A Tribute to the Music of the 1940s & 1950s
Some things are definitely worth waiting for. Samba Meets Boogie Woogie was recorded in May and June 2006, but post-production took nearly two years. Finally, the album was released in October 2008. All my expectations were fulfilled.
Repertoire research was given to Alfredo Del-Penho, who is one of the vocalists in the CD, too. Based on original recordings, the arrangements were then created by Mario Adnet himself. Add to this Maucha Adnet, Mônica Salmaso, Zé Renato and Roberta Sá and you have Samba Meets Boogie Woogie. Sometimes as soloists, sometimes as in duets, these singers lend their talents to a nice and memorable hit collection with the full support of musicians such as Cristóvão Bastos (piano), Jorge Helder (bass), Vittor Santos (trombone), Andréa Ernst Dias (flutes), Jovino Santos Neto (piano), Marcos Nimrichter (accordion), Hamilton de Holanda (mandolin) and many other gifted Brazilian musicians.
Choosing this repertoire was not an easy task. The 1940s and 1950s were very fertile years in Brazilian music. Just to give you an idea of some very well known hits in that era, suffice it to say that Dorival Caymmi’s “O Samba da Minha Terra,” Ary Barroso’s “Morena Boca de Ouro” and Ataulfo Alves & Mário Lago’s “Ai Que Saudades da Amélia” were some of the songs that were recorded back then. And that was only through 1942! From the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s, Brazilian music built a bridge between the traditional and the modern popular music. It was also during that era that most music critics agree that precursors of the Bossa Nova movement also came into play. Those years also marked the period where radio was most successful. To list all singers and composers here would be a futile attempt and incomplete at best.
What makes Samba Meets Boogie Woogie invaluable is on one hand the focus on music by Haroldo Barbosa, Denis Brean, Janet de Almeida, Jackson do Pandeiro and Assis Valente, for example. Add to that the careful arrangements based on the original recordings, a feat that Mario Adnet so well achieves in his releases. He makes it sound simple. These songs tell the story of Brazil during those decades. For example, “Adeus América” was composed as a result of the presence of foreign music in the Brazilian shores. A reverse of that idea, on the other hand, is sung in the lyrics of “Baiana no Harlem,” in which Denis Brean wonders what would happen if a Bahian woman walked the streets of Harlem in New York City. The historic “Boogie Woogie na Favela,” as the liner notes detail, marks the first time that a song made “fun of the fusion between Samba and Boogie Woogie.” And then we also have “Chiclete com Banana.”
The fun and historic approach in Samba Meets Boogie Woogie is captivating. The performances are top-notch. This is one of those albums you will likely play over and over from time to time. It has substance and quality in abundance from beginning to end.
ALBUM INFORMATION
Mario Adnet
Samba Meets Boogie Woogie
Adventure Music AM1048 2 (2008)
Time: 57’43”
Tracks:
- Adeus América (Geraldo Jacques – Haroldo Barbosa) – Roberta Sá & Alfredo Del-Penho
- Boogie Woogie do Rato (Denis Brean, a.k.a. Augusto Duarte Ribeiro) – Zé Renato & Mônica Salmaso
- Eu Sambo Mesmo (Janet de Almeida) – Maucha Adnet & Mario Adnet
- Baiana no Harlem (Denis Brean) – Roberta Sá
- Conversa de Samba (Denis Brean – Osvaldo Guilherme) – Alfredo Del-Penho
- Tintim por Tintim (Haroldo Barbosa – Geraldo Jacques) – Mônica Salmaso
- Boogie Woogie na Favela (Denis Brean) – Zé Renato
- Eu Quero um Samba (Janet de Almeida – Haroldo Barbosa) – Maucha Adnet
- Morena Faceira (Janet de Almeida) – Mario Adnet
- Nada de Rock Rock (Heitor dos Prazeres) – Alfredo Del-Penho & Maucha Adnet
- Pra Que Discutir com Madame (Janet de Almeida – Haroldo Barbosa) – Mônica Salmaso & Mario Adnet
- Malandro em Paris (Denis Brean – Blota Jr.) – Roberta Sá & Zé Renato
- O Trombone do Tribuza (Denis Brean) – Alfredo Del-Penho & MArio Adnet
- Chiclete com Banana (Gordurinha – Jackson do Pandeiro – Almira Castilho) – Zé Renato & Maucha Adnet
- Brasil Pandeiro (Assis Valente) – Mônica Salmaso & Roberta Sá
