Hello,
The music of Brazil encompasses various regional music styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. After 500 years of history, Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as samba, bossa nova, MPB, sertanejo, pagode, tropicalia, choro, maracatu, embolada (coco de repente), mangue bit, funk carioca (in Brazil simply known as Funk), frevo, forró, axé, brega, lambada, and Brazilian versions of foreign musical genres, such as Brazilian rock and rap.
Today's artist became popular with the songs Se Acaso Você Chegasse, her first single, Mas Que Nada, A Carne, and other well-known samba songs. She was nominated to the Grammy Awards and was elected by the BBC London as "the singer of the millennium." In 2007, Soares was invited to sing a cappella the Brazilian National Anthem at the opening ceremony of the 2007 Panamerican Games. In 2016, she performed at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she sang O Canto de Ossanha, a classic by Baden Powell and Vinícius de Moraes......N'Joy
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Owner of a distinctive, harsh voice (even if considering the conspicuous Armstrong mannerisms), Elza Soares is one of the most swinging samba singers. Having appeared in 1959 with the samba "Se Acaso Você Chegasse," Soares always had her artistic career complicated by her personal life, which certainly impeded her enjoyment of a more widespread popularity. Having gotten married at 12 and lost three children who died of hunger, she later became the wife of Garrincha, one of the most genial soccer players ever, and also a chronic alcoholic. The peak of her career was in the '60s, with albums like O Máximo em Samba (1967), Elza Soares & Wilson das Neves (1968), and Elza, Miltinho e Samba (a three-album series shared with Miltinho). In that decade she had several hits, among them "Boato," "Edmundo" (a version of "In the Mood"), "Beija-me," "Devagar Com a Louça," "Mulata Assanhada," "O Mundo Encantado de Monteiro Lobato," "Bahia de Todos os Deuses," "Palmas no Portão," and "Palhaçada." In the '70s, she had further success with "Salve a Mocidade" (1974) and "Malandro" (1977; this song launched Jorge Aragão as a composer). But it wasn't enough to prevent her from facing huge economical adversity, and at the same time she was being systematically turned away by recording companies. With Garrincha, Soares had a very troubled marriage and the untimely demise of their son Garrinchinha in 1986 in a car accident didn't help.
Living in extreme poverty throughout her childhood and teens, Soares had her first audition in radio at Ary Barroso's novice show when she was 16, winning first place. She was then hired as a crooner by the Orquestra Garam de Bailes (led by conductor Joaquim Naegli). She worked in the orchestra until 1954, when she became pregnant. In 1955, she was invited to star with Grande Otelo in the play Jour-Jou-Fru-Fru, which was a smash. Three years later, she toured Argentina, returning in the next year when she was hired by Rádio Vera Cruz. Also in 1959, she recorded a 78 rpm with "Se Acaso Você Chegasse" (Lupício Rodrigues/Felisberto Martins), one of her biggest hits. In 1960, she went to São Paulo where she performed regularly in the show I Festival Nacional de Bossa Nova and recorded her first LP, Se Acaso Você Chegasse. In 1962, she represented Brazil in Chile during the World Soccer Cup, where she met Garrincha.
Having recorded several albums with the hits "Só Danço Samba" (Tom Jobim/Vinícius de Moraes), "A Banca do Distinto" (Billy Blanco), "Pressentimento" (Elton Medeiros/Hermínio Bello de Carvalho), and "Princesa Isabel" (Sérgio Ricardo), she moved to Italy in 1969, where she performed at the Sistina Theater (Rome), returning to Brazil in 1972. In the same year, she opened the show Elza em Dia de Graça at the Opinião Theater (Rio) and participated in the Brasil Export Show (Canecão). Rediscovered in the '80s as a cult heroine by Os Titãs, she performed with the band in a regular show at the Madame Satã nightclub.
Trying unsuccessfully to develop a career abroad, she returned to Brazil in 1994, poor and depressed. Finally, she was rediscovered in the '80s by the younger generations of Brazilian rockers (Os Titãs, Lobão) and MPB artists like Caetano Veloso, having been awarded with a Sharp Prize award as the Best Samba Singer of 1997. Soares also recorded in duet with Caetano Veloso on his album, Velô, and with Lobão on Casa de Samba. With her Trajetória (1997), in which she was paid tribute by Zeca Pagodinho, she won the Prêmio Sharp Award as Best Samba Singer.Her life was depicted in the musical Crioula, which had several songs written specially for her by Chico Buarque, Chico César, Nei Lopes, and others. In November 1999, Soares participated in the show Desde Que o Samba é Samba (at Royal Albert Hall, London, England), together with Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Virginia Rodrigues. In 2000, her life was depicted in the musical Crioula (by Stella Miranda). In 2000, she was appointed Singer of the Millennium by London's BBC. Soares continues to challenge her destiny, performing shows in every venue available.
Do Cóccix Até O Pescoço In 2002, she released the acclaimed Do Cóccix Até O Pescoço on Maianga Discos, which successfully wedded samba, bossa, and MPB with electronic sounds. Produced and recorded by Alê Siqueira, it featured an enormous cast of guest musicians under the direction of pianist Jose Miguel Wisnik, including Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, and Carlinhos Brown. It sold well internationally and received a Grammy nomination. Vivo Feliz followed on Tratore in 2004 and contained the singles "Rio de Janiero" and a reading of "Concordia" by Nando Reis, featuring the songwriter in a duet. Working again with Wisnik, she released the live Beba-Me Ao Vivo and a concert DVD with the same title in 2007.
Though Soares continued to perform, she took an extended break from recording. A year later she was the featured vocalist on the soundtrack of the film Chega de Saudade. She fell from the stage during a performance and required numerous spinal column surgeries. It slowed her down and forced her to perform in a chair, but she never stopped. In 2015, she re-entered the studio with with producer Guilherme Kastrup of São Paulo’s groundbreaking samba sujo scene. She didn't like his idea of recording a set of classic sambas in modern settings and instead insisted on creating entirely original new material -- a first in her long career. He hired the city's vanguard post-punk band Passo Torto (with Metá Metá's Kiko Dinucci) and several players from Bixiga 70. A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo, a collection of 11 songs (culled from over 50), focuses on the achievement of justice for women, people of color, and members of the LGBT community -- causes she had celebrated throughout her life. Issued in Brazil in October by Circus Produções Culturais, it was celebrated in the national press as the year's best album by a national artist, regardless of genre. Due to global acclaim, it was re-released internationally by Mais Um Discos in June of 2016.
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Superb samba accompaniment, melded to a slightly frantic brass band (with a too-prominent trombone and bass saxophone combo...) Her voice is, frankly, a bit grating on most of this album, but the cuica-and-pandeiro rhythmic percussion is awesome. Unfortunately, the liner notes don't say who the musicians were -- Nelsinho is listed as the arranger, but which samba crew they got to join his band is anyone's guess. At any rate, this is a pretty interesting record... The closing number, "Um samba pra ela," is perhaps the single best song on here, where all the elements -- including her voice -- work perfectly together.
Elza Soares - Elza, Miltinho e Samba, vol.3, Sambas e Mais Sambas (flac 520mb)
01 Juntinhos de novo-Não manche o meu panamá-O sorriso do Paulinho-Oito mulheres-Embrulho que eu carrego-Despacho
02 Saia do meu caminho-Nervos de aço-Por causa de você
03 Só com você
04 Julgar é missão divina
05 Vai na paz de Deus-Conceição-Aos pés da cruz-Se a saudade me apertar-Você não quer, nem eu
06 Com olhos de gata-Fita amarela-Madeira de lei
07 Samba da cor
08 Madrugada vai chegar
09 Um samba pra ela
Sambas e Mais Sambas
10 Mas, que nada
11 Recado
12 Dá-me tuas mãos
13 Vejam só
14 Pressentimento
15 Máscara da face
16 Tributo a Martin Luther King
17 Comunicação
18 Maior é Deus
19 Tributo a Dom Fuas
20 Seu José
21 Meu consolo é você
Bonus
22 Capoeira
23 Mestre-sala
24 Sei lá Mangueira
25 Folhas no ar
Elza Soares - Elza, Miltinho e Samba, vol.3 , Sambas e Mais Sambas (ogg 209mb)
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Her bell-bottomed portrait on the album's cover heralds, to a limited degree, Soares's delving into the hippie-delic tropicalia fad. Turns out it's mostly cosmetic; she croons like Maria Bethania on a few tunes, but at heart this is an upbeat samba album, of the sort Soares excelled at. Most of the arrangements on this album are somewhat kitschy, but they also reflect an undercurrent of the bubbling-up of the Brazilian soul scene: jazz-soul pianist Dom Salvador was a pioneer of the Brazilian funk scene, and towards the album's end, he gets a good groove or two going, notably on "Amor Perfeito," which has one of the coolest bass lines early '70s MPB had to offer. Many of the composers were relatively off the beaten track, folks such as Tuze de Abreu, Joao So, Jocafi and prog-rocker Ze Rodrix (along with some of the usual suspects: Vinicius, Jorge Ben, Gonzaguinha...) I like how peppy Soares sounded, although I have to admit this disc had more than its fair share of awkward passages. Still, I'd recommend it... Lots of folks (particularly in Europe) consider it a stone-cold classic.
Sangue, Suor e Raça is a fine, funky samba album, with Elza continuing to explore new textures and modern rhythms. Singer Roberto Ribeiro, from the Imperio Serrano samba school, makes his recording debut as an able duet partner, helping ground Elza's normally dramatic vocals in a calmer, cooler, sexier mode. There are several longer "potpourri" medleys on here, a format I generally dislike, although here the melodies are all given a full, lush reading, and the musical end is quite lovely. All in all, a warm, inviting album, with pianist Dom Salvador back on board as arranger and bandleader. Lovely stuff... a few songs a bit on the staid side, but for the most part, a career highlight... Worth checking out!
Elza Soares - Elza Pede Passagem , Sangue, Suor e Raça (flac 477mb)
01 Cheguendengo
02 Saltei de banda
03 Maria vai com as outras
04 Samba da pá
05 A-B-C da vida
06 Barão beleza
07 Rio carnaval dos carnavais
08 O gato
09 Pulo, pulo
10 Amore perfeito
11 Mais do que eu
Sangue, Suor e Raça
12 Swing negrão-Brasil pandeiro-O samba agora vai-É com esse que eu vou
13 Aurora de um sambista
14 Domingos, domingueira
15 Cicatrizes
16 Isto é papel, João-Cocórocó-Decadência
17 Recordações de um batuqueiro
18 O que vem de baixo não me atinge
19 Lenço cor-de-rosa
20 Sacrifício
21 Coisa louca-A razão dá-se a quem tem-O que se leva desta vida
Bonus
22 Bis
23 Sorris de mim
24 Água e fogo
25 Irmã da tristeza
Elza Soares - Elza Pede Passagem , Sangue, Suor e Raça (ogg 192mb)
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Elza's last album with Odeon found her teamed up with much of the same studio talent as before -- Milton Miranda, Lyrio Panicalli, sound engineer Z. J. Merky -- and a lively, aggressive take on the new "pagode" samba style being pioneered by Clara Nunes and Beth Carvalho. Elza's approach includes nods towards her jazzy background, with Satchmo-esque snarls that anticipate the cuddly-but-tough sound of Alcione. It's a good, solid album, but like many in the genre, it starts to sound a bit monochromatic, and the hard-driving rhythm gets tiring after a while. Not a bad swan song, though, for her long run with Odeon... and a nice hint of things to come.
Her first album over at Tapecar paired Elza with pianist Ed Lincoln, who had kind of a rockin', soul-swinging past. That side of Lincoln's career isn't so much in evidence here -- Elza keeps on the path she'd started out, shifting away from gafieria and jazz-tinged sambas towards a rootsier sound -- they've even got her seated in a wicker chair and wearing one of the same sort of Afro-Bahian frocks that Clara Nunes favored at the time. The arrangements are still a bit on the overly-perky side, but she was clearly intent on giving Nunes a run for her money, and does an admirable job. Some of the slower songs are clunky -- she has a pretty hefty voice that works better when wrapped around a rhythm than trying to phrase a hushed melody, though on the other hand, she's not getting all slushy and popped-out the way Clara did when she slowed down the pace, so in some ways this sounds better. Anyway, this is really nice stuff... Worth checking out!
Elza Soares - Aquarela Brasileira, Elza Soares (flac 454mb)
01 Eu não toco berimbau
02 Busto calado
03 Pranto de poeta
04 Dia de graça
05 Maria José
06 Zelão
07 Canoa furada
08 Solidão
09 Sete linhas
10 Festa da vinda
11 Lá vou eu
12 Aquarela brasileira
Elza Soares
13 Bom-dia Portela
14 Pranto livre
15 Não é hora de tristeza
16 Meia noite já é dia
17 Desabafo
18 Partido lê-lê-lê
19 Deusa do rio Niger
20 Quem há de dizer
21 Louvei Maria
22 Xamego de crioula
23 Falso papel
24 Giringonça
Bonus
25 Salve a Mocidade
Elza Soares - Aquarela Brasileira, Elza Soares (ogg 178mb)
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The music of Brazil encompasses various regional music styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. After 500 years of history, Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as samba, bossa nova, MPB, sertanejo, pagode, tropicalia, choro, maracatu, embolada (coco de repente), mangue bit, funk carioca (in Brazil simply known as Funk), frevo, forró, axé, brega, lambada, and Brazilian versions of foreign musical genres, such as Brazilian rock and rap.
Today's artist became popular with the songs Se Acaso Você Chegasse, her first single, Mas Que Nada, A Carne, and other well-known samba songs. She was nominated to the Grammy Awards and was elected by the BBC London as "the singer of the millennium." In 2007, Soares was invited to sing a cappella the Brazilian National Anthem at the opening ceremony of the 2007 Panamerican Games. In 2016, she performed at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she sang O Canto de Ossanha, a classic by Baden Powell and Vinícius de Moraes......N'Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Owner of a distinctive, harsh voice (even if considering the conspicuous Armstrong mannerisms), Elza Soares is one of the most swinging samba singers. Having appeared in 1959 with the samba "Se Acaso Você Chegasse," Soares always had her artistic career complicated by her personal life, which certainly impeded her enjoyment of a more widespread popularity. Having gotten married at 12 and lost three children who died of hunger, she later became the wife of Garrincha, one of the most genial soccer players ever, and also a chronic alcoholic. The peak of her career was in the '60s, with albums like O Máximo em Samba (1967), Elza Soares & Wilson das Neves (1968), and Elza, Miltinho e Samba (a three-album series shared with Miltinho). In that decade she had several hits, among them "Boato," "Edmundo" (a version of "In the Mood"), "Beija-me," "Devagar Com a Louça," "Mulata Assanhada," "O Mundo Encantado de Monteiro Lobato," "Bahia de Todos os Deuses," "Palmas no Portão," and "Palhaçada." In the '70s, she had further success with "Salve a Mocidade" (1974) and "Malandro" (1977; this song launched Jorge Aragão as a composer). But it wasn't enough to prevent her from facing huge economical adversity, and at the same time she was being systematically turned away by recording companies. With Garrincha, Soares had a very troubled marriage and the untimely demise of their son Garrinchinha in 1986 in a car accident didn't help.
Living in extreme poverty throughout her childhood and teens, Soares had her first audition in radio at Ary Barroso's novice show when she was 16, winning first place. She was then hired as a crooner by the Orquestra Garam de Bailes (led by conductor Joaquim Naegli). She worked in the orchestra until 1954, when she became pregnant. In 1955, she was invited to star with Grande Otelo in the play Jour-Jou-Fru-Fru, which was a smash. Three years later, she toured Argentina, returning in the next year when she was hired by Rádio Vera Cruz. Also in 1959, she recorded a 78 rpm with "Se Acaso Você Chegasse" (Lupício Rodrigues/Felisberto Martins), one of her biggest hits. In 1960, she went to São Paulo where she performed regularly in the show I Festival Nacional de Bossa Nova and recorded her first LP, Se Acaso Você Chegasse. In 1962, she represented Brazil in Chile during the World Soccer Cup, where she met Garrincha.
Having recorded several albums with the hits "Só Danço Samba" (Tom Jobim/Vinícius de Moraes), "A Banca do Distinto" (Billy Blanco), "Pressentimento" (Elton Medeiros/Hermínio Bello de Carvalho), and "Princesa Isabel" (Sérgio Ricardo), she moved to Italy in 1969, where she performed at the Sistina Theater (Rome), returning to Brazil in 1972. In the same year, she opened the show Elza em Dia de Graça at the Opinião Theater (Rio) and participated in the Brasil Export Show (Canecão). Rediscovered in the '80s as a cult heroine by Os Titãs, she performed with the band in a regular show at the Madame Satã nightclub.
Trying unsuccessfully to develop a career abroad, she returned to Brazil in 1994, poor and depressed. Finally, she was rediscovered in the '80s by the younger generations of Brazilian rockers (Os Titãs, Lobão) and MPB artists like Caetano Veloso, having been awarded with a Sharp Prize award as the Best Samba Singer of 1997. Soares also recorded in duet with Caetano Veloso on his album, Velô, and with Lobão on Casa de Samba. With her Trajetória (1997), in which she was paid tribute by Zeca Pagodinho, she won the Prêmio Sharp Award as Best Samba Singer.Her life was depicted in the musical Crioula, which had several songs written specially for her by Chico Buarque, Chico César, Nei Lopes, and others. In November 1999, Soares participated in the show Desde Que o Samba é Samba (at Royal Albert Hall, London, England), together with Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Virginia Rodrigues. In 2000, her life was depicted in the musical Crioula (by Stella Miranda). In 2000, she was appointed Singer of the Millennium by London's BBC. Soares continues to challenge her destiny, performing shows in every venue available.
Do Cóccix Até O Pescoço In 2002, she released the acclaimed Do Cóccix Até O Pescoço on Maianga Discos, which successfully wedded samba, bossa, and MPB with electronic sounds. Produced and recorded by Alê Siqueira, it featured an enormous cast of guest musicians under the direction of pianist Jose Miguel Wisnik, including Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, and Carlinhos Brown. It sold well internationally and received a Grammy nomination. Vivo Feliz followed on Tratore in 2004 and contained the singles "Rio de Janiero" and a reading of "Concordia" by Nando Reis, featuring the songwriter in a duet. Working again with Wisnik, she released the live Beba-Me Ao Vivo and a concert DVD with the same title in 2007.
Though Soares continued to perform, she took an extended break from recording. A year later she was the featured vocalist on the soundtrack of the film Chega de Saudade. She fell from the stage during a performance and required numerous spinal column surgeries. It slowed her down and forced her to perform in a chair, but she never stopped. In 2015, she re-entered the studio with with producer Guilherme Kastrup of São Paulo’s groundbreaking samba sujo scene. She didn't like his idea of recording a set of classic sambas in modern settings and instead insisted on creating entirely original new material -- a first in her long career. He hired the city's vanguard post-punk band Passo Torto (with Metá Metá's Kiko Dinucci) and several players from Bixiga 70. A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo, a collection of 11 songs (culled from over 50), focuses on the achievement of justice for women, people of color, and members of the LGBT community -- causes she had celebrated throughout her life. Issued in Brazil in October by Circus Produções Culturais, it was celebrated in the national press as the year's best album by a national artist, regardless of genre. Due to global acclaim, it was re-released internationally by Mais Um Discos in June of 2016.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Superb samba accompaniment, melded to a slightly frantic brass band (with a too-prominent trombone and bass saxophone combo...) Her voice is, frankly, a bit grating on most of this album, but the cuica-and-pandeiro rhythmic percussion is awesome. Unfortunately, the liner notes don't say who the musicians were -- Nelsinho is listed as the arranger, but which samba crew they got to join his band is anyone's guess. At any rate, this is a pretty interesting record... The closing number, "Um samba pra ela," is perhaps the single best song on here, where all the elements -- including her voice -- work perfectly together.
Elza Soares - Elza, Miltinho e Samba, vol.3, Sambas e Mais Sambas (flac 520mb)
01 Juntinhos de novo-Não manche o meu panamá-O sorriso do Paulinho-Oito mulheres-Embrulho que eu carrego-Despacho
02 Saia do meu caminho-Nervos de aço-Por causa de você
03 Só com você
04 Julgar é missão divina
05 Vai na paz de Deus-Conceição-Aos pés da cruz-Se a saudade me apertar-Você não quer, nem eu
06 Com olhos de gata-Fita amarela-Madeira de lei
07 Samba da cor
08 Madrugada vai chegar
09 Um samba pra ela
Sambas e Mais Sambas
10 Mas, que nada
11 Recado
12 Dá-me tuas mãos
13 Vejam só
14 Pressentimento
15 Máscara da face
16 Tributo a Martin Luther King
17 Comunicação
18 Maior é Deus
19 Tributo a Dom Fuas
20 Seu José
21 Meu consolo é você
Bonus
22 Capoeira
23 Mestre-sala
24 Sei lá Mangueira
25 Folhas no ar
Elza Soares - Elza, Miltinho e Samba, vol.3 , Sambas e Mais Sambas (ogg 209mb)
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Her bell-bottomed portrait on the album's cover heralds, to a limited degree, Soares's delving into the hippie-delic tropicalia fad. Turns out it's mostly cosmetic; she croons like Maria Bethania on a few tunes, but at heart this is an upbeat samba album, of the sort Soares excelled at. Most of the arrangements on this album are somewhat kitschy, but they also reflect an undercurrent of the bubbling-up of the Brazilian soul scene: jazz-soul pianist Dom Salvador was a pioneer of the Brazilian funk scene, and towards the album's end, he gets a good groove or two going, notably on "Amor Perfeito," which has one of the coolest bass lines early '70s MPB had to offer. Many of the composers were relatively off the beaten track, folks such as Tuze de Abreu, Joao So, Jocafi and prog-rocker Ze Rodrix (along with some of the usual suspects: Vinicius, Jorge Ben, Gonzaguinha...) I like how peppy Soares sounded, although I have to admit this disc had more than its fair share of awkward passages. Still, I'd recommend it... Lots of folks (particularly in Europe) consider it a stone-cold classic.
Sangue, Suor e Raça is a fine, funky samba album, with Elza continuing to explore new textures and modern rhythms. Singer Roberto Ribeiro, from the Imperio Serrano samba school, makes his recording debut as an able duet partner, helping ground Elza's normally dramatic vocals in a calmer, cooler, sexier mode. There are several longer "potpourri" medleys on here, a format I generally dislike, although here the melodies are all given a full, lush reading, and the musical end is quite lovely. All in all, a warm, inviting album, with pianist Dom Salvador back on board as arranger and bandleader. Lovely stuff... a few songs a bit on the staid side, but for the most part, a career highlight... Worth checking out!
Elza Soares - Elza Pede Passagem , Sangue, Suor e Raça (flac 477mb)
01 Cheguendengo
02 Saltei de banda
03 Maria vai com as outras
04 Samba da pá
05 A-B-C da vida
06 Barão beleza
07 Rio carnaval dos carnavais
08 O gato
09 Pulo, pulo
10 Amore perfeito
11 Mais do que eu
Sangue, Suor e Raça
12 Swing negrão-Brasil pandeiro-O samba agora vai-É com esse que eu vou
13 Aurora de um sambista
14 Domingos, domingueira
15 Cicatrizes
16 Isto é papel, João-Cocórocó-Decadência
17 Recordações de um batuqueiro
18 O que vem de baixo não me atinge
19 Lenço cor-de-rosa
20 Sacrifício
21 Coisa louca-A razão dá-se a quem tem-O que se leva desta vida
Bonus
22 Bis
23 Sorris de mim
24 Água e fogo
25 Irmã da tristeza
Elza Soares - Elza Pede Passagem , Sangue, Suor e Raça (ogg 192mb)
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Elza's last album with Odeon found her teamed up with much of the same studio talent as before -- Milton Miranda, Lyrio Panicalli, sound engineer Z. J. Merky -- and a lively, aggressive take on the new "pagode" samba style being pioneered by Clara Nunes and Beth Carvalho. Elza's approach includes nods towards her jazzy background, with Satchmo-esque snarls that anticipate the cuddly-but-tough sound of Alcione. It's a good, solid album, but like many in the genre, it starts to sound a bit monochromatic, and the hard-driving rhythm gets tiring after a while. Not a bad swan song, though, for her long run with Odeon... and a nice hint of things to come.
Her first album over at Tapecar paired Elza with pianist Ed Lincoln, who had kind of a rockin', soul-swinging past. That side of Lincoln's career isn't so much in evidence here -- Elza keeps on the path she'd started out, shifting away from gafieria and jazz-tinged sambas towards a rootsier sound -- they've even got her seated in a wicker chair and wearing one of the same sort of Afro-Bahian frocks that Clara Nunes favored at the time. The arrangements are still a bit on the overly-perky side, but she was clearly intent on giving Nunes a run for her money, and does an admirable job. Some of the slower songs are clunky -- she has a pretty hefty voice that works better when wrapped around a rhythm than trying to phrase a hushed melody, though on the other hand, she's not getting all slushy and popped-out the way Clara did when she slowed down the pace, so in some ways this sounds better. Anyway, this is really nice stuff... Worth checking out!
Elza Soares - Aquarela Brasileira, Elza Soares (flac 454mb)
01 Eu não toco berimbau
02 Busto calado
03 Pranto de poeta
04 Dia de graça
05 Maria José
06 Zelão
07 Canoa furada
08 Solidão
09 Sete linhas
10 Festa da vinda
11 Lá vou eu
12 Aquarela brasileira
Elza Soares
13 Bom-dia Portela
14 Pranto livre
15 Não é hora de tristeza
16 Meia noite já é dia
17 Desabafo
18 Partido lê-lê-lê
19 Deusa do rio Niger
20 Quem há de dizer
21 Louvei Maria
22 Xamego de crioula
23 Falso papel
24 Giringonça
Bonus
25 Salve a Mocidade
Elza Soares - Aquarela Brasileira, Elza Soares (ogg 178mb)
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