Results for "Johnny Alf"

Johnny Alf

Backgrounder: Johnny Alf: Rapaz de Bem, 1961

April 12, 2024

For those in the know, Johnny Alf has long been thought of as the father of the bossa nova. Whether that statement is completely accurate or whether he was merely a significant influence has been hotly debated over the years. Even if the Brazilian singer-songwriter wasn't the bossa's earliest pure exponent, his softly romantic, Johnny Mathis-like ...

Backgrounder: Johnny Alf, 1971

December 10, 2022

Two sides of a single released in Brazil in 1953 by Johnny Alf set the stage for the bossa nova four years later. For those sides, Alf assembled a trio that featured him on piano, guitarist Garoto and bassist Vidal. The instrumentals were Alf's own Falseta (or Deceit) and Luiz Bonfa's De Cigarro em Cigarro (or ...

Helio Alves and Duduka Da Fonseca: The Indomitable Brazilians

by Nick Catalano
May 2, 2021

Undeterred by the pandemic, camaradas Helio Alves and Duduka Da Fonseca continue their masterful musicianship in Gotham boîtes wearing masks as they consistently perform ever-fresh music from the Brazilian archives. Performing at Smalls Jazz Club on April 28 in front of stouthearted souls representing New York's proud jazz patronage while streaming the show for worldwide adherents, ...

10 Videos: Johnny Alf

January 25, 2018

Most fans of the bossa nova are familiar with Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto. They also may be hip to Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Carlos Lyra, Vinicius de Moraes, Walter Wanderley, Luiz Bonfa and Sylvia Telles. New to you, however, may be Johnny Alf, who's often referred to as “the father ...

Leny Andrade, Roni Ben-Hur: Alegria de Viver

by Angelo Leonardi
May 12, 2016

Tra le voci storiche della musica brasiliana, Leny Andrade è una delle meno note al pubblico internazionale. Eppure è tra le massime interpreti della musica sudamericana e lo conferma -all'età di 72 anni -in questo ultimo album, registrato in duo col chitarrista Roni Ben-Hur. Sorretta da un timbro dalla venatura polverosa, che negli anni ha aggiunto ...

Lembrança di Emilio Santiago (1946-2013).

by Maurizio Zerbo
March 20, 2015

Scomparso il venti marzo di due anni fa all'età di sessantasette anni, Emilio Santiago è stato uno dei più sublimi interpreti della canzone popolare brasiliana. Emerso alla metà degli anni '70, l'artista carioca si è andato via via imponendo come vocalist originale, creativamente colloquiale nelle pirotecniche evoluzioni ritmico-melodiche. Il suo disco d'esordio (Emilio Santiago, 1975) è ...

Claudio Roditi: Bons Amigos

by Andrew J. Sammut
August 29, 2011

Bons Amigos is a collection of light, breezy compositions from several generations of Brazilian composers. Lilting sambas and gentle bossa novas make up the bulk of this disc, resulting in a relaxed but heartfelt jam for Brazilian trumpeter/flugelhornist Claudio Roditi and friends. Roditi admits to playing “a few more notes" than usual here, ...

Morello and Barth: Fim De Semana em Eldorado

by Edward Blanco
November 25, 2010

After a temporary move to Ipanema, Brazil in the fall of 2001 and a full immersion into the melody-rich music of the bossa nova and samba, German guitarist Paulo Morello and Danish alto saxophone Kim Barth capture their Brazilian experience on Fim De Semana Em Eldorado (Weekend In Eldorado). Recorded in Rio de Janeiro in 2001, ...

Nilson Matta's Brazilian Voyage: Copacabana

by Raul d'Gama Rose
March 23, 2010

How it is possible that bassist Nilson Matta is allowed to fly so low under the proverbial radar, with recognition coming mainly from his peers, is one of those mysteries that artists have to learn to live with. Meanwhile, Matta has been complementing the music of luminaries from singers Jo&#227o Gilberto, Johnny Alf and Chico Buarque ...