Tip Sheet: Amoroso/Brasil
There’s Joao Gilberto, and there’s the rest of Bossa Nova. The difference: Joao
Gilberto = excellence; the rest = elevator music. Joking aside, Joao is the
forefront of that particular genre, before it suffered overexposure and chronic
decline. Who doesn’t love Joao, especially the way he uses guitar as both the
percussion and the harmony, and the way he sings with his baritone, whispering,
and vibrato-free voice? There are even books centered on how to play guitar
like Joao Gilberto. So besides his reclusive character, what’s not to like of
him? Nothing, of course! He’s the Brazil’s Brilliant!
Amoroso/Brasil combines
two of Bossa’s post overexposure-age Joao’s LPs. In Amoroso
he gives interpretation to Tom Jobim’s standards, such as Wave. He also sang Gershwin’s S’Wonderful, and while his English
sounds "choo" peculiar, it still is
splendid and heartwarming. In Brasil,
Joao teams with other artists (such as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso), and
together they sing songs that centralizes on Brazil, while I state the painfully obvious facts. Duh! There’s also a
Brazilian interpretation of All of Me,
a jazz standard that works perfectly well. Joao
showcases his talent not only for guitar, but also for [scat] singing. It’s
Joao; it’s very good Joao. I like some of the tracks so much that, in fact, I
was crazy enough to print out the lyrics of some of his songs. Consider this: I
don’t even know how to speak Portuguese, and I can’t sing! Coração!
The album is extremely hard to find, so be very prepared to
get your feet wet. Or Amazon it, dammit! Also, those accustomed to his Getz/Gilberto endeavor may find that the songs here are
significantly longer, and some of them not as lively (although Tin Tin Por Tin Tin is very upbeat). But
while it may not be as revolutionary as Getz/Gilberto,
and may lack its variety, this album can hold its own, and comes VERY recommended.
It’s not only for Gilberto fans, but for anyone who wants to listen to great Bossa Nova music. That probably covers everyone. Clean your ear from all that buzz,
and throw away all those Bossa album with fashion magazine-esque jewel case. Get
this, and get Getz. In other words,
get both. Score: 4.5 out of 5
Favorite tracks: Tin
Tin Por Tin Tin, Wave, All of Me, S’Wonderful
P.S. This is just an assignment from one of my self-induced writing trainings. Please pardon the sub-par syntaxes.
