Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Paquito D'Rivera: Brazilian Dreams

257

Paquito D'Rivera: Brazilian Dreams

By

Sign in to view read count
Paquito D'Rivera: Brazilian Dreams


Jobim, anyone...?


Since 1987, The Manchester Craftsman’s Guild has been instrumental in bringing high quality jazz performance to the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania area. Through these performances MCG Jazz was created to promote and document jazz performance at the Manchester Craftsman’s Guild. The archives of MCG Jazz contain some 300 CDs worth of performances and instruction. To date, MCG Jazz has released nine recordings, including A Nancy Wilson Christmas , Joe Williams Presents Nicole Yarling Live at The Manchester Craftsman Guild and The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars’s Things To Come .



Add to this a tenth recording, Paquito D’Rivera and The New York Voices, Brazilian Dreams. As one might expect, this is a recording replete with Antonio Carlos Jobim with a smattering of Luiz Bonfa, Joao Donata and D’Rivera himself. D’Rivera, Cuban by heritage, began making music in the 1960s. After defecting to the United States in 1981, he later became a protégé to Dizzy Gillespie, attaining national prominence as a multi-instrumentalist-bandleader.



D’Rivera’s interest in Brazilian music coincided with the emergence in Bossa Nova in the early to mid-1960s. The Latin rhythms expressed here are of the lilting variety, gently swaying in the breeze. No hard samba or salsa stomp through this set (as might be expected from a more Cuban oriented jazz). D’Rivera’s alto and especially his clarinet are well at home here. Roditi’s trumpet is smoothly expressive, as is Helio Alves’s piano. The New York Voices are plush and perfect in this repertoire, their high point being "Snow Samba." The set is polished to a high gleam, totally professional and tasteful. To pound a double negative—there is nothing to not recommend this disc. It is superb and fantastic in every way.

Track Listing

Corcovado; One for Tom; Manha de Carnival/Gentle Rain; Desafinado; Modinha; Meu Amigo; A Ra; Retrato Em Branco e Preto; Red on Red; Snow Samba.

Personnel

Paquito D'Rivera: alto sax, clarinet; Darmon Meader: tenor sax, vocals; Kim Nazarian: vocals; Claudio Roditi: trumpet; Oscar Stagnaro: bass; Helio Alves: piano; Jay Ashby: trombone; Marty Ashby: guitar; Paulinho Braga: drums; Peter Eldridge: vocals; Lauren Kinhan: vocals.

Album information

Title: Brazilian Dreams | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: MCG Jazz

Comments

Tags

Concerts


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.