Customer Reviews

Live at the Blue Note

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Awesome! She says, " Ifeel Like I'm in your Livingroom". She truly is in this small acoustical environement. Her voice never fails her; but I was surprised at how low her conversational voce was for a Diva, that can outdo anyone in vocal range. Obrigada, GAl. So if you want the brazilian classic bossa nova/samba jazz created by the masters; Jobim,de Moraes, et.,only Gal can muster that feat vocally.

It was a great pleasure to find a so high quality live recording, much better than anyone could expect. Recorded in Tokio, with special setlist and made specially for exportation and overseas countries, whoever appreciates Brazilian music with the best musical arrangements could have been performed, will enjoy and ask for ENCORE!

Gal Costa's Live at the Blue Note is a relaxed live concert. Her rapport with the audience at her May 19,2006 NYC is refreshing. She shows herself to be a true musician. Her voice is as energizing as yerba mate,as smooth and warm as Brazilian hot chocolate. Her singing is organic and natural, flowing like the ancient Amazon river from the depths of the rainforest. Gal Costa was at the forefront of the '60s tropicalista movement in Brazil,the South American version of the psychedelic/hippie movement. She still sings MPB (popular music),but on this album she excels with relaxed bossa nova and samba.

The opening song,"Fotografia",is reflective,and slightly bittersweet. Her "Chega de Saudade" and "Camisa Amarela" turn the mood from melancholy to quietly joyous. Her "Ave Maria No Morro" blends the spiritual with the sensual. It's a surprise,amidst all of Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova. Her "I fall in love too easily" and "As time goes by" are Brazilian tributes to '40s jazz classics. One can imagine Casablanca set at the Copacabana. Her "Corcovado", "Sabado em Copacabana" and "Aquarela do Brasil" are joyous,gentle odes to Brazil. (Luckily,she doesn't sing Barry Manilow's "Copacabana",though she'd make it tasteful&better than the original!) She sings "Felicidade" (also covered by nueva bossa nova diva Bebel Gilberto),giving it a smooth approach. Her version of "Girl from Ipanema" is a touching tribute to the original.

Gal Costa makes bossa nova timeless. "Live at the Blue Note" brings the concert to the comfort of your home. Drink down like a capirinha and enjoy!

I like so much this album. Excellent performances by Gal and her musicians. I have no doubt I made a great purchase. I strongly suggest you for buying it if you really enjoy the bossa-nova rithms.

Gal Costa is usually accustomed to singing before large crowds in her native Brazil. On this recording she finds herself in a somewhat unusual environment at a legendary New York jazz club. This small, intimate venue gives her an opportunity to showcase her beautiful voice and impressive vocal technique. Gal, who had dabbled in jazz standards before (e.g. Plural), gives an excellent jazz-infused treatment of the Bossa Nova standards, displaying a deep understanding of jazz sensibility. Her distinct voice had matured with age like great wine, and now has a slighly smoky quality, perfect for jazz rendition. On this date she is backed by an excellent combo. All in all - a tremendous record.

I love Gal Costa's voice and phrasing, which on this album is, as always, exceptional, but there are better live albums out there. Although she only appears on a few numbers, the live album, Rio Revisited, recorded in LA in 1987, is much better. This CD is the music from the live video featuring Jobim and crew, so if you want to see as well as hear her, check out the video as well.

Per amici di lingua italiana, ho acquistato il Cd sul sito americano di Amazon, a chi piace la Mina brasiliana, è un cd che raccomando vivamente !! Rispetto ai pochi prodotti della Costa che si trovano in vendita in Italia è inciso splendidamente e le sonorità del Blu Note di New York sono ideali per la sua personalità musicale, molto soddisfatto dell'acquisto buona musica a tutti Pierluigi

This is a classic MPB compilation of live voice performance tracks, a "Must Have" CD!......An introduction into the greatst MPB music and poetic lyrics for the "New MPB Student"

From the time i received this CD, it had never left my CD player and had been listening to it over end over again. I don't speak Portuguese, but have been listening to it for a long time now. Gal has widened my appreciation of Brazilian music, samba and bossa nova. This CD is highly recommended. Muito obrigado!!!

The sax player stinks. The band is good otherwise. Pity you cannot edit out the sax players cliches. Sounds like he belongs on an 80's smooth jazz record. This could be a 5 star disc if he could be eliminated from the mix. Gal sounds fine and has some interesting selection choices. IMHO she and Bethania are the two most gifted of all the Brazilian singers. Oddly while Bethania seems to shine the brightest when in front of a live audience, Gal seems to be more at home in the studio. As one other reviewer mentioned, the 80's release of her guest appearance with Jobim's family band live in Los Angeles is perhaps her finest live session. Unfortunately most of that performance is not available on the CD, but appears only on the VHS version. There is a poor quality DVD transfer out there, but honestly my old VHF has better quality video and audio.