Baden Powell Music

Nice intro to Brazilian music and the celebration of samba in Rio. One technical issue I had: There is a language selection, but there is no subtitle option, even though there are French subtitles along with the musical selections. It's just a drag that I don't know any other languages and was therefore unable to know what the songs were about! A nice DVD, though.

I admit I haven't heard much of Baden Powell apart from this album, but I find it hard to imagine there can be anything better. For an introduction to BP, this is the one to get.

BP is absolutely scintillating on these 2 CDs. All are French recordings, the 1st CD from his Barclay work, the 2nd from Festival. There is a huge variety of music considering it all comes from the one artist.

Perhaps I'm biased, but after many listens I have to say every track is a masterpiece. This is wonderful guitar playing from start to finish, and if I had to try to categorise (impossible!) then the closest I could get would be Bossa meets Bach meets The Boss BP!

This is a great distillation of the European recordings of Baden Powell.

The theme selection and the quality of the sound is superb. I say this up front because these should be the top priorities in releasing recorded music.

The rest of the production, however, seems a bit rushed (at least on the unit that I own). The graphic design is lovely, and the photos are great, but the copy is in two languages: English is used for the general notes and the technical data on each track, but the individual track notes are in portuguese. Fortunately, I can read both languages. The individual track notes are short, so if you aren't bilingual, don't worry. You won't be missing a whole lot.

Also, on disc 1, track number 6 is labeled "Folha Morta", but it really is "Valsa de Euridice". The confusion may have arisen because it is taken from a live show and you can hear Baden warming up with "Folha Morta" for a few seconds before breaking into "Euridice".

All in all, this is a great way to add some essential Baden Powell tracks to your collection without breaking the bank (Baden went through a frenzy of releases in the 60's and 70's, so there is a *LOT* of material out there).

thank God for cable music channels...i was surfing one night, and heard baden powell playing his rendition of the classic "round midnight"...

if you like paco de lucia, al di meola, holdsworth, michael hedges, van halen, satriani, etc., then you need to add this to your collection...

I had not known Baden Powell, and can thank DJ Ann Porotti's "All That Jazz" on WTJUfm in Charlottesville, VA (UVA) for introducing me. Having now listened to this album many, many times, particularly the second disc, which I prefer (altho both are great) - I can say that this album, more than any other in 2004, really impacted me and opened my ears to another area of listening.

Powell swings, picks, vocalizes background, and this music can serve as background or mood music - the album is just great. I do not know the language, and don't relate to the track titles, so I listen to his album as I do opera, for the pure sound. It's terrific guitar playing, and great overall music.

I admit I haven't heard much of Baden Powell apart from this album, but I find it hard to imagine there can be anything better. For an introduction to BP, this is the one to get.

BP is absolutely scintillating on these 2 CDs. All are French recordings, the 1st CD from his Barclay work, the 2nd from Festival. There is a huge variety of music considering it all comes from the one artist.

Perhaps I'm biased, but after many listens I have to say every track is a masterpiece. This is wonderful guitar playing from start to finish, and if I had to try to categorise (impossible!) then the closest I could get would be Bossa meets Bach meets The Boss BP!

This is a great distillation of the European recordings of Baden Powell.

The theme selection and the quality of the sound is superb. I say this up front because these should be the top priorities in releasing recorded music.

The rest of the production, however, seems a bit rushed (at least on the unit that I own). The graphic design is lovely, and the photos are great, but the copy is in two languages: English is used for the general notes and the technical data on each track, but the individual track notes are in portuguese. Fortunately, I can read both languages. The individual track notes are short, so if you aren't bilingual, don't worry. You won't be missing a whole lot.

Also, on disc 1, track number 6 is labeled "Folha Morta", but it really is "Valsa de Euridice". The confusion may have arisen because it is taken from a live show and you can hear Baden warming up with "Folha Morta" for a few seconds before breaking into "Euridice".

All in all, this is a great way to add some essential Baden Powell tracks to your collection without breaking the bank (Baden went through a frenzy of releases in the 60's and 70's, so there is a *LOT* of material out there).

thank God for cable music channels...i was surfing one night, and heard baden powell playing his rendition of the classic "round midnight"...

if you like paco de lucia, al di meola, holdsworth, michael hedges, van halen, satriani, etc., then you need to add this to your collection...

I had not known Baden Powell, and can thank DJ Ann Porotti's "All That Jazz" on WTJUfm in Charlottesville, VA (UVA) for introducing me. Having now listened to this album many, many times, particularly the second disc, which I prefer (altho both are great) - I can say that this album, more than any other in 2004, really impacted me and opened my ears to another area of listening.

Powell swings, picks, vocalizes background, and this music can serve as background or mood music - the album is just great. I do not know the language, and don't relate to the track titles, so I listen to his album as I do opera, for the pure sound. It's terrific guitar playing, and great overall music.

As the other reviewers have clearly pointed out, this is not the original recording from '66. This is a re-recording done in the 90s. It's not bad, per se, but it sure as hell ain't the original. Not even close. The original possesses a certain ragged charm, and a seductively dark and mystical vibe that this update noticeably lacks. The new version is also inappropriately slick and rote sounding, and lacks the vocal contributions of the late Vinicius de Moraes. So, by all means, if you're curious about "Os Afro Sambas," *please* don't buy this, and instead try your hardest to locate the Japanese import, which, at the time of writing, is the only means of obtaining the original on CD (update! - the Original Os Afro Sambas has been reissued by El Records, so grab that while it's available). That tracking down such a brilliant and monumental album remains so difficult is a seriously heinous crime against humanity. The Japanese version seems to go in and out of print, and it's going to run you about $25, but believe me, it's worth every penny.

I believe this is a 1990 re-recording of the original 1966 classic. Kind of hi-fi sounding and more pristine. The original is probably more funky and gritty. Think its out of print though, I haven't been able to find a copy.

Os Afro-Sambas was originally recorded in 1966, while this one without Vinicius de Moraes, was done by Baden Powell, Quarteto em cy (as the original), and others nearly quarter century later. Os Afro-Sambas is certainly one of the most important works of contemporary Brazilian Music truly reflecting the transition period from the stylish Bossa Nova of the late 50's to the revolutionary Tropicalia of the late 60's. Eight of the eleven compositions are the same of the original one, while two are also compostions of Baden and Vinicius from the same period and the opening was made by Baden alone specially for this recording.

All tracks reflect religious syncretism, the mixture of West African religions of slavery origin and the European Catholicism, found mostly on Bahia State in form of Ubanda and Candoble religions. The most frequent music theme is love, specially love delusions and solitude. The understanding of singed Brazilian Portuguese would be a must to get into Vinicius poetry in full depth, as there are no lyrics on this set. As one of the most important contemporary Brazilian poets Vinicius de Moraes also has an important role on Brazilian Popular Music with his solo and works with other Brazilian musicians. His work with Baden is an encounter with one of the best Brazilian guitar players, whose strong classical influence is fantastically merged into samba.

This album uses all the sound technology available on 90's so its is pristine recording, which permits to the listener distinguish easily all the different percussion instruments. The 66 album was recorded on a 2 channel studio, and this means a huge difference in sound quality, Now the original one is only available on both Vinicius and Baden complete works box set. Although this 1990 recording is not the original one, Baden tried to keep this version as similar as possible as to the 66' one giving us opportunity to fully appreciate this hallmark of Brazilian Music. There is also an interesting religious aspect to be mentioned. The Brazilian afro religions are not well tolerated by the evangelic Christians. Later in his life when Baden had converted to an evangelic cult he renegaded this work changing afro words to more Christian oriented ones during presentations.

Certainly this CD is an excellent choice.

Sarava !

This is a fantastic CD! It has all the familiar samba elements -- i.e. the upbeat, infectious rhythm, the melacholic melodies -- and so much more.

This was recorded in 1990, and is actually a re-working of the groundbreaking "Os Afro Sambas", recorded in 1966 with legendary Brazilian poet/songwriter/beatnik Vinícius de Moraes (with vocal help from the wonderful Quarteto em Cy, as on this new work). Unfortunately, Vinícius had passed away by the time Powell got around to re-recording their masterpiece. Powell's reason for re-working this was because the sound quality of the original sessions wasn't the best, as well as the fact that everyone was drunk and sloppy! The original recording is great--and this is an amazing re-working. I'm a huge Powell fan, and this is among his best--he hasn't lost his touch. Amazing guitar work, strong compositions, and top-notch production. The style is a blend of samba, African rhythms and a touch of classical guitar. (By the way, in case you're looking for the original "Os Afro Sambas", the CD by the same title on Amazon is actually a French pressing of the newer CD--this is the one I own. I think the only available copies of the original are imports from Japan).

Great music, the guitar is incredible, the vocals are subtle and haunting!!! My brother had a copy in South America, and I have been looking for it a couple of years with out luck!! Today I just click it and there it is...

I bought the CD on the strength of the first reviewer's recommendation, and immediately found why it was sought for so long. This is a refreshing departure from the well-established samba mold. It is more than well-played, well-arranged music. It has a raw, mystical power rare in modern commercial music. Five stars for sure!

This is a fantastic CD! It has all the familiar samba elements -- i.e. the upbeat, infectious rhythm, the melacholic melodies -- and so much more.

This was recorded in 1990, and is actually a re-working of the groundbreaking "Os Afro Sambas", recorded in 1966 with legendary Brazilian poet/songwriter/beatnik Vinícius de Moraes (with vocal help from the wonderful Quarteto em Cy, as on this new work). Unfortunately, Vinícius had passed away by the time Powell got around to re-recording their masterpiece. Powell's reason for re-working this was because the sound quality of the original sessions wasn't the best, as well as the fact that everyone was drunk and sloppy! The original recording is great--and this is an amazing re-working. I'm a huge Powell fan, and this is among his best--he hasn't lost his touch. Amazing guitar work, strong compositions, and top-notch production. The style is a blend of samba, African rhythms and a touch of classical guitar. (By the way, in case you're looking for the original "Os Afro Sambas", the CD by the same title on Amazon is actually a French pressing of the newer CD--this is the one I own. I think the only available copies of the original are imports from Japan).

Great music, the guitar is incredible, the vocals are subtle and haunting!!! My brother had a copy in South America, and I have been looking for it a couple of years with out luck!! Today I just click it and there it is...

I bought the CD on the strength of the first reviewer's recommendation, and immediately found why it was sought for so long. This is a refreshing departure from the well-established samba mold. It is more than well-played, well-arranged music. It has a raw, mystical power rare in modern commercial music. Five stars for sure!