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With
a discography that stretches back nearly 60 years, pianist, composer,
and arranger, ANTONIO ADOLFO has recorded over 25 albums as a
leader. On past albums, Adolfo focused on a particular composer, for
example, Jobim Forever (2021) and BruMa: Celebrating
Milton Nascimento (2020). It has been 65 years since Bossa Nova
was born on the south side of Rio, and on his newest album, BOSSA
65: CELEBRATING CARLOS LYRA AND ROBERTO MENESCAL, Adolfo
turns his attention to two great composers who are on the frontline
of the creation of this popular and beloved music.
A
multi-Latin Grammy and Grammy nominee, Adolfo is an internationally
recognized Brazilian jazz star. A prolific composer, more than 200 of
his original compositions have been covered by artists like Sergio
Mendes, Earl Klugh, Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder, and Dionne Warwick,
to name just a few. Critic Travis Rogers said of Adolfo’s 2022
release, “Octet and Originals is everything that we love and
anticipate from Antonio Adolfo. When we open the album, we don't know
what is coming but we know it will be wonderful. Because, with
Antonio Adolfo, it always is."
Bossa
Nova was probably the most important musical movement to come out of
Brazil in the 20th Century. There are many well-known artists
associated with Bossa, most notably Antonio Carlos Jobim, but there
are others, like Joao Gilberto, Johnny Alf, Joao Donato, Marcos
Valle, Durval Ferreira, Mauricio Einhorn, Carlos Lyra, Vinicius de
Moraes, Roberto Menescal and Ronaldo Boscoli.
Adolfo
considers Carlos Lyra, a singer and composer of many classic Bossa
compositions, as his musical mentor and godfather. Adolfo says, “I
think his music should be studied by musicians around the world.”
Lyra has also written many songs for theater and movies. Adolfo first
met Lyra in 1963 when he worked on the musical play “Pobre Menina
Rica - Poor Rich Girl,” written by Lyra and poet and lyricist Vinicius De Moraes. Lyra and De Moraes
wrote many classics together, like "Você e Eu," "Minha
Namorada," "Marcha da Quarta-Feira de Cinzas," and
"Coisa Mais Linda." Adolfo produced, arranged and played on
Lyra’s album Bossa Lyra, which was released in Japan.
Roberto
Menescal is a Brazilian composer, record producer, guitarist,
vocalist, and pioneer of Bossa Nova. Menescal, who partnered with
lyricist Ronaldo Boscoli, created some of the most important gems of
Bossa Nova, including the famous “Little Boat.” Adolfo joined
Menescal’s popular group “Conjunto Roberto Menescal” in 1965. In
1968, Adolfo and Menescal created a group to accompany the legendary
singer Elis Regina in Europe. The two worked together on several
recordings over the following ten years, when Menescal was the
Artistic Director of Polygram Records.
BOSSA
65 was
recorded in Brazil, and Adolfo is joined by outstanding Brazilian
musicians, including LULA GALVAO (guitars), JORGE HELDER (double bass), RAFAEL
BARATA (drums and percussion), DADA COSTA (percussion), JESSE
SADOC (trumpet and flugelhorn), DANILO SINNA (alto sax), MARCELO
MARTINS (tenor sax and flute), RAFAEL ROCHA (trombone).
Although
the songs Adolfo chose for BOSSA 65 have lyrics, Adolfo
chose to present the songs as instrumentals. He once again applies
his gentle touch to these brilliantly reharmonized Brazilian
classics. He opens the album with “Coisa Mais Linda (Most Beautiful
Thing)” by Lyra. A typical Bossa Nova tune, it features solos by
Rocha on trombone and Lula on guitar, with scat vocals added by Adolfo
himself.
Adolfo
began his professional career as a pianist for the play “Pobre Menina
Rica (Poor Rich Girl).” The tune “Samba Do Carioca (Carioca’s Samba)
was written for the play by Lyra. Adolfo’s version features solos by
Adolfo, Sinna on alto sax, and Rocha on trombone.
“Maria
Moita (Maria Shut-Mouth),” by Lyra was also composed for “Pobre
Menina Rica.” The composition is a samba and features “maracatu”
elements combined with percussion instruments, such as “atabaques”
(congas) and “repique” (a kind of Brazilian timbales) and more.
Maracatu refers to Brazilian-Afro performance genres from
Northeastern Brazil. Another Lyra composition, “Marcha Da
Quarta-Feira De Cinzas (Ash Wednesday March),” is a melancholy number
that reflects the song’s lyrics, which are a metaphor for returning
to real life under the military dictatorship after the joyous days of
Carnaval. The alto flute and surdo (bass drum) open the tune, setting
the tone. “Sabe Voce (Do You Know),” the final Lyra song on the
album, was also in “Pobre Menina Rica.” In the play, the homeless
poet (Lyra) sings the beautiful melody to the rich girl, telling her
that she can steal money and have anything she wants except for his
poetry and music.
The
songs written by Roberto Menescal include “Bye Bye Brasil” with
lyrics by Chico Buarque, which was written for the 1980 movie of the
same name. The tune features spirited solos by Martins and Galvão. “O
Barquinho (Little Boat)” has been recorded a couple of thousand times
by musicians around the world. Adolfo’s modern samba arrangement
features an explosive alto sax solo by Danilo Sinna. “Tete,” with
solos by Rocha and Galvao, is a romantic samba-cançao (Brazilian
Bolero) dedicated to a beautiful “namorada” (girlfriend) of one of
the composers. This musical style appeared in Brazil in the 1940s and
is still used by many composers. “Rio” is a happy Bossa that came out
of the south side of Rio during the 1960s when many of the most
important compositions were written. “Nos E O Mar (We and The Sea)”
is a romantic Bossa. The composition reflects the sun, beaches,
happiness, beautiful girls, and romance of Ipanema during the 1960s.
With
deep roots in the Bossa tradition, Antonio Adolfo ’s elegant pianism
and harmonically complex arrangements are Influenced by bebop, soul,
and West Coast jazz. With a seasoned band at the top of their form, BOSSA
65: CELEBRATING CARLOS LYRA AND ROBERTO MENESCAL is a
beautiful tribute to two legendary composers and performers.
# # #
BOSSA
65: CELEBRATING CARLOS LYRA AND ROBERTO MENESCAL will be available June 23,
2023 at www.aammusic.com and online everywhere.
Online:
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