Posted by jeff on Oct 14, 2011 in
Brazilian,
Song Of the week,
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The lyrics of this song are in a language I don’t understand, and I know almost nothing about its background. But the rendition is of such utter beauty and unspeakable perfection that it’s emotional eloquence transcends any need for explication. I’m just going to turn off my analytical brain, close my verbose mouth, and hope that you’ll be as moved by it as I am.
It’s ‘Morrer de Amor’ as sung by Luciana Souza, guesting on an album by the composer of the song, Oscar Castro-Neves.
I’ve written about Luciana a number of times recently, and intend to continue to do so. In SoTW 099 I talked about her first CD, a Brazilian jazz CD in which she fronts a quintet as composer-vocalist; I think it’s a great, groundbreaking album, and contemporary vocal jazz would do well to put it at center stage as a model to be devoutly emulated. In SoTW 100 I discussed her two brilliant CDs of duets of Brazilian music with a single guitar. And in SoTW 108 I compared her version of Michael McDonald’s romantic pop ballad ‘I Can Let Go Now’ to the original. In SoTW 081 I paid tribute to composer-bandleader Maria Schneider’s masterpiece ‘The Pretty Road’ in which Luciana contributes a stunning vocal solo from within the orchestral fabric.
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Tags: Aaron Goldberg, Edward Simon, Herbie Hancock, John Patitucci, Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein, Los Angeles Guitar Quintet, Luciana Souza, Maysa Matarazzo, Milton Nascimento, Moss, Oscar Castro-Neves, Osvaldo Golijov, Paul Simon, Till Bronner
Posted by jeff on Aug 19, 2011 in
Brazilian,
Rock,
Song Of the week
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I’m so busy packing my rubber sandals, straw hat and sunscreen for the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat on Sunday that I said I’ll give myself a week off writing SoTW and dip into the archive.
But compulsion is compulsive, right? So let’s tie a quickie into last week’s post on ‘Everything That Touches You’ by The Association. I wrote, “the border between fine music and cheap pop is sometimes fuzzy, even to me, subjectively. So here comes a song. I’m not sure whether I should be shouting its praises or not speaking of it to anyone whose opinion I value.” A week later, I’m not significantly older or wiser. But here’s another pair of sublime/shlock treatments of a sublime/shlock heartwrenching/heartburning ballad that I really don’t know how to understand or digest. Read more…
Tags: I Can Let Go Now, Luciana Souza, Michael McDonald
Posted by jeff on May 20, 2011 in
Brazilian,
Song Of the week,
Vocalists Happy Centenary posting, Jeff. I’ve been enjoying it every step of the way. Hope you have as well, and that we’ll all continue to do so for a long time. BTW, some subscribers have noticed that the WordPress notifications are filtered as spam. This needs to be tweaked within your email client.
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I know, I wrote about Luciana Souza (b. 1966) just last week, and though she’s not real prominent in the Top 40, we’re continuing with her for a number of reasons. First, the link to ‘Baião à Tempo’, her Song of The Week itself, didn’t work. Thanks for the heads-up from several readers, and I’ve added another cut from her first album “An Answer to Your Silence” (‘3 to 2 in Overtime‘) as punitive damages. Second, Luciana has recorded in a number of distinct styles, each one deserving its own moment. Third, a number of readers got mucho turned on to Ms Souza, and that’s a drug I can’t resist. Fourth, and most importantly–she’s just so damn good.
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Tags: Amulet, Amuleto, Brazilian Duos, Chorinho Pra Ele, choro, Doce de Coco, Duos II, Hermeto Pascoal, Luciana Souza, Paul Simon, Romero Lubambo
Posted by jeff on May 13, 2011 in
Brazilian,
Jazz,
Song Of the week,
Vocalists Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
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Here we are, SoTW 99, and we’ve avoided until now dedicating a post to our very favorite artist of recent years. So before we add a digit, let’s correct that historic injustice. Ms Luciana Souza, this one’s for you. I only hope that I manage to do credit to the most courageous and wondrous music I’ve heard in the past ten years.
In the mere 12 years she’s been recording – 8 CDs under her name released in North America since 1999, in addition to dozens of prestigious guest spots – she’s worked in four distinct idioms. Chronologically: two CDs of vocal jazz (“An Answer to Your Silence”, “The Poems of Elizabeth Bishop”); two of Brazilian songs accompanied by a single acoustic guitar (“Duos I & II”); one of musical poetry (“Neruda”); and three of more commercial ventures, American bossa nova (“North and South”, “The New Bossa Nova”, and “Tide”).
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Tags: An Answer to Your Silence, Elizabeth Bishop, Luciana Souza, Maria Schneider, The Poems Of Elizabeth Bishop And Other Songs
