The Composer
If you have been following our site for a while, the name of Mario Adnet is not going to be unknown for you. His discography and special projects have been keeping us pleasantly busy. It is always a joy to find out he has a new album in the works, and it’s even better when we get to hear what he has released.
In Saudade Maravilhosa we get to hear more of Mario Adnet’s composer abilities. Although he’s had original tracks in previous albums, here eight out of the ten tracks are his own compositions. These original tracks bring back all the influences in Mario’s career. The listener can hear echoes of Tom Jobim, Villa-Lobos, Moacir Santos and other composers who were the focus of Mario’s refined arrangements and extensive productions. The same quality we have experienced in the past is, of course, abundant in Saudade Maravilhosa.
The musicians who accompanied Mario previously in other releases all return for this album. Produced together with Antonia Adnet, and with Mario’s own musical direction and arrangements, Saudade Maravilhosa assembles a team of experts all very familiar to us. You will hear Jorge Helder (double bass), Rafael Barata (drums), Marcos Nimrichter (piano, fender rhodes), Armando Marçal (percussion), Eduardo Neves (tenor and soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute), Aquiles Moraes (trumpet, flugelhorn), Everson Moraes (trombone), Cristiano Alves (clarinet), Ricardo Silveira (guitar), João Cavalcanti (vocals) and Leonardo Amuedo (guitar). With these heavyweights, nothing could go wrong, naturally.
With the exception of one vocal track, all others are delightful instrumental music. Two tracks have been previously recorded by Mario. The first is “Chorojazz,” which appeared in his 1999 Para Gershwin e Jobim album. The second is “Sambaqui,” which was in his 2001 Rio Carioca under a different title, “Sete Rios.” In this new recording, two top-notch guitarists, Leonardo Amuedo and Ricardo Silveira, take center stage and bring lots of fun to the arrangement. One big repertoire surprise is the inclusion of “Caravan.” Mario’s emphasis has often been to feature Brazilian music in his albums. However, as he explains it in the liner notes, he wanted to “show how Duke Ellington would sound like with a Moacir Santos‘ face.” The result is amazing, especially because of Armando Marçal’s percussion and the trumpet/trombone addition from the brothers Aquiles and Everson Moraes, respectively. Another clear Moacir Santos’ influence is the opening track, “Ancestral,” dedicated to Armando Marçal. The Afro theme in the composition gave Mario the impetus to create the arrangement as is. Once again, Armando Marçal is present with his vibrant percussion. From an Afro influence to choro, we move to “Cecilia no Parquinho,” inspired by Mario’s grand-daughter. He captures the happy moments he spends with her in this cheerful melody. Also worth to note is the gorgeous soft Bossa “Saudade Maravilhosa,” which takes us back to a nostalgic Rio de Janeiro with the allusion to Cidade Maravilhosa in its title (Rio’s nickname, Marvelous City).
Saudade Maravilhosa is a fine addition to a growing and solid discography. Great arrangements and musicianship flourish in an unpretentious set. Selo SESC says that by the end of 2017 the album should be available in all the usual streaming sites. For now, you have two options to grab this excellent album: buy the physical CD or listen to the tracks in the Selo SESC YouTube channel. If you opt for the latter, please note that the album is played twice in that stream.
ALBUM INFORMATION
Mario Adnet
Saudade Maravilhosa
Selo SESC CDSS 0086/16 (2017)
Time: 43’53”
Tracks (all music by Mario Adnet, except where noted):
- Ancestral
- Cecilia no Parquinho
- Saudade Maravilhosa
- Flor do Dia
- Azul da Tarde
- Valsa do Barque Virado (Mario Adnet – João Cavalcanti) – w/ João Cavalcanti
- Viver do Amor (Toninho Horta – Ronaldo Bastos)
- Chorojazz
- Sambaqui
- Caravan (Juan Tizol – Duke Ellington)
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