Solo in Rio 1959

Luiz Bonfa | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: February 22, 2005
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
• Copyright: (c) 2005 Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
• Total Length: 1:07:49
• Genres: International/Latin Music
• ASIN: B000S98ZA0
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,377 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

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
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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.