Baden Powell Music

The people who are producing these gems at Proper in the U.K. must be commended for at least knowing a broad range of great music. I have heard from a friend that the Baden Powell part of this set is great...I can say, as both a fan, and as a friend of the late guitar genius from Brazil, Laurindo Almeida, that his portion is 5 star. Laurindo started his own label - Brazilliance Records - and this small portion can be found on it. "Escadoo", "O Barquinho", "The Samba Medley (from 'Black Orpheus')" are all great Almeida treatments. Anyone who really wants to delve into the heart and soul of Laurindo's favorite stuff should look for "Formation Of Brazillian Music" on the Brazilliance label - hopefully still in existence, and hopefully being run by his wife, Deltra - herself a great singer. There are many more Brazilliance works, as Almeida was a great composer, player, and proponent of Brazilian music, both popular and classical, but my favorite is the aformentioned "Formation..", which features the stunning 'Brazilian Popular Suite' by Brazilian composer Radames Gnattali. Brazilliance Records is, hopefully, still run out of Sherman Oaks, California.

Not being overly familiar with the music of Brazil, I really could not say if this recording of purported Brazilian guitar music as played so wonderfully by Gerald Garcia is an authentic representation of Brazilian music or not. All that I can say is that this album is very appealing and it is indeed lovely to listen to mainly, I'm sure, due to the wonderful playing of Gerald Garcia. The music contained in this very full recording (over 70 minutes) consists of music written for or transcribed for the guitar by Luis Bonfa, Carlos Jobim, Isalas Savio, Juao Pernambuco, Villa-Lobos, Almedia, Roberto Baden-Powell and Celso Machado.

I particularly liked the preludes 1-5 by Villa-Lobos which are so full of Latin rhythms and melodies. I adored Roberto Baden-Powell three works which had me in the mood to fall in love (if I were not attached)in Rio De Janeiro because they are filled with beautiful and melancholy Latin melodies and wonderful rhythms. I can see why the album notes said that the music contained in this recording heavily influenced the great jazz musician Stan Getz--for it is indeed filled with many Basso Nova like rhythms and with wonderfully melancholy melodies.

Naxos has done a great job recording the wonderful playing of Gerald Garcia and at a nice low price--buy it you'll love it!

Great music (but not the jobim pieces). ---Like so many classical guitarists he obviously lacks rhythm- particularly on the *Jobim* pieces. if your releasing a cd of music from brazil and you are a classical guitarist from england you should have more understanding of the music. -However it is only seven bucks and there is some definite magic on this cd.~

This is an exquisitely beautiful album that captures the very essence of Brazil.

Of all the solo guitar albums in my collection, this is the most expressive and poignant.

The performance is masterful, intricate and sensitive. There is a wide mastery of inflection and style.

Gerald Garcia is one of the true masters of solo guitar at any level much less Brazilian. (This album was recorded in 1988.)

So treat yourself to the best 72'46" of listening pleasure.

I am not a guitarist, so I cannot really comment knowledgeably on Gerald Garcia's achievement here, but I feel I must add my voice to those who think this is a splendid CD: Naxos have always been good for a surprise, and I was surprised indeed to find them releasing music like this in 1988! The center of the disc, in more than one sense, is Heitor Villa-Lobos, with Garcia playing all five of his Preludes and his Choro No. 1 (which, due to a printing error on the cover, is accredited to Garcia himself as arranger, but that is not correct, he only arranged the following traditional melodies in the style of Savio). Around this center are arranged pieces by Bonfá, Jobim, Savio, Pernambuco, Almeida, Baden-Powell and Machado - all names that I had never heard of until I purchased this disc out of curiosity. The music is relaxing, only the Villa-Lobos is truly classical, and the sound (the recording was made at a studio in Heidelberg, Germany) is excellent, worthy of a full-price disc. To cap it all, there are Gerald Garcia's own notes giving plenty of background information. You can't go wrong here!

I met the two of them in the past. I saw their shows and I bought their recordings. They never disappointed me, on the contrary: I always was amazed by their style and classy quality of sound. Now they return, together, to make us enjoy life in this way and mode: pleasantness in sound. If this would not suffice, there is a bonus, the performance of Gerald Garcia. Splendiferous! GF

this guy takes a 2-note berimbau riff and turns it into a few guitar chords - then he really launches it. this is a lesson in how to take a little nylon string guitar and, using only your fingers, make it sound HUGE. there is some singing in portuguese - i dont understand it but it isnt bad - but to a guitar player this is revolutionary stuff.