Customer Reviews

Solo in Rio 1959

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

(...)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.

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.

I've just listened to it once, but this CD, like the music Luiz Bonfa composed, is immediately accessible. Encumbered neither by other musicians, nor "effects", we hear Bonfa just as he must have sounded when he sat and played in a very natural, relaxed venue. His technique (including "devices" such as the bush stroke that, if he didn't invent or develop, cannot be used better by any other guitarist with whom I'm familiar) allows him to focus on creating completely authentic music.
This is also an historically interesting CD, with an excellent booklet which provides a great deal of pertinent information about an artist who really deserves much more attention by those who discuss the great acoustic (or classical/ nylon-string) guitarists of the 20th century.
And the best part of the whole package is: the music!!

This has been an extremely hard to find audio recording from the legendary Brazilian guitarist/composer Luiz Bonfa. Amazingly, the producers included other takes of some of Bonfa's classics which I have never before heard.

Bonfa's guitar virtuosity and composition work are a joy for both guitarists and non-guitarists to enjoy.

I consider this to be a 'must have' collection


The title has been changed from the original A Voila de Luiz Bonfa to Solo in Rio. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.

I do not know much about Latin Music in general or Bossa Nova in particular but I do know quality! Solo in Rio 1959 by Luiz Bonfa has incandescent, melodious-genial, tranquillity! Of course paltry words can not express the beauty of Bonfa's music you must experience it...do it... now!

I never heard of Luis Bonfa before I listened to an NPR segment about great musical CDs. They played a short clip of Sambolero; I was mesmerized. Considering that this was recorded on what amounts to a simple tape recorder back in 1959, the sound is amazing. Just the guitar and occasionally Bonfa's voice. A Brazilian in New York is humorous and quite eccentric. Manha de Carnaval is at the heart of the bossa nova sound, which, by the way, is just as subtle and moving as it was when it was "popular". This is a great CD for anyone who loves good music.

This is Bonfa's firstSolo in Rio 1959 and best album. There are many cuts here, and none are more than a few minutes long. Mr. Bonfa wrote the score for the movie "Black Orpheus" and plays 2 versions of the beautiful "Manal de Carnival", and the wonderful "Samba d' Orfeu" which are now both classics of this genre.

The music is happy, relaxing, and bouncy.

It's great music to listen to while relaxing

Solo guitar. Simple and honest. Expertly played. So what's not to like? I didn't dislike this album. Not at all. It's very easy listening. I'm a guitar player, and it is interesting to hear another player's bag of tricks.

But... I think it's the songs. Bonfa wrote the vast majority of the tunes on this record, and for some reason they just didn't grab me. They didn't speak to me in any deep way.

The conclusion I've come to about Luiz Bonfa is that he's written a handful of tunes that are stunningly beautiful, catchy, absolute classics. If the only thing he ever wrote was Manha de Carnaval, he earned his place in jazz history. I love Samba de Orfeo (not appearing on this album), The Gentle Rain, and Non-Stop to Brazil. The latter two were not, to my knowledge, even written at the time of this recording.

So the majority of the songs here are pleasant songs with easy melodies and gentle rhythms. Perhaps they would really shine in a jazz combo environment, with ample improvisation. That I can't say. For me, most of these never do rise above pleasant and competent. In the case of the guitar playing, very very competent, but music is more than technique.

Perhaps you'll be much more enthused. If you love traditional Brazilian guitar music, try to audition this, and give it your consideration.

I am in awe. His superb musicianship surpasses my other favorite, the Jobim Songbook.