As Smooth As It Gets
Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 03/30/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Long before there was a genre called "smooth jazz", and long before he moved from Brazil to New York, Eumir Deodato was the real deal. And Eumir Deodato Plays Marcus Valle is as smooth as it gets.
Most Americans, myself included, had never heard of Deodato before he burst on the scene with his blockbuster Prelude album in the early 1970s. Yet he was already an established superstar composer, arranger and musician at home years before that.
However ignorant of Deodato we were, the songs of Marcos Valle were all around us (without us having a clue about Marcos Valle)in the '60. I would be almost willing to wager that there are at least a half dozen songs on this CD that would be familiar to most people aged 50 plus who had any kind of musical awareness at all in those days.
Eumir Deodato plays Marcus Valle is an excellent compilation that features the best of their collaborations from the mid-sixties to the early seventies. On this CD, more than any of the other reissues of early Deodato by Italy's IRMA records, one can hear the development of the style that would later come to shout Deodato's name whenever it was played. The distinctive organ and electric piano, the oh-so-smooth horns, and the pulsating percussion blend seamlessly in a signature style that is both daringly avant-garde for home enjoyment and seductively sophisticated enough for play at the office.
My favorites here are Os Grilos (all versions), the once ubiquitous Summer Samba (both versions), Sonho de Maria, Even More Beautiful, Flap (a harbinger of music to come), and White Puma.
When I call this CD smooth, I don't mean smooth in the smarmy, saccharine definition of "smooth jazz" today. I mean a flawless, seamless wall of sophisticated sound that is so upbeat that it can't help but improve your day. If you are or were ever a fan of Deodato and have not heard his earlier material, this is just one of many excellent IRMA re-issues with which you can't go wrong. Order it today, I highly recommend it!
"
A Classic!!
Angel L. Maldonado Colon | Barranquitas, Puerto Rico United States | 11/07/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For those of you that have listen to Deodato through the years. Gentelmen, here we have a classic. Samba at its best. As you listen the rythum will posess you. The hornas are as good as Deodato 2, Knight of Fantasy, Love Island and his classic Prelude. The Acoustic Piano and Organ flicker in the background like a galaxy of shooting stars. Ruben Bassini thumps the percussion like a rythum of power and soul. Emilio Baptista Alto Sax, blows like a flowting butterfly, crisp and jumpy. The power of Luis Marinho and Sergio Barroso Bass is like pounding thunder that vibrates your heart and body. The recording is strong and blasting. You can notice the diffrence by his early sound works that Digital is Digital. Deodatos' Magic is still awesome. The CD box is card board, I guess that the quality of the music makes up for the blunder of its card board enclosure. I hope that the master will not keep feeding us a steady diet of silence."
A bit short..but quite nice
T.D. | Tel Aviv, Israel | 03/17/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The CD is 34.07 minutes long, but provides for a very pleasant instrumental music sesssion."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1