hilarious. "Caxangá" (Crab) & "Maria, Maria", as a ballad that accelerates, are excellent. And the final recorded performance of her career, "O Trem Azul," is the show closer, pushing the envelope as Elis is overcome with emotion. To some Elis Regina was an acquired taste, but to me, and all of Brazil, she ranks with the finest female singers of all time: Maria Callas, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Sarah Vaughn, Ella, Kiri Ti Kanawa, Angela Gheroghiu, Alessandra Coletti, Jessye Norman, whoever: consider Ms Regina for your personal list. This performance is very reminiscent of the current shows by her daughter, Grammy-winner Maria Rita who has 100% of her mother's vocal DNA: unique, high energy, touching, nuanced, and very personal. All sung in sensual Brazilian Portuguese. HIghly Recommended as an ESSENTIAL recording for Elis Regina completists with the caution on the sound. Four OVERALL Stars for the CD, Five REMARKABLE Stars for Elis. She truly was Furacão (the hurricane).

(Audio CD, 1 disc: total time of 73:43, with short abbreviated Portuguese notes and a poem. Remastered, but some muffled sound problems persist.)"