Customer Reviews

Brazilliance 1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

My very first Bossa Nova album, I bought this while in high school on 10-inch LPs. Effervescent, light, joyous, romantic -- everything you dream Rio de Janeiro could be. It's more of a precursor to the Antonio Carlos Jobim Bossa Nova explosion a few years later. But Bud Shank and Laurindo Almeida picked up on the potential for fusing jazz and the samba early on. I'm not a musician, but I know this album is pure genius. The soft sax and vibrant guitar will dazzle you. The interwoven rhythms of sax, guitar and drums go on and on. My favorite track is "Stairway to the Stars." Still gets me dreaming. They tried to follow up with a second album -- Braziliance II -- but it never achieved that spark of divine fire the first one did.

As the other reviewer says, this is an awesome recording. Whats worth noting also is that this is also probably the first bossa nova recording ever done (or at least a recording of brasilian songs that most closely match bossa nova and what it will be). These were recorded long before (7 years or so) Jobim and Joa gilberto recorded and 10 years before the great getz/gilberto recording wich started the bossa nova craze. Truly great for bossa nova or brazil music collectors.

BEFORE THERE WAS JOBIM, GILBERTO, OR GETZ, THERE WAS THIS MUSIC, WHICH WOULD LATER BE COINED BOSSA NOVA MUSIC. RECORDED IN 1953, THIS RECORDING WAS AT LEAST TEN YEARS AHEAD OF ITS' TIME. GREAT ALBUM, IF YOU LIKE THIS YOU HAVE TO GET VOLUME TWO AS WELL.

A jazz legend was recently lost to us all very recently in Bud Shank.Shank but only got the Samba fusion going with Alemeida on this brilliant collection taken from the 10" era (can't find date at AMG but thin were talking '52-54?) but he could do it all from big band session to excellent work with the underrated pianist Claude Williamson,to work with West Coast luminaries like Shorty Rogers or Howard Rumsey.Studio work,TV,you name it he had it.His soundtracks to surf movies like the classic "Slippery When Wet" LP is great.Everything just about to the mid 60's on Pacific or Wrld Pacific is worth owning.Sure he could so the commercial compete with the Beatles stuff to but during his 50's prime and once the the discarded commercial stuff up to the end he has to be put right up there with Art Pepper and Phil Woods as one of the best.And his wick was re-lit after the late 60's and early 70's commercial nonsense was done.If you like Bossa with good guitar (I always liked Getz's "Jazz Samba Encore" with Bonfia as opposed to Byrd.And like Bonfia Almedia was the real article) this is a great place to start.But like Getz to box him into "Just Bossa" as both were so much more.If you can swing it get the Mosaic Shank box befoire it's gone.
Rest In Peace Bud
Chazz

Remember, this was five years before Stan Getz "introduced" bossa nova to the USA. Bud Shank at his best.

Definately off the beaten path and adds depth and meaning to the later samba of the 1960's and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Mostly good guitar plus a sax that sound like Paul Desmond running through a number of cool charts. Lots of half-steps, subtlety, good rhythm. A really "authentic" and orginal album. Glad I bought it.

IF ONLY LAURINDO ALMEIDA LISTENED TO BUD SHANK AND THE GUY'S AND WENT ON THE ROAD WITH THIS
NEW SAMBA JAZZ THEY WOULD HAVE BECOME MORE FAMOUS THAN THEY ALREADY WERE.
IN THE 50'S A FRIEND OF MINE GAVE ME A 45 RECORD. ONE OF THE TUNES WAS;"BLUE BAIAO".
WHEN I PLAYED THE CD, IT'S AS IF I JUST PLAYED IT YESTERDAY. IT'S ONE OF SHANK'S BEST ALTO SOLO'S!
THE LATE SHANK WAS ONE OF THE BEST SWINGING MUSICIAN'S ON THE WESTCOAST.

THERE ARE 2 COMPOSITION'S BY,N. GNATTALI. IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE FROM THIS COMPOSER,
LOOK FOR (IF YOU CAN.) "DANZAS" LAURINDO ALMEIDA'S CLASSICAL ALBUM ON THE CAPITOL LABEL.
IT'S MY FAVORITE CLASSICAL GUITAR RECORDING.

THERE ARE 2 VERSIONS OF;"SPEAK LOW". THE REST OF THE COMPOSITION'S HERE ARE
JUST AS GREAT. THIS IS; "BRAZILLIANCE"!!!!