Customer Reviews

Jet-Samba

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Marcos Valle did it again, a very, very good album. Timeless and typical Valle style. Bossa Nova and jazzy, not all tracks are my personal favourite but hey, is n't this with every record? Nevertheless a (first!) 5 star rating, due to quality of recordings to.
A must have for Brasilian Jazz - Bossa Nova lovers.

Maybe reactionary words, but the limited musical 'education' in USA seems forget some of the masters respected world wide, and somehow,Marcos Valle has always been an afterthought in the US musics marketplace.
Constantly reinventing his sounds, from the early days of bossa Nova fame (Samba de Verão or Summer Samba was a USA 'hit record') to his most influential years ("Viola Enluarada'), the years brasilianistas and brazucas most cherish, through his later encarnations, partnered w/ João Donato, then total immersion in the soul/funk sounds from the US, and affiliation with composer Leon Ware and members of the jaz rock group Chicago.

In last few years, thanks mostly to a revival interest in England, Marcos Valle has made 3 incredible recordings, updating the soul/funk sounds filtered through brasilian sensibility.

NOW, at last, a CD made with a group of the most curent 'craque músicos' in Brasil, and recorded again in Brazzzzil...Marcos Valle realises a total instrumental offering, 1st since ' 'Brasiliance' recorded so many years ago, a mixture of de-composed Marcão classics and new compositions.
The CD anchored by the base, with Ed Motta stalwarts Alberto Continentino (bass) , Massa on trap drums, with new 1st call sensation Jessé Sadóc on brass,and a guest visit from Jaques Morelenbaum on 2 faixas, cello...

from funk-based compositions as "Selva de Pedra" (tema of a Brasilian telenovela)and smooth "Posto 9" (where lies Ipanema beach), to the trio introspective "Adams Hotel"(previously recorded as a vocal and instrumental, here updated a bit..),a eautiful melody , as usually the case.Marcos Valle strong suit is his inredible lyricisms.
The recording MOST innovative, a rework of the classic baião, and obvious tribute to O Bruxo , Hermeto Pascoal, is "Campina Grande". On this CD, the composition is given less the classic feel of the baiao ritmo , sort of a "sambossa-baião'if I can coin a frase! It is an incredible melody line with beautiful chords.
Also, the faithful re-recorded "Previs?o do Tempo" is both faithful to the original (recorded w/ Bertrami from Azimuth, the long time association w/ Marcos), updated with the modern sound to the original arrangement.

The next fase in an incredible musical journey, this is one of the big surprises of the "new year", and Marcos will always have me waiting to see what he will reveal as his next musical gift to all!

Note, this recording is more for textures than improvisation. Marcos Valle is not an improvisor given to flaming 8th note dashing up/down the keys, and does not use alot of substitution or 'exotic' scales, but much like Jobim, is an economical improvisor of lines that "sing". Even as the grupo are top flight improvisors, this is not a typical "jazz recording' of multiple instruments making solo, it is just a beautiful recording to listen and enjoy for the ensemble making beautiful sounds together!

One of the most inventive composers has again "hit the nail on the head'
a celestial explosion of stars to describe this recording!

Wow, this is a superb work by Marcos Valle.
I think reviewers have done a great job by discribing the CD, I just want to add that Marcos' approach to all these classics of his have a very jazzy one with great interpretations. If I could've added a song to all of these gems, would probably be "Nao Tem Nada Nao", but that's just my opinion.
I think every cut is a winner, and the highlights without a doubt are:
Selva de Pedra
Jet Samba
Bar Ingles (a more acoustic version of it)
Adams Hotel (good, but not as great as his previous version nor Eumir Deodato's version)
Previsao Do Tempo
Posto 9 (dedicated to Azymuth -actually it sounds so much like Jose Roberto Bertrami-)
and
Esperando O Messias.

It's got to be in your collection if you are a Marcos fan or if you just love Jazz.

Marcos Valle has been one of my musical favorites for some time, and I was happy to see some time ago that he had released an instrumental CD. "Jet-Samba" is one of my favorites, being in heavy rotation on my car's CD player. It's a superb example of Marcos Valle's wide-ranging compositional abilities and interests, ranging from bossa nova and baiao to funk, and even contains some classical-influenced pieces. Marcos does all of the arrangements with a moderate-size band, not with the sweeping orchestrations that characterized his early efforts; however, within this format he is able to obtain a wide array of textural and stylistic contrasts. The first song, "Selva de Pedra", is a Brazilian telenovela theme that shows a light funk influenece and has some wonderful chord changes and voicings, as well as revealing his talent for melody. The following song, "Jet-Samba", is a nice throwback to the '60's, with its bossa groove and wonderful horn section chart. "Bar Ingles" is a fast-paced funky number, grooving and insistent, and reminiscent of songs from the late '60's and early '70's like "Azymuth" and "Freio Aerodinamico". "Campina Grande" shows a debt to Hermeto Pascoal, with its baiao-like rhythm and interesting voicings. The classical-influenced songs, "Catedral" and "La Petite Valse", benefit from the evocative, moody cello playing of Jacques Morelenbaum. There's even a song, "Posto 9", dedicated to sometime Valle bandmates Azymuth, which feature a nice vamp over a mid-tempo funk beat and some wonderful tone colorings from Valle's Fender Rhodes, which is present in most of the songs. It's always nice to hear from Valle, and hopefully soon he'll provide us with more quality music like this.

Wow, this is a superb work by Marcos Valle.
I just want to add that Marcos' approach to all these classics of his have a very jazzy one with great interpretations. If I could've added a song to all of these gems, would probably be "Nao Tem Nada Nao", but that's just my opinion.
I think every cut is a winner, and the highlights without a doubt are:

Selva de Pedra
Jet Samba
Bar Ingles (a more acoustic version of it)
Adams Hotel (good, but not as great as his previous version nor Eumir Deodato's version)
Previsao Do Tempo
Posto 9 (dedicated to Azymuth -actually it sounds so much like Jose Roberto Bertrami-)
and
Esperando O Messias.

It's got to be in your collection if you are a Marcos fan or if you just love Jazz.