:: Reviewing Brazilian Music We Like Since September 7, 2002 ::
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It’s commonly known that Hamilton de Holanda and Yamandú Costa are two exceptionally skilled instrumentalists. Hamilton de Holanda on his 10-string mandolin and Yamandú Costa on his 7-string acoustic guitar. They both combine a dazzling technique with a passion for Brazilian traditional music.
A CD with a Website Humberto Barros (1965, Rio de Janeiro) is an artist with a remarkably creative mind. He’s also an artist who really enjoys what he’s doing. And maybe most of all, Humberto Barros is an artist … Continued
Another Outstanding Performance Love, celebration and devotion. Three nouns that characterize the sentiment of Maria Bethânia’s most recent studio efforts. In 2009 the singer from Bahia released two albums, Encanteria and Tua. The first about faith; the latter about … Continued
Creative Basses What to think of an orchestra that consists of six bassists? One might expect a thick paste of low sounds, freaking around with fast notes and a technical show-off. But none of this is true on this … Continued
A More Than Impressive US Debut Since he moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1998, the name of bassist André Vasconcellos (Brasília, 1979) started to show up on more and more albums. His solid reputation led to an increasing … Continued
A Beautiful Tribute It was on February 9, 1909, in a tiny little village called Várzea da Ovelha e Aliviada in the northern Portuguese district of Porto, that Carmen Miranda produced her first sounds. No one could have guessed … Continued
Musical Classmates It was at the State University of Campinas in São Paulo (UNICAMP) that music students Henrique Tarrason, Daniel Coelho and Raphael Gonçalves decided to form a trio to perform the music they studied. UNICAMP is the only … Continued
(Brazilian) Jazz at Its Best! After listening to this work of solid jazz, one can imagine how such an album would be welcomed in Europe or the USA. My guess is that many will see the CD as a … Continued
The Meeting of Two (Music) Worlds Sometimes you’re at a concert and then you think: “I hope they’re recording this,” especially when the line-up is an occasional one. This is what happened to me when Ceumar and the Mike … Continued
Back to Basics Way back in 1964, trombonist Astor Silva (1922-1968), guitarist Daudeth de Azevedo (aka “O Neco”; 1932-2009), bassist Sebastião Marinho, drummer Wilson das Neves and percussionist Rubens Bassini (1933-1985) released an LP under the name of Os … Continued
The Memory of Brazil There never has been any doubt about it: The performer Antônio Carlos Jobim definitely preferred to sing his own songs. It was only on rare occasions that this icon of Brazilian music lent his voice … Continued
Two Stars Having Fun An album that unites Joyce Moreno and João Donato can only be good. Aquarius proves that in the best possible way. Whether you’re a fanatic Brazilian music fan or whether you’re someone who just likes … Continued