Baden Powell is a Brazilian musician with a solid international reputation. A gifted instrumentalist and composer, he bridges the gap between classical artistry and popular warmth and was a key figure in the bossa nova movement. Born in the Varre e Sai district, he was baptized after his grandfather, a musician and conductor himself, whose father was an admirer of the Boy Scouts founder. When he was four months old, his family moved to the hill of São Cristóvão in the city of Rio. His father, the violonista Lino de Aquino, promoted regular get-togethers (rodas) of chorões at his home, at which famous names of Rio’s music used to play, such as Pixinguinha, his brother China, the sambista Donga, and so many others. At eight, his father took him to Rádio Nacional where Powell met Meira (Jaime Florence), a famous violonista at the time a member of Benedicto Lacerda’s regional. Powell would study violão with him for five years. Through Meira, a broad-minded musician, he discovered classics such as Segovia and Tarrega, along with Brazilian masters such as Garoto and Dilermando Reis. At nine, he presented himself at Renato Murce’s show Papel Carbono on Rádio Nacional, winning first place as a guitar soloist. At 13, he used to run from school, earning his first cachets at the neighborhood parties. After finishing high school, he joined the cast of Rádio Nacional as an accompanist. In that time, he traveled through Brazil with the radio’s singers. In 1955, he joined Ed Lincoln’s trio, playing jazz at the Plaza nightclub. The place was a focal point for musicians, journalists, and aficionados interested in jazz. It should be regarded as the second place where bossa nova was being generated (the first being Cantina do César, after Johnny Alf’s first appearances), contrary to the common notion of bossa being born at Zona Sul (South side’s) apartments. At that time, Powell began to compose “Deve Ser Amor,” “Encontro Com a Saudade,” “Não é Bem Assim,” and his first big hit, 1956’s “Samba Triste,” with lyrics by Billy Blanco and which would be recorded by Lúcio Alves in 1960.
Baden Powell, Vinicius de Moraes e Milène Demongeaut, Paris, 1964
In 1962, he met his future partner, Vinícius de Moraes, a composer, poet, singer, and diplomat. Their first song was “Canção de Ninar Meu Bem,” a great success from the beginning. Following that, they came up with “Samba em Prelúdio” (recorded still in 1962 by Geraldo Vandré/Ana Lúcia), “Consolação” (recorded by Nara Leão), “Samba da Bênção,” “Tem Dó,” “Só por Amor,” “Bom Dia, Amigo,” “Labareda,” and “Samba do Astronauta” (recorded by Powell in 1964). At this point, Powell was already a renowned musician and composer, with good connections on the artistic scene and wide exposure in the media. In that year, he accompanied Sílvia Telles at her famous show at the Jirau nightclub. In 1963, he recorded his first LP, Um Violão na Madrugada (Philips). In that year, he traveled to Paris where he presented himself at the Olympia theater with great success, using a repertoire of classical music and his own compositions. He also played regularly in a season at the Bilboquet nightclub and composed the soundtrack to the movie Le Grabuje.(by Alvaro Neder)
This first record for Barclay in 1964 is one of Baden´s most famous records in Europe, even the sound of the original record was never the best.
“Brazilian music is, as its country which is 16 times as big as France, diverse, varied, surprising, subtle and simple all at the same time. This music only asks, as Brazil, for regognition and love. With this album, which is the first he releases in Europe, the guitarist & composer BP presents us a complete palette of his musical world. From African rythms to his personal perceiving of classical european composers, and through delicate reminiscence of melodies from the Antilles, to negro american jazz accents: BP reminds all these influences on his guitar.
He’s 27 years old. Born in Rio. He played since 8 y.o. After having studied in Rio academy, where he improved his style and learned composition, he started like many other, in clubs with little rythmic entities. He eventually showed up in several Tv & radio broadcasts, and his compositions became very popular. He teamed with Tom Jobim, Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal for work and tours in several big cities in Brazil. He recorded with Herbie Mann and Jimmy Pratt just before his departure to the US. After some concerts in the Village Vanguard, his friend and poet Vinicius de Moraes made him come to Paris in the late of 63. He gave recitals and tv shows: Living room, musicorama etc… Asked for his guitaristic influences he answers: Segovia, Van Eps, Django are people that are part of the musical world i love. With this record you’ll be able to discover samples from this musical universe.
Original front + backcover from 1964
Here are the themes: DEVE SER AMOR: was recorded using play back device. Baden first recorded the rythmic part with the bass & drums. Afterwards he recorded the melody. The same process was involved with BACHIANA.
CHORO PARA METRONOME is quite a challenge. The choro which was originally an improvisation over folkoric patterns, turns here into a guitar piece. The metronome replaces the whole rythm section. Fitting perfectly with this souless rythm, BP shows here its astounding technique.
The Albinoni ADAGIO and the Bach PRELUDE so seduced the guitarist, that he did want to give a respectful homage to these composers by playing these two pieces.
BERIMBAU is the name of a musical instrument looking like an arc, which is used in the Capoeira. This is a dance which partly look like wrestle, and is done by Nordeste youth, especially in the Bahia area. It is undoubtly of African inspiration.
SAMBA EM PRELUDIO is made of two distincts melodies. Baden plays the first which is in turn played by the orchestra. Then the guitar plays the second theme, and then the two parts are played together, and taken by cello and Francoise Waleh’s voice. CHANSON D’HIVER is the first song that Baden wrote when he came to Paris in December 63.
SAMBA TRISTE opens on a very dark climate and dramatic first part, then the repetitive rythm takes over and leads to the conclusive chords. BERCEUSE A JUSSARA is a delicate composition, dedicated to his little niece “Sobrinha” Jussara. EURIDICE is a Vinicius de Moraes composition, which illustrates the Orphee myth. BACHIANA is a piece written with, once again, Johann S. Bach in mind. GAROTA is a new composition from Tom Jobim and Vinicius. Baden takes it as a basis for a free improvisation, with a complete command on the instrument” (original liner notes by Jacques Lubin)
My copy is a rare German pressing (released in 1966 – with liner notes written in German …. )
Alternate frontcovers
Personnel:
Alphonse Masselier (bass)
Arthur Motta (drums)
Baden Powell (guitar)
Silvio Silveira (percussion)
+
Francoise Waleh (vocals on 05.)
+
Paul Mauriat and his orchestra
Tracklist:
01. Deve Ser Amore (Powell/De Moraes) 3.44
02. Choro Para Metronome (Powell) 2.48
03. Adagio (Albinoni) 3.03
04. Berimbau (De Moraes) 2.58
05. Samba En Preludio (Powell/De Moraes) 3.26
06. Chanson D’Hiver (Powell) 2.22
07. Samba Triste (Powell/Blanco) 3.29
08. Bercauses A Jussara (Powell) 2.33
09. Prelude (Bach) 2.49
10. Euridice (De Moraes) 3.00
11. Chaiana (Powell/De Moraes) 4.06
12. Garota De Ipanema (Jobim/Gimbel/De Moraes) 2.58
Addeo was one of RCA’s key house arrangers for most of the 1950s and 1960s. An Italian American from Brooklyn, Addeo’s specialty was Hawaiian music. He studied violin as a child, but switched to clarinet and saxophone in his teens when he noticed these instruments were in greater demand for local dance bands. He gradually moved from performing to arranging, working with Gene Krupa, Larry Clinton, and Frankie Carle.
Passport was a German jazz/fusion group formed in 1971. Founded by Ace Saxeman, composer and arranger Klaus Doldinger along with Curt Cress (percussion), Kristian Schultze (keyboards), and Wolfgang Schmid (bass & guitar). This was the classic lineup that started with their 4th album “Looking Thru” in 1973, their first US release. I’m not familiar with their first 3 albums, but outside Klaus, the lineup was pretty different. This classic lineup continued through the next 5 albums. Utilizing spacey electronic jazz with rock and classical styles, this group was very groundbreaking. Klaus has a knack for coming up with some of the most beautiful saxe melodies you ever heard. Curt Cress was probably one of the first drummers to experiment with electronic drums. Bassist Wolfgang Schmid’s classical guitar adds a nice demension. And Kristian Schultze’s use of synth and mellotron gives them an expansive orchestral sound. After their 8th album, PASSPORT went through many different incarnations with only Klaus as the common denominator in all of them. In the 80’s, Klaus did other projects like motion picture soundtracks, most notably “Das Boot”. But PASSPORT still to this day records and performs (mostly in Europe, they came to the US only once) with various personnel. But it was the classic lineup that expanded their audience and gave them critical acclaim. (by progarchives)
This energetic show was recorded on New Year’s Eve 1983 in Glasgow, Scotland, near Big Country’s hometown. The show opens with the sounds of rain, thunder and lightning. After an earsplitting crash, the effects slowly fade, and the band breaks into “One Thousand Stars.” Big Country’s trademark guitars in their “bagpipe” mode cut through the song’s intro, leading into Adamson’s passionate vocals. The rest of the show is propelled by the band’s powerful rhythm section and the interplay between the twin guitar action of Adamson and Watson.
“The excitement going on in the room that night was really a Scottish thing,” says Watson. “We tried to make it a huge party, as much as possible. We had just gotten back after three months in America. We loved America but we were missing home. And this show was a homecoming.” The performance was held in a hired ballroom, or dance hall, similar to the legendary Roseland dance hall in New York City.
Fire and Water is the third studio album released by English rock group Free. The album became the band’s breakthrough hit, reaching #2 in the UK charts and #17 in the US, making it the most successful Free album.[citation needed] The album contained the hit single “All Right Now” which they later played to a crowd of over 600,000 people at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, generating great popularity (by wikipedia).
Ella Fitzgerald’s outstanding songbook series has become an institution unto itself. This 1957 effort is distinguished from Fitzgerald’s other songbooks in that it is the only album in which the composer whose work she is singing actively participates.
swinging away; giving the listener a first-class trip to Harlem. Perdido and The E & D Blues are top-class jams from Ella and her fellas too which make any listener lost in jazz heaven. I’m Beginning To See The Light and Blip-Blip are such great expressions of joy & exuberance you can’t help but start snapping your fingers and tapping your feet too. On I Got It Bad, Ella cries her heart out making any listener weep along too.
Los Paraguayos is a music group consisting of musicians from Paraguay. Since its foundation in the 1950s, the group has featured many singers and musicians, playing guitars, bongo drums and a Paraguayan harp, including Luis Alberto del Paraná, Reynaldo Meza, Angel “Pato” Garcia and Carlos Espinoza. The group performs many South American and Mexican tunes and songs, including classics, such as Guantanamera, El Cóndor Pasa and La Bamba. Having had many changes in their line-up, the group has retained its popularity, selling many albums and appearing at many concerts throughout the world. In 2007, Los Paraguayos played a world tour, including appearances in The Netherlands and Israel.
