With a career that has passed the 40-year mark, Cesar Camargo Mariano continues to stay on top of his game. His arranging skills are unique and are permanently set in Brazilian music through singers such as Elis Regina, Simone and just about the best in Brazil and around the world. He produces and arranges music with the same ease that he writes them. Throughout his long-standing and very accomplished career, in addition to his solo efforts, he has recorded some remarkable duet albums. Samambaia (with Helio Delmiro), Duo (with Romero Lubambo), Voz e Suor (with Nana Caymmi) and Nós (with Leny Andrade) are all critically and popularly acclaimed albums.

On the other side of this duo, we find Pedro Mariano, son of Cesar Camargo Mariano and the late Elis Regina. Though father and son had previously collaborated in Pedro's three solo albums, with Piano & Voz they formalize that artistic synergy with a memorable recording (also available on DVD). Choosing an eclectic repertoire such as the one here must have been a difficult task. We find songs that cover several genres of Brazilian music and periods: Bossa Nova ("Caminhos Cruzados"), MPB ("Acaso" and "Dupla Traição"), traditional samba ("Tarzan, o Filho do Alfaiate") and even Brazilian rock, or BRock ("Caso Sério"). In front of it all, we find Cesar and Pedro doing what they do best: making music and simply having fun doing it together.

"Acaso" is a beautiful Ivan Lins song with touching lyrics by Abel Silva. The song, in brief, addresses the mere chance that causes two people's paths to cross in life. Of course the gentle idea behind the song is completely mastered by these two performers. Pedro's voice and Cesar's piano are tender and emotional. In the middle of the song, during Cesar's solo, the piano lines are breathtakingly beautiful. As Pedro ends the last verse in the song, Cesar takes over giving the listener a sensation of flying clear skies. Three single notes start the solo and carry you into a splendid musical interlude. Simply put, you could swear this is a Chopin melody. Right on the first track, you are already a captive of these two artists. Just so you get the same feeling again, Cesar gives us another stunning solo in "Dupla Traição." With Rita Lee and Roberto de Carvalho's hit "Caso Sério," Cesar and Pedro have a good time trading solos, particularly in the section when the father does his piano solo with the son providing the bass notes vocally. It is quite remarkable. Keeping up with the lightness of that number, this duo performs Vadico and Noel Rosa's hilarious tune "Tarzan, o Filho do Alfaiate." It hits yet another high moment in the CD.

Piano & Voz had a limited release of 10,000 units, but in case you are not able to get a hold of the album, there is also DVD release of the same project. You can hear samples of this album in either Pedro Mariano's or Cesar Camargo Mariano's web sites. Better yet, you can see and hear Cesar Camargo Mariano talking about each track in the CD and DVD at Trama.

E.L.