Customer Reviews

Quarteto Novo

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An impressive late-'60s Brazilian jazz album, featuring early work by percussionist Airto Moreira, multi-instrumental madman, Hermeto Pascoal, and the politically-inclined MPB songwriter Geraldo Vandre, along with guitarists Theo De Barros and Heraldo Do Monte . The album opens with "O Ovo," a brisk update of the turn-of-the-century "choro" style popularized by Pixinguinha, Dunga and other Brazilian musical pioneers. The album gradually progresses into more modern, straightforward jazz material (which isn't as much fun) and even a Luiz Gonzaga forro tune. The playing throughout is very rich, well recorded, and vastly superior to many of their Braz-jazz contemporaries, even dipping into a mellow Vince Guaraldi-style vibe. This isn't just a cool footnote into the early careers of several of Brazil's most important musicians, it's also a very enjoyable, well-performed album. Recommended!

Unique and incomparable, this late '60s Brazilian gem is nigh on impossible to define, but is one of those rare records that defies definition.

Hermeto Pascual is a wizard, seemingly turning everything he touches to music and Airto Moreiro is arguably one of the greatest percussionists of the last 50 years. Together with the excellent Theo De Barros and Heraldo Do Monte they create a sound at once accessible and adventurous, rooted and new and, above all, utterly joyful! Misturada and Vim de Sant'Ana fizz with energy and restless creativity, while Algodão takes us to a different place with its compelling, hypnotic rhythm and simplicity.

The playing on all tracks is uniformly excellent, with Hermeto dazzling on flute and piano. Check out Airto's exciting drum solos on the last two!

This album has been a true joy to me ever since I bought it about 15 years ago. It's sad that Quarteto Novo didn't make another record together, although they have worked as session musicians for the likes of Edu Lobo.

This album, though, is special and one I wouldn't hesitate in recommending to anyone delighted by the magic of music.

When you hear this work, recorded in 1967, you see how this work can never sound dated !! Genial, special, inspired... !! Remastering this was a blessing... it maintains alive the real and universal music around the hideous crime of nowadays futility !!

When you look into the so called "world music",
normall you find a large selection of experiments that might interest you once or twice
(if they do at all) or mostly a bizarre mix of musicians that are recording for the job.
This record is just the perfect example of the opposite.
Is so solid, so perfectly played, and concepts are so clear,
that perhaps one of its main conditions is to show how very few good recordings of this kind really were made.
The solo carreers of the components were later among the most important musical personalities of Brazil.
Mighty inspiring music.
Tastefull, and most important, great example of its time and futures times to come in music.
Don't try looking for original copies if you do not have very deep pockets.

This is some of the best music ever recorded in this world. This music has come through the lands of Portugal, Spain, Arabia, and Africa, flourishing in the terrains of Brazil with a most perfect combination of harmonic diversity, rhythmic enthusiasm, and melodic power.

This album is just fantastic; pure magic. Hermeto Pascoal and his geniality will take you to unmeasurable distances through such an inspiring piece of wonderful sound.

only 35' of planty music.It sounds sometimes like roland kirk ,full of life and joy.Damage it's the only recording of this group.

This album is perfect. Simplicity and beauty of brazilian northeastern themes on the hands and thoughts of an innovative group, a dream team of universal music.

Hermeto Pascoal is one of my favorites. He had a very creative road after this work, and Quarteto Novo was the beginning of authoral work for him. He's one of the most complete musicians today.