Customer Reviews

Entre Amigos (Hybr)

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Rosa is the best! I've never heard a more sensual voice. Her Insensatez is marvellous, I am surprised at how she LIVES every line and every word of it. For me it's the best rendition of my best-loved Jobim song. The first time I heard Insensatez sung by Italian singer Mina, she was also stunning, she made it cold like ice, like wind in the mountains, like the moment when there are no more tears to cry... but Rosa's Insensatez is full of love and even of secret hope. Bahia com H is breezy and swinging, the other highlights are the last three songs, especially Vinicius de Moraes' famous sonnet Eu Sei que Vou te Amar. Before I heard Rosa I never could have imagined that such effortless vocals could reach a degree of dramatism close to Maria Bethania's. Bethania breaks your heart with her force, and Rosa does it with her whisper. To do justice to Ron Carter and other musicians, their arrangement is the best frame for the diamond that is Rosa's voice. Especially I loved the saxophone solo in Desafinado.

Since I began to write here@Amazon and elsewhere, my first rule was never to write on artists who I do not know or who I do not love. I think nobody is entitled to judge Rosa Passos or any other performer out of her environment. If I do not like this kind of Joao Gilbertoish style I'd better keep my mouth shut or, more appropriately, my keyboard off.

For all those who know the international music industry in a professional way, it is common use to hear that Americans usually do not like voice-and-guitar ensembles the same way Brazilians do. Ok! That's an important market rule for commercial insiders but not from an artistic crafting point of view.

Ron Carter did understand what Rosa Passos' small voice is able to do as well as Joao Gilberto did. Yes, Rosa Passos stepped into Brazilian song scene by Joao Gilberto's recommendation and they are very similar in their vocalizing styles. Love it or not! I tell you Rosa Passos is not for beginners as well as Joao Gilberto demands experienced ears to be listened to. And that's the technical point of reference which may have led someone to write that Mr. Ron Carter would have made a mistake.

For those Americans and Brazilians who do not know, Ron Carter owns some special basses which he separates in order to use when he plays Bossa Nova. He is a jazz master. He also loves Brazilian music and took part in many, many important albums of Bossa Nova. So, no surprise here! No mistake, here! Mr. Carter knows precisely what field he is stepping into. And he plays accordingly with his well-known master command.

Rosa Passos is backed by her brilliant guitarrist and smart arranger, Mr. Lula Galvao. Pay attention to his arrangement for "The Girl from Ipanema". It is worth for all the CD. Galvao's arrangement made Ms. Passos re-divide words into the original melody in a different and sensational way. Also all guitar solos are by Mr. Galvao: Brilliant!

At last, when I wrote "The Girl from Ipanema", I may have waken you up to the same old Bossa Nova repertoire you have listened to for so many years. Maybe that's the only sin I would point out as concerned to this album. Nearly all repetoire is made up by classic Bossa Nova and traditional sambas. Not bad but I would pick up some additional new material.

Even so, I tell you, you will find creative approaches here.
There are some other Rosa Passos' CDs here@Amazon. All deal with Brazilian song stylized in a voice-and-guitar ensemble. They are all first class!

I thought I had written enough reviews here at amazon.and this review is not really needed..you can read the review by "Carlos from Rio" which says it all.
Anyway....I never heard of Rosa Passos until 6 months ago when I heard her on radio and was so amazed..the very same way as when I heard Wes Montgomery the first time in the sixties.Rosa Passos might remind a bit of Astrud Gilberto but has more "soul" in her voice even though her voice is quite "small" compared to other female jazz singers....but she sure has that jazzfeel that also Jobim had.
To me this Cd is so appealing since it is more or less completely accoustic..2 guitars. Rosa herself+ the wonderful guitarplayer Lula Galvao that is one of the best guitarplayers I ever heard. very subtle with a touch of flamenco .on bass it is maestro himself Ron carter..his playing is so obviuos and without any flashy pyrrotechnics..but just beautiful.
It is difficult to pick highlights,,,,but first song "Bahia Com H" immediately catches my ear..and also "Sorru Para Mim with it's airy feel and wonderful bossagroove..where Rosa lays slightly behind the beat and creates a very swinging mood..just great..and "Feitio de Oracao" which has an atmosphere of "Tristeza" and Hope in it at the same time spiced up with a wonderfully melody line.
Since I bought this one I have bought another 6 CD s with Rosa and I will continue until I have them all...you can not simply get enough of Rosa Passos music...To hear Rosa Passos sing is the closest you can come to heaven on this earth

Rosa and Ron are quite simpatico on this new release. Ron Carter shows why he is such an in demand session player, being so sensative and warm with his playing. His bass wraps around the magnetic voice of Rosa Passos and draws you in to a session so intimate that you feel they are performing just for each other. Amazing is the only way to describe how Rosa can breath new life into the songs presented here and make them so moving. This is a must have CD for any listener with heart and soul.

Although the musical format is not new, the results are really electrifying. Passos - who reminds me of Blossom Dearie - is a true interpreter and a true musician, always right on the note, with that perfect pitch of hers! Just listen to Insensatez, a song sung by hundreds perhaps, almost a cliche by now. As Passos presents it, she unfolds it like a very intimate drama. She's such a remarkable artist. If you don't know her, please, don't miss her. If you know her, this record is a milestone in her career. So, go, run, buy it!

This is one of the best bossa nova cd's around with 2 major artists collaborating. I have never heard such a plain, yet sublime voice like that of rosa passos. Just listen to Feito de Oração and Primera Vez. No actually just listen to the whole cd and you will begin to understand. When I first heard this cd I was living in P.R. at the time and I mistook the music for spanish jazz. The lyrics are definitely not spanish, instead portuguese and the style of music is all its own, known as bossa nova. Because I listen to a lot of jazz it took me a while to get into it because of the language. However now that I am more knowledgeable about bossa nova, I will say that this cd is already a classic. I wish more of rosa passos music was avalilable in the United states.

Ron Carter is well known as one of jazz's finest bassists since joining Miles Davis' second great quintet in the early 1960s. Rosa Passos is an equally brilliant counterpart.... her voice is incredibly beautiful, and her interpretations and arrangements are highly artistic. This disc is exceptionally well-recorded and a fantastic introduction to Rosa Passos for those who are as yet unfamilar with her work. Buy this; jazz and Brazilian music fans will not be disappointed.

I bought this CD because of Ron Carter. I'd never heard of Rosa Passos before but now, her signing is the reason I keep playing the CD. I love bossa nova and Brazilian music and her renditions of the well known songs on this CD are the equal of anything I've heard. That's not to say that her renditions are carbon copies. They aren't! Her style is warm and gentle and unique so the tunes sound fresh despite their age and how often they have been done by other artists. The fact that she does them in Portugese may be part of the reason.

wow-I wish there were hundreds of albums like this. Whoever put this together is a genius. This CD plays in my mind as much as in my heart. It is the meeting of two great artists, supported by wonderful musicians. The recording is gorgeous, the tune selection is wonderful and the arrangements are amazing. Why haven't more cd's like this come out of the Brazilian musical world? I wouldn't know, but it is frustrating that there is so much over production when simple, strong arrangements create all that is needed. This is an example both of supreme musicianship and the highest level of the recording arts. And if you are interested in the amazing career of the great Ron Carter, you won't ever forget this example of one of his most lyrical moments in recorded music.

How would one describe the voice of Rosa Passos? Words truly cannot do it justice, but I will make a poor attempt to do so. Her voice is like the sandy, sun-drenched beaches of Brazil. The cleansing, healing freshness of a summer rain shower. Girlish yet sexy, effortless, playful, insoucient, sweet, sad, happy, quiet, exuberant, tranquil, serene. There is an infinitesimal touch of gravitas produced by that ever-so soft sprinkling of sand in her throat. This is a wonderful and gifted singer. The sound of her voice is guaranteed to gladden your heart.
She appears to have impeccable taste as well, judging by the song choices and musicians on this recording. This is a quiet and contemplative disk, filled with beautifully understated renditions of some of the finest Brazilian classic songs. A couple of acoustic guitars, a string bass by the brilliant Ron Carter....and The Voice. What more do you need?
An analogy: I've always preferred Tony Bennett singing with only piano accompaniment, rather than with a larger ensemble or a full band. Keep it simple, you know? If you agree, you will love this record.