— It’s always very welcoming when João Bosco has a new album. Ever since his early days, Bosco has been consistently making successful albums and writing songs that garner both the media and public acclaim. Back in 1972, his song “Agnus Sei” was the B-side in the Disco de Bolso do Pasquim (Pocket Record of O Pasquim — O Pasquim was a newspaper). Whether it was a coincidence or not, that single release was paired with Tom Jobim singing his own “Águas de Março” on the A-side of the single.
From Minas Gerais (born July 13, 1946), singer, composer, and guitarist João Bosco made his presence in Brazilian music early in his career. A little known fact about his collaborations is that Bosco’s first song partner was poet Vinícius de Moraes. They met in 1966 and together wrote a few songs, including “Rosa dos Ventos” and “Samba do Pouso.” It was only after moving to Rio de Janeiro in 1970, that Bosco met Aldir Blanc, with whom he formed a very fertile and solid partnership. It was their song “Bala com Bala” that put their names out in every household in Brazil, when Elis Regina recorded it in her 1972 Elis album. Then again in 1974, Elis Regina included three of Bosco-Blanc’s songs in one of her most successful albums, Elis (yes, the same title as the 1972 album). I refer to “O Mestre-Sala dos Mares”, “Dois Pra Lá, Dois Pra Cá” e “Caça à Raposa.” Those songs were solid hits.
Fast forward to 2020 and more than 30 albums later, João Bosco has now released two excellent albums in the short time span of two months. Released in May 2020, Abricó-de-Macaco comes in two versions. Besides the regular music release, there is also an annotated album where Bosco talks about his music and guests in the recording. The music album alone is about one hour and a half of music. For the annotated release, you get nearly two and half hours of music and Bosco’s analysis, Bosco features only two new songs co-written with his son Francisco Bosco: “Abricó-de-Macaco” and “Horda.” The other tracks come from other composers and his vast repertoire covering classics such as “Nação,” “Profissionalismo É Isso Aí,” “Senhoras dos Amazonas,” and “Transversal do Tempo,” among others. Bosco’s Brazilian take of “My Favorite Things” is spirited and fascinating. His explanation before playing the track sets the scene for the arrangement he created as an Afro-Brazilian song. He re-invents “My Favorite Things” in a most traditional Bosco performance. His vocalise is magnificent. The base musicians in all tracks have been performing with Bosco for a few years, and those musicians are Guto Wirtti (bass), Kiko Freitas (drums), and Ricardo Silveira (guitar). As for guest appearances, clarinetist Anat Cohen has several special solo appearances throughout the album. Another group of guest performers is the Grupo Segunda Lapa, made up of João Cavalcanti, Moyseis Marques, Pedro Miranda and Alfredo Del-Penho. They appear in “Forró em Limoeiro” and “Pagodespell.”
Barely two months after Abricó-de-Macaco, Bosco pairs up with mandolin giant Hamilton de Holanda for a live album, Canto da Praya. The meeting of these two musicians was bound to happen. They have so much in common, and the result is electrifying to say the least. The repertoire in the album draws from Bosco’s songbook as well as Moacir Santos, Tom Jobim, and others to bring over an hour and a half of passionate performances. It is hard to single out which track in this release is more vibrant and spectacular. One of my favorites is “Nação.” I’ve always liked that song, and when I saw it included in Canto da Praya, I had no idea what to expect. It starts off with Holanda doing a super fast solo of the melody line. It literally takes your breath away to hear what he is capable of doing on the mandolin. His accomplishments and performances never cease to amaze me. Then, we hear Bosco’s acoustic guitar taking over and slowing things down just a notch. Another superb performance is “Incompatibilidade de Gênios.” Bosco begins simply vocalising the melody before getting to its lyrics. The two performers once again are inspiring. The medley with Paulinho da Viola‘s “Tudo se Transformou” and Tom Jobim and Viníciius de Moraes‘ “Chega de Saudade” is a sublime moment and tribute to two of Brazil’s greatest songwriters. The surprises do not end there. You get to Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” and will be once again mesmerized with what these two artists can do. To top it all, the arrangement is a medley with “Corsário.” It is a match made in heaven! In closing,
Both of these releases are impressive. They are available in all streaming outlets. Also YouTube has a few video tracks from their performances. I’ll leave you with one of those with Bosco and Holanda performing “Nação.”
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