(Band includes: Joyce, Helio Delmiro, Romero Lubambo, Marcos Nimrichter, Nailor Proveta, Vittor Santos, Ricardo Silveira, Marcello Goncalves, Mario Adnet and others)
I’ve been intending to do a special feature on Brazilian CDs, but this new release is such a kick I want to alert readers to it immediately. It’s in the style of the samba jazz that was such a hit in the 1960s and has sort of had a rebirth in a small way lately, but now in a big band setting. Jobim Jazz is a terrific blend of the composer’s creations, focusing on brass arrangements with a very Brazilian slant to them.
Mario Adnet’s own label has forged a partnership with the adventurous Adventure Music label which has been bringing new Brazilian music to North America. Adnet has produced and/or performed on such albums as “Gershwin & Jobim,” “Jobim Sinfonico,” “Michael Legrand Interprets Luiz Eça,” and a tribute to the city of Rio de Janerio. In addition to big U.S. hits of Jobim such as So Danço Samba, Adnet has included tunes not well known to the American public, and such curiosities as music from the only film soundtrack Jobim wrote for a movie made outside of Brazil. The Frevo de Orfeu is of course from his music for one of the greatest-ever films about Brazil, Black Orpheus.
The thrilling arrangements aren’t all brass-heavy, and the fidelity is tops for 44.1K. The sound is quite unlike any of the covers of bossa nova tunes which U.S. big bands would sometimes do in the 60s – they are clearly more authentically Brazilian in their innovative approach to rhythms and to the music in general. I’ve always thought Brazilian music of every type was just about the most exciting musical culture in the world. I think this masterful album backs up that opinion.
TrackList: Domingo Sincopado, Quebra Pedra, Sue Ann, Jazz Theme, Ranch in the Clouds, Surfboard, Hey Boys – I Saw It, So Danco Samba, Paula Free Flight, Porto Das Caixas Waltz, Frevo de Orfeu, Shouting, Polo Pony.
– John Henry
