As Mário Sève writes in the liner notes for Casa de Todo Mundo, "this album has been in the works for quite some time." He continues and says that "surprisingly, everything I had imagined has come true and I was able to bring together my admirations and friends." That, in a nutshell, is the spirit behind a very nice release. The CD is, indeed, a reunion of artistic minds who happen to be friends. For the listener, this reunion is like a once in a lifetime event. How many chances does one have to hear Mário Sève side by side with Mônica Salmaso, Pedro Luís e a Parede, Época de Ouro, Suely Mesquita, Cristina Braga, Nó em Pingo d'Água and Mestre Ambrósio? Those are only a few of the stars present in the album.

Casa de Todo Mundo captivates even before you open the CD package. With his trademark of great album covers, Elifas Andreato signs the design of the cover: a cloud in the shape of the map of Brazil. As vast as the country is, so is the richness in the repertoire all penned by Mário himself along with some lyricist friends.

The soulful percussive opener "Negreiros" is an all powerful song. Guest percussion group Baticun (Carlos Negreiros, Marcos Suzano, Jovi Joviniano and Beto Cazes) did the percussion arrangement and was also joined in the vocals by Elizah. Percussion and voices come together with Mário's tenor and soprano saxes in a visceral performance. When that song ends, one feels a breathtaking feeling of freedom. The album then changes gears to a soft lullaby with Mônica Salmaso's solo in this toada featuring Benjamim Taubkin (piano) , Paulo Brandão (bass) and Toninho Ferragutti (accordion). This arrangement is like listening to the mesmerizing sound of the Orquestra Popular de Câmara. The title track is a quadrilha featuring Lui Coimbra's rabeca. Putting aside the sax, Mário is on the front with fiery fifes. Lui's rabeca
Rabeca gets the support of Murilo O'Reilly's percussion and "Casa de Todo Mundo" celebrates the joy and life of the Brazilian Northeast. This ambiance will be repeated in the forró "O Cabra," featuring Mestre Ambrósio in the closing number, as well as in the frevo "Alice no Frevo," featuring the amazing Nó em Pingo d'Água, the choro group that Mário belongs to. Still bathing in the Brazilian Northeast traditions, Clara Sandroni and Paulo Malaguti share a duet in the ciranda "Batendo a Perna."

Other Brazilian genres are very well represented in this magnificent collection. Pedro Luís e a Parede's performance in "Lua" will defy any genre classification with its mixture of fifes, zabumba
Zabumba and agogô
Agogô along with Jan Dumée's steel guitar and Lui Coimbra's cello. Of course Casa de Todo Mundo does not leave out three of Brazil's most beloved genres: samba, bossa nova and choro. In "Samba no Pé," a brassy arrangement features Zé da Velha on trombone, Silvério Pontes on trumpet and legendary tambourine ace Jorginho do Pandeiro. "Da Antiga" is a relaxed bossa featuring vocals by Rosa Emília and Nelson Ângelo, who also plays the piano, acoustic guitar and wrote the arrangement. Completing the bossa nova feeling, David Ganc's flutes (he collaborated previously with Mário in Pixinguinha + Benedito) and Lui's cello join Mário's flute and alto sax. Special guest Vittor Santos on trombone adds yet another layer to this bossa. Finally, for the choro performance, Suely Mesquita not only wrote the lyrics, but she also sang "Imaginária," which also features the arrangement and special appearance by the lush guitar quartet Maogani. Though not very well known outside of Brazil, but yet typically Brazilian, we have the maxixe "Caco Velho." For this number, Marcelo Fagerlande's exquisite harpsichord is the center of the lively arrangement that also features Silvério Pontes on bombardino
Bombardino. There is also a most nostalgic waltz appropriately named "Época de Ouro," which features the celebrated group by that same name.

Casa de Todo Mundo is a rich tribute to Brazil's most enduring genres. Mário Sève gives us here a sample of the best in contemporary and traditional instrumental and vocal Brazilian music. His compositions are memorable, and the performers he chose to share this album with are all excellent.

To learn more about the artist and hear sample tracks, please visit Mário Sève on the web.

E.L.