Solo in Rio 1959

Luiz Bonfa | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 22, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B00079R052
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,689 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #20 in Music > World Music > Latin Music > Samba
  • #44 in Music > World Music > Latin Music > Brazilian > Bossa Nova
  • #69 in Music > Jazz > Brazilian Jazz

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Luiz Bonfá, along with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell and Joao Gilberto, helped invent Brazilian Bossa Nova. "The whisper heard around the world" was budding during the 1950s but achieved full flower a decade later. It was a coolly intellectual yet irresistibly melodic marriage of African-derived samba rhythms with American jazz and French Existentialism. Bonfá eventually became world-famous due to his contributions to the score of Orfeo Negro, a much-honored film in which the tragic Greek legend was transmuted to Rio during Carnival time. The present tracks were produced by Emory Cook and this invaluable reissue not only revives a beautiful album but contains 15 previously unreleased tunes. The sonic environment is clear and spacious throughout, uncluttered by unnecessary studio adulterations. Bonfá was not a great singer but his wistful, straight-from-the-heart delivery makes mere technique seem showy and overdone. However, as a guitarist, he had no superiors and few peers. --Christina Roden

Product Description

One of the most creative guitar virtuosos of the 20th century, Luiz Bonfá is celebrated as one of the principal architects of the cool Brazilian sound of bossa nova - and as co-author, with Antônio Carlos Jobim, of the film score to "Black Orpheus." But Bonfá was far more than the composer of "Manhã de Carnaval." His technical mastery, intimacy, and dynamism suffuse every track of this first CD edition of his masterpiece, a long-unobtainable solo 1959 LP, along with a half-hour of previously unreleased material from the original studio session. 70 minutes, 31 tracks, 32 page booklet with extensive notes by Anthony Weller.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Personal, intimate and introspective, June 19, 2005

By 

Ronald Scheer "rockysquirrel" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Solo in Rio 1959 (Audio CD)

This recording is the meeting of two virtuosos - one the brilliant Brazilian guitarist Luiz Bonfá (1922-2001) and the other a recording technician and ethnomusicologist, Emery Cook (1913-2002), who captured this solo performance with a battery-driven Nagra III on an evening in Rio more than 45 years ago. Issued originally on a Folkways LP, containing 17 tracks, this reissue on CD by the Smithsonian reproduces the entire recording session of 31 songs.

If you like the light, haunting and rhythmic touch of bossa nova (especially if you were around during its emergence in American popular music and jazz in the early 1960s), you'll thoroughly enjoy this CD. There are a few standards ("Tenderly," "Night and Day") and two versions of "Manhã de Carnival" from the film "Black Orpheus." And the rest are lesser known Bonfá compositions and spur of the moment improvisations, one flowing easily from the other.

The CD comes with a 32-page booklet featuring a lengthy biography and appreciation by guitarist-composer-writer Anthony Weller and a track-by-track commentary on each song. Personal, intimate and introspective, this recording will give many hours of pleasure.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous recording !, May 16, 2005

By 

J. White (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solo in Rio 1959 (Audio CD)

(...)The quality of the recording is just as amazing. All too frequently, you have to settle for a poor quality recording for 40 or 50 year old performances. The depth and clarity of this recording makes it sound like Sr. Bonfa is right in the room with me. This is an all around great performance.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really amazing, August 27, 2005

By 

beneaththestars (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solo in Rio 1959 (Audio CD)

This is the first time I had heard Luiz Bonfa's playing, although his name was mentioned in Castro's book on the history of Bossa Nova. Every song on this CD is absolutely amazing. Even though many songs are less than 5 minutes long, they pack so much feeling in them. Luiz' voice is also a real pleasure to listen to.