Horse & Fish

Vinicius Cantuaria | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 11, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Bar/None Records
• ASIN: B0001XXANA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,742 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #83 in Music > World Music > Latin Music > Brazilian > Afro Brazilian
  • #84 in Music > World Music > Latin Music > Brazilian > Tropicália

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Those who love the quiet jazzy groove of bossa nova and the delicate voice of Caetano Veloso probably know about Vinicius Cantuária. A Brazilian songwriter who has written hits for Veloso and other countrymen, Cantuária's own music favors spare but by no means safe bossa nova-based arrangements that gently push at the music's edges without making a stink about it. Like the classics, nothing is rushed; there is no shouting. Here there is the whispered voice, gentle percussion, swingin' guitar, bass and a few other bits of sound filigree that float in and out. While recent efforts have an arty electronic sheen on the surface, Horse and Fish is almost all acoustic, the notable exception being Cantuária's airy Bill Frisell-like electric guitar tone on some material. Highlights include the gutsy remake of Gilberto Gil's "Procissao," the upbeat "Cubanos Postizos" and "Look The Sky." This one will creep inside you with the subtlety of osmosis. –-Tad Hendrickson

About the Artist

On Horse and Fish, Brazilian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vinicius Cantuaria has realized a brilliant fusion of cool jazz and bossa nova that, while remaining utterly contemporary in feel, recalls the pioneering work of Cantuaria’s life-long inspirations: Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Bill Evans and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

The New York Times described Cantuaria as an artist "confident enough to choose understatement." One could call his approach on Horse and Fish a kind of sensual minimalism. His self-penned songs, his co-writes with Nana Vasconcelos ("Quase Choro") and Arto Lindsay ("O Nome Dela"), and a pair of carefully chosen covers from Brazilian compatriots Gilberto Gil ("Procissao") and Jobim ("Este Seu Olhar") are distilled to their essence, so all that remains is a whisper of melody and the lightest touch of rhythm. The mood is soulful, the setting intimate; a warmth permeates the disc like early morning sun caressing rumpled white sheets It genuinely feels startling when the album is finally over because his dream-like world is hard to leave.

Members of his band are individually accomplished players who boast their own impressive resumes. Preternaturally gifted trumpeter Michael Leonhart wrote horn arrangements for Steely Dan’s 2000 comeback album, Two Against Nature, and played on the duo’s European and Japanese tours. Brazilian drumming innovator Paulo Braga toured and recorded with Jobim for 15 years, and he’s collaborated with many bossa nova and jazz legends. Bassist Paul Socolow has a similarly long list of credits, having recorded or performed with artists ranging from Byrne and Frisell to Eddie Palmieri and Nana Vasconcelos. Percussionist Mauro Refosco has worked with John Lurie, and Bebel Gilberto, among many other cutting-edge acts. Percussionist and Bahia native Nanny Assis, is a master of Brazilian Jazz, Afro-Brazilian music and other popular and folkloric sounds from his homeland.

With Horse and Fish, Cantuaria has fashioned a traveling companion for the rest of us, a disc that’s guaranteed to be transporting, even when you’re simply staying home.

-- Michael Hill

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another off-center set by this Brazilian experimentalist, June 28, 2004

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Horse & Fish (Audio CD)

Another lowkey, jazz-tinged outing by this well-regarded Brazilian expatriate... Cantuaria has come a long way since his days as a percussionist in Caetano Veloso's late '70s band, and from his clunky early solo albums, where he tried to be a New Wave-y Brazilian answer to The Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Here he settles deep into a mellow world-jazz mode, as heavily influenced by his recent collaborations with guitarist Bill Frisell as by the hovering, angelic spectre of the late Miles Davis. Longtime collaborator Paulo Braga anchors the album's percussive end, with Mauro Refosco and other folks in the Rio-by-way-of-NYC axis. Most of the songs are Cantuaria originals, while some well-chosen cover tunes -- moody renditions of Roberto Menescal's "O Barquinho," Gilberto Gil's "Procissao," a couple by Jobim -- highlight Cantuaria's ability to reimagine and refashion the visions of other artists. This is an album that will grow on you: songs that at first may seem slick and overly informed by commercial jazz styling take on a subtle gravity, as his profoundly calm, quiet approach slowly asserts itself. Give this disc a couple of tries, and it will richly reward you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Jazz / Brazilian mix inside !!!!, January 15, 2012

By 

lingua fabio (ITALY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Horse & Fish (Audio CD)

Cantuaria in this work give us a demonstration of how living into a Jazz city could influence a real Brasilian born musician . The music is really full of jazz things , great magic atmosphere and a bit of minimalism too . Super players make this an highly reccomended record for any true jazz lover .