Posted on Thursday, July, 1, 2010 | Comments Off on Josh Rouse, El Turista
Tourists get a bum rap. They’re loud, invasive and wear ugly clothes — at least according to caricature. Cultural tourists endure an even worse rep. They’re exploitive, clueless and downright racist — if only to purists who look askance at anyone who dares annex the art of a land other than his own. (Prime targets of wrath from the intolerant range from Paul Simon to Vampire Weekend.) Given all this, you have to admire the guts of singer-songwriter Josh Rouse. Not only did he plunge headfirst into the controversy, he gave his efforts the asking-for-it title “El Turista.” The new CD from this well-respected performer finds a guy raised in the ultimate Midwest state of Nebraska singing songs heavily influenced by the balmiest rhythms of Brazil. More, he chose to sing them in Spanish rather than Portuguese. And, oh yeah, he recorded it all inNashville. Then again, Rouse isn’t a total outsider to the cultural flavors he’s tasting. Five years ago, Rouse, who’s from Brooklyn, moved to Valencia, Spain, where he lives with his native-born wife and their 1-year-old son. Rouse speaks Spanish in his adopted home, but you don’t have to be a Catalonian to know his accent isn’t quite on point. He goes out of his way to pronounce the local “th” accent (especially evident in a track named for his chosen home). But when he croons Spanish in the cover of “Duerme” (made famous by Cuban singer/pianist Bola de Nieve) he sounds like someone who learned the language in a crash course. Then again, Rouse sings as often in English as in Spanish, and the instrumental aspects of the CD prove as impressive as anything sung. The opening instrumental, “Bienvenido,” features wafting strings that flow with a jazzy flair. Strings enliven the whole CD, giving it a breezy feel that’s in no way flighty. Rouse’s boyish voice has the right light touch for...
Posted on Wednesday, June, 30, 2010 | Comments Off on Gabriela Anders
Gabriela Anders was born into a family of musicians. The Argentinean native studied classical guitar and piano in Buenos Aires while listening closely to her father, jazz saxophonist Jorge Anders. “There were so many influences when I was growing up, and I wanted to do something with them all. My father’s concerts and studio work certainly affected me, as did the music of Brazil— it’s so harmonically rich and so interesting melodically. ” After high school, Anders decided to continue her studies in New York. After a short while, she started to do studio and club work. This work lead to two recording projects with top producer Sergio George under the name Beleza. Through Sergio, she had the opportunity to sing for Grover Washington, Jr., Marc Anthony, Celia Cruz & DLG. Her ongoing exposure to music of various sensibilities and her innate ability to fuse styles and formats were abundantly revealed in a few demo tracks she made on the cheap. Shortly thereafter, the stunning beauty became one of the only artists ever signed to Warner Bros. from unsolicited material. Her first appearance on the Warner Bros. sampler JAZZ CHRISTMAS PARTY (1998) was followed by Gabriela’s 1999 debut, Wanting is brimming with vocal subtlety; although smooth, it is anything but simple (she wrote ten of the twelve tracks). Gabriela Anders continued a journey of musical excellence and introspection with her releases, Eclectica, a collection of brazilian, rhythm’n blues and jazz- influenced songs andLatina, an all spanish adventure. The new Gabriela Anders CD, Bossa Beleza, blends her own immediately recognizable sound with that of her first musical love, classic Bossa Nova. Eleven soulful and intimate tracks, including the Brazilian standards “Dindi”, “Folhas Secas”, “One Note Samba” and “Agua de Beber”, as well as Gabriela’s take on the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” and Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September,” plus three original songs, are all infused with the beautiful Bossa Nova sound so famously popularized in the...
Posted on Wednesday, June, 30, 2010 | Comments Off on Ithamara Koorax & Juarez Moreira, Bim Bom: The Complete João Gilberto Songbook
Little did the world know that when João Gilberto (Bahia, 1931) added his special guitar accompaniment and beat to Elizeth Cardoso’s recording of Tom Jobim-Vinícius de Moraes’ “Chega de Saudade,” he was creating a mark for what would become known as Bossa Nova. The year was 1958, and that recording appeared in the LP Canção do Amor Demais (now also available on CD). Tough he had been recording since 1951 (he was crooner with the famous Garotos da Lua group), it was after Canção do Amor Demais that João Gilberto’s solo career took off and made him the star he is today and also garnered him with the title of the Pope of Bossa Nova. João Gilberto was more than an accomplished guitarist and singer. He also wrote a few compositions, a fact that is often overshadowed by his enormous performer talent. Since 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of that legendary recording that started a whole new musical genre, Brazilian vocalist Ithamara Koorax (Rio de Janeiro, 1965) teamed up with guitarist Juarez Moreira (Minas Gerais, 1954) to release an album with the complete João Gilberto songbook. Produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro, Bim Bom: The Complete João Gilberto Songbook features all vocals by Ithamara Koorax and guitars by Juarez Moreira. Both Ithamara and Juarez need no long introductions. She has recorded with artists all over the world, including Antônio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfá, Ron Carter,Azymuth, Eumir Deodato, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Sadao Watanabe, and is a renowned jazz vocalist. Juarez, similarly, is admired as a top Brazilian guitarist who has worked with giants such as Milton Nascimento,Toninho Horta, Simone Guimarães and many others. His 1998 albumBom Dia was critically acclaimed and had Milton Nascimento’s endorsement as “a trip to paradise.” When these two artists joined talents to record the João Gilberto songbook, the result could not be far from perfection. The music is great, and the performers honor João Gilberto with probably one...
Posted on Wednesday, June, 30, 2010 | Comments Off on Zona Sul
ZONA SUL is a band dedicated to playing bossa nova, the music “invented” in the late 1950s by Brazilians João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. It has its roots in Brazilian samba and jazz, the lyrics and melodies are often quite melancholy while the rhythms are lively and joyful. “Samba é chorar de alegria – samba is crying for joy“. Inspired by the legendary Zimbo Trio and singer Elis Regina, the band ZONA SUL remains authentic and true to the Brazilian tradition, while having developed an original style. Like the music, its band members have been influenced by jazz and Brazilian music. In 2003 the band recorded their critically acclaimed first CD: “PURE LOVE – um amor tão puro“. With the title “Dans mon île“ by Henri Salvador they made it onto the compilation “The finest in female vocal jazz“ alongside Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson and Sade. The same title was also played nationwide in Germany on “Klassik Radio“. While most compositions on PURE LOVE were by Tom Jobim, the origin of the titles on ZONA SUL‘s second album BEIRA is more diverse, taking the idea of playing bossa nova one step further and turning pop songs into bossa novas. On BEIRA, you can find classics by Jobim, Baden Powell and Milton Nascimento and contemporary compositions by Bebel Gilberto as well as new arrangements of songs by Françoise Hardy or The Beatles. Furthermore there are two original compositions on BEIRA – “Vai e vem“ by Brazilian singer Giana Viscardi and “Mães e filhas“ by Pedro Tagliani, the band‘s guitarist. With BEIRA the band ZONA SUL succeeds in becoming more unique, creating an even more distinctive style. Sophie Wegeners naturally beautiful voice, the virtuosity of her band members, the selection of songs and the outstanding quality of the recording make BEIRA an album that is one-of-a-kind. Upon its release in Germany in May 2006, BEIRA made it to the top 20 in the German jazz charts. Sophie Wegener...