Brazilian Scene (Dig) [Original recording remastered]

Luiz Bonfa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 3, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B0017YWH3G
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,765 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Although overshadowed by the towering figure of Antonio Carlos Jobim and to a lesser extent by Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa was right there at the birth of bossa nova as well. In fact, at least two of his songs, the haunting "Manha de Carnaval" and equally evocative "Samba de Orpheus," swept the world at least three years before Jobim's songs began to make a global impact, paving the way for the first Brazilian wave. In addition, Bonfa cultivated a delicate, precise classical guitar style, though more attuned to the traditional samba rhythm than the Gilberto/Jobim bossa nova lilt. Born near the bay of Guanabara in Rio -- his father was an Italian immigrant -- Bonfa took up the guitar at eleven and studied classical guitar with the Uruguayan master Isaias Savio. He began to work Rio's clubs as a singer with the Quitandinha Serenaders, and by 1946, he was appearing on Brazil's Radio Nacional. By 1957, Bonfa was beginning to split his time between New York City and Rio, touring the U.S. with singer Mary Martin, as well as writing and recording Brazilian film scores. The turning point in his career came in 1959 when film director Marcel Camus asked Bonfa to contribute some songs to his film version of the play Orfeo do Carnaval (to be renamed Black Orpheus on the screen). The director originally rejected "Manha de Carnaval" as the film's main theme, but after coming up with what he felt was an inferior second effort, Bonfa fought for his first tune and got his way, and "Manha de Carnaval" became a global pop/jazz/folk standard. In the late '50s and '60s, Bonfa began recording several albums for the American market on EMI Odeon (Capitol), Dot, Atlantic, Cook, Philips, Epic and Verve, and he and his songs appeared prominently on the Jazz Samba Encore album with Jobim and Stan Getz. His songwriting skills were in demand in the most unpredictable places; for example, he wrote the schmaltzy "Almost in Love" for Elvis Presley (included in the forgettable 1968 film Live a Little, Love a Little). Bonfa's profile in America virtually disappeared after the 1960s, although he continued to tour and write, eventually cutting over 50 albums. But he resurfaced in U.S. CD shops after a 15-year gap in 1989 with Non-Stop to Brazil for Chesky, followed by the ravishing The Bonfa Magic in 1991 (released domestically on Milestone) and 1993's Moods on GSP. Also, the original soundtrack for Black Orpheus is available on a Verve CD, a firsthand snapshot of Bonfa and Jobim lighting the fuse for the worldwide Brazilian music explosion. On January 12, 2001, Luiz Bonfa died of cancer in Rio de Janeiro.

Product Description

Never before released on CD.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars brazilian jazz, January 15, 2009

By 

Robert "Jazznast" (Philly) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brazilian Scene (Dig) (Audio CD)

if you are into the bossa/samba sound try out the Brazilian Scene or even Black Orpheus by Luiz Bonfa; he probably recorded more albums than Jobim but is not truly recognized for his wonderful guitar music. Bonfa died in 2001 but his legacy like Jobim lives on

5.0 out of 5 stars Brazil's Chet Atkins, January 17, 2012

By 

A. Carnrick (Milton, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brazilian Scene (Dig) (Audio CD)

So many great tunes... especially the long forgotten Sambolero... that is why I bought the CD to hear the master play it... perhaps mediocre ratings because Adeus and Ilha de Coral were not on the CD... Sambolero is one of my most requested tunes these days...

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Verve is disapointing, July 20, 2010

By 

tornado - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brazilian Scene (Dig) (Audio CD)

Ir was difficult to get, it's seems that album on cd had become a rare item on the market. I guess a few copies were still there, so I got mine. The probleme with this album is not the content, the arrangement or anything like that, one word I love this music. But there is one major problem for audiophiles: the sound quality is not at the level we're used to with Verve. That's why I rated 3 stars. I have a friend who has sharp ears for music and the sound quality of recordings and he confimed that there was a bugging hiss in the background all through that really distracts the pleasure of listening. Unfortunatly I must admit that for that reason only, it's a shoddy cd, inspite of great material. Something must have gone wrong in the cd transfert or something, go figure. I was particulary eager to hear Moonlight In Rio in it's original instrumental version because I was ravisesh by Elvis Presley's singing version of it in the movie Love A Little Live A Little (1968): a different approach for the King in its ballads side, It took me years to discovered that Almost In Love (movie version) was in fact an instrumental brasilian piece from a the great Luis Bonfa, a master in that field. Too bad Verve didn't do justice to the artist because of the awful 4 tracks cassette sound of that cd. Verve should go back in the studio and present a top quality product for such a great album.