Antonio Adolfo: Instrumental SESC Brasil

A Fine Mixture – Live!

SESC (Serviço Social do Comércio or Social Service of Commerce, founded in 1946) is a non-profit institution in Brazil with the purpose of promoting culture and good-living among workers and traders and their families. Among the many benefits provided by this organization there are shows with Brazilian artists on a weekly basis. The Instrumental SESC Brasil project is a pioneer enterprise that started in the 1980s and was adapted to TV in 1990. There have been more than 700 weekly shows at the Anchieta Theatre in São Paulo with an audience of over 200,000 people. With the addition of a YouTube channel in 2007, more than 225,000 hits have been counted at its site. The artists that have graced the Anchieta Theatre include musicians such as Baden Powell, Ed Motta, Eumir Deodato, Francis Hime, Jacques Morelenbaum, João Donato, Marcos Valle, Moacir Santos, Naná Vasconcelos, Nelson Ayres, Pepeu Gomes, Raul de Souza, Roberto Menescal, Toninho Horta, Hermeto Pascoal, Paulo Moura, Wagner Tiso, Yamandu Costa and many others.

On November 25, 2013, Antonio Adolfo was invited to perform at the Instrumental SESC Brasil. Joining Antonio on piano were Marcelo Martins on sax and flute, Jorge Heder on acoustic bass, Rafael Barata on drums and Leonardo Amuedo on guitar. The base for the repertoire came from Antonio Adolfo’s 2013 album Finas Misturas (Fine Mixtures) and his 2010 collaboration with Carol Saboya, his daughter, in Lá e Cá (Here and There). Besides showcasing his own repertoire — including the mega-hit “Sá Marina” to close the show — Antonio presents us with his own arrangements of Cole Porter’s “Easy to Love,” Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia” and a brand-new rendition of Tom & Vinícius’ “Por Toda Minha Vida/Olha Maria.” In the interview that follows the songs in the playlist, Antonio even asks the audience whether he should record “Olha Maria.” I certainly hope he does that in the near future.

The eleven songs and bonus interview with Antonio Adolfo and musicians are available at the Instrumental SESC Brasil YouTube channel. Since the videos are presented separately on that channel, I compiled all videos and interview (in Portuguese) and created a playlist in the same order as the actual show. This should give you the closest experience of being at the Anchieta Theatre for a once-in-a-lifetime event. The video quality is spectacular. So, do yourself a favor and play this show in your large screen TV, if at all possible. Great sound, high-quality video and superb musicianship are your rewards! This is a rare treat to enjoy over and over.