Baden's recordings usually feature a multitude of Brasilian music styles. He might record a bossa, then a choro, follow that with a seresta, then a samba, etc. Some of his recordings are solo guitar, some trio, duo, large group, with orchestra, and so on, but his "jazziest" recording in my opinion is Tempo Feliz from 1966, originally released on Roberto Quartin's Forma label. I missed the Lp version of this recording. But I got a bootleg version when I was in Brasil when CDs first came out. It had some of the titles reversed in order in the CD jacket. Later on I bought the Japanese reissue with great sound. I also have it in the 13 CD boxset, O Mestre do Violao Brasileiro, that came out in 2003 on the Universal label. It's a quartet recording with Baden, Edson Lobo on bass, Chico Batera on drums and my pal, Mauricio Einhorn, on harmonica. Think of a Jazz quartet recording with the harmonica in place of the sax or trumpet. To reinforce that feeling of a 1960s Blue Note label release they even start out the set with, what else, a blues. The first song is Baden's "Vou Por Ai". I've included a sample here. It took me a couple of listenings to realize it's a 12 bar minor blues, similar to Dizzy Gilliespie's "Birks' Works". Right from the get-go the guys show what this recording is all about. Mauricio and Baden start off by themselves, stating the melody out of time, sometimes in unison and also contrapuntally. Then there's a unison interlude played by the guitar and bass, with the drummer joining in with brushes. Then everyone's in with the harmonica stating the melody once and then with Baden playing a counterline the second time. Baden takes the first solo, with the bass doing fills in addition to walking. Baden shows his chops in his solo, doubling, tripling and quadrupling the time with his single notes. He had incredible technique, due in part to his early classical training. But unlike some guitarists who feel they have to always show off their chops, Baden was a very tasteful, melodic player. His solos always make sense musically. He's not just playing notes but creating new melodies in his solos. Then Mauricio takes a solo, very melodic, which is his trademark. In all of Mauricio's recordings he always manages to create a very warm sound. This isn't always the easiest thing to do when you're dealing with a metallic instrument that is difficult to maneuver around on. The bass solo follows and you can hear the Scott LaFaro influence in Edson's playing. Baden takes a second solo before the return of the melody, again with Mauricio and Baden playing contrapuntally. And then Baden strikes the final resolving, but unexpected, major chord.

The rest of the album is comprised of a couple of trio tracks, more quartet, a solo guitar piece and even a swinging jazz waltz composed by Mauricio, entitled "Pro Forma".

When you listen to Baden you almost hear a history of the guitar in Brasilian music. His style encompasses all the previous styles of Brasilian music so that even if he's playing a samba you can hear traces of choro, or elements of modinha in his bossas. To me, this is what makes certain Jazz recordings special. When I listen to the Miles Davis and Gil Evans collaborations I can hear traces of all that came before them in Jazz. When I hear Cannonaball's solo on "Flamenco Sketches" from Kind Of Blue I can hear elements of the Blues, Spirituals, Work Songs, Bebop, Cool, New Orleans, Swing, etc.

Now here's the funny part about this recording: when I told Baden that this was one of my favorites, he just smiled at me. When I told Mauricio the same thing on another occasion, he told me that Baden was drunk for the entire recording session. Man, I need to start drinking! Caiparinha, por favor.

SAMBALANÇO TRIO

Hi, Everyone. This time around I'd like to talk about a piano/bass/drums trio that recorded just three albums but, in my opinion, these three albums were important to the development of the Brasilian Jazz genre. The group is the Sambalanço Trio, led by pianist Cesar Camargo Mariano. The name itself is a play on words, combining the words "samba" and "balanço" which means "swinging".

When I first heard the Sambalanço Trio (on a poor quality bootleg CD from Brazil) the question that sprang to mind was "WHO is that drummer? Este gato está balançando! (This cat is swinging!)" This guy was playing in a very loose, relaxed but melodic manner. Well, it turns out that the drummer in this early 1960s group was Airto Moreira, also known simply as Airto. After these records were made Airto would come to the U.S. and focus more on playing percussion than trap drumset. He would be hired by trumpeter Miles Davis for his jazz/rock fusion band, hired to play trap drums with saxophonist Stan Getz (check him out on Getz' 'Captain Marvel' recording) and hired by Chick Corea for the all acoustic first version of Chick's group, Return To Forever.

On these three Sambalanço Trio recordings Airto is playing trap drumset only and right from the first note he takes charge, making it his mission to push, prod, energize and inspire pianist Cesar and bassist Humberto Clayber to create perhaps the most exciting, swinging music to come from a trio. Airto also plays drums like a melody player. That is, he's always aware of the melody and his playing reflects it. He's not merely laying down a rhythm to go along with the melody but he's hitting and accenting certain notes within the melody along with Cesar. And you can always hear the end of a section of the song in his playing. When you get to the bridge he lets you know it. Not just during the melody portion but, more importantly, during the soloing. This helps give a sense of form to the solo. What is also interesting about his playing is that he and Cesar will make "hits" behind the bass solo like a horn section would "hit" behind a soloist. This puts the focus on the soloists' notes but also inspires him and gives him ample space to create.

The songs that the group plays are a mix of originals and brasilian jazz standards. Tunes like "Nos E O Mar", "Balanco Zona Sul", "Nana", "Estamos Ai" (composed by my pal, Mauricio Einhorn) and others. But what separates this group from others is their arrangements that breathe life into overplayed tunes that you might have thought you never wanted to hear again. Their interpretation raises the tune to a new level. A good example of this is the tune I've included here, "Samba de Verao". This tune, composed by Marcos and Paulo Sergio Valle, became a big hit here in the U.S. when organist Walter Wanderley released a version with the English title, "Summer Samba". It seems like very wedding band plays this tune when a rumba is requested. I always thought I could live the rest of my life without this song played again. In fact the first couple of times I played the CD with this tune on it I would leave this song out. When I finally gave in and gave it a listen I was amazed how they made this tune swing again, like the composers originally intended. It reminded me of the Bill Evans Trio playing "Alice In Wonderland" or Miles playing "Someday My Prince Will Come": the interpretation allows the listener to realize new possibilities for the song.

After listening to that poor quality of that first bootleg I went on a quest to find better pressings of all three of the releases:

1. Sambalanço Trio, Vol. 1, Samblues
2. Sambalanço Trio, Vol. 2
3. Sambalanço Trio, Reencontro Com Sambalanço Trio

The Japanese label, Bomba, reissued all three releases. They are a little expensive but well worth it because the sound is fantastic. Two of the three have also been reissued by Ubatuqui Records from Spain. And just when I was convinced the Sambalanço Trio only recorded these three recordings I came across one of the RCA 100 Anos de Musica releases: "A Vontade Mesmo", from trombonist Raulzinho (Raul de Souza), in which he's accompanied by the Trio. It's great to hear the Trio in this different context, even playing a couple of jazz tunes like "Jordu" and "Fly Me To The Moon". There is another rather obscure recording, entitled "Lennie Dale E O Sambalanço Trio", that was released on the Elenco label in 1965 but I haven't heard this and I'm not sure if it ever made it to CD.

I hope I whet your appetite a little for this great trio. They are well worth seeking out. Good luck...Joe

THE TAMBA TRIO

Hi, everyone. This month's installment of the Brasilian Jazz page is on The Tamba Trio, comprised of pianist Luis Eça (full name: Luis Mainzl da Cunha de Eça), bassist/ saxophonist/ flautist Bebeto (Adalberto Jose de Castilho e Souza) and drummer/ percussionist Helcio Paschoal Milito.

Right from the start, when they debuted at Rio's famous Bottle's nightclub in Beco das Garrafas on March 19, 1962, this trio showed that they were something special and unique. They seemed to combine the hard swing of some of the other Brasilian piano trios with the smooth relaxed vocal aspect of Bossa Nova. This trio was able to achieve a fuller, larger ensemble sound than the other piano trios of the day because of the vocals of all three members (usually in three part harmony) and the doubling of Bebeto on flute or saxophone. This combined with the smooth brushwork of Helcio (rare in a Brasilian drummer of this time period) and the piano work of classically trained Luis, which could run the gamut from hard and swinging to quiet and introspective, created the perfect balance to achieve a group sound that was multi-dimensional. Once you add in the empathy that all three had with one another, on the same level as the classic Bill Evans trio or the Miles Davis Quintet, you have a trio that appeals to musicians and listeners on all levels and is capable of pushing the music up a couple of notches.

On their Brasilian and U.S. recordings on the Philips and A&M labels from 1962 through 1969 the music showcased their talent for performing Luis Eça compositions and interpreting Bossa Nova hits of the time period. Their arrangements used their three part vocals as part of the melody (singing the words or using wordless vocals) or singing background harmony to the flute melody. This is what they do on the sound sample I have included here, the Menescal/ Boscolli tune "O Barquinho" (My Little Boat). The first half of the melody is played by the piano alternating with wordless vocals and on the second half the flute takes over. The second time it's the flute for the first half and wordless vocals for the second. Then there's a modulation to a new key for the piano lead and the flute solo, then another modulation for the piano solo. Some have criticized their arrangements, which break up the different parts of the melody, as being too structured and most listeners will find the Bossa hits certainly more complex than the original versions but never less swinging. A good example of this is Carlos Lyra's "Influencia Do Jazz" or Mauricio Einhorn's "Batida Diferente", both included along with "O Barquinho" on the double CD, Tamba Trio Classics, Polygram 536-958-2, a compilation CD of songs from several of their early Philips recordings from 1962 to 1968.

I had the privilege of working with Luis Eça for several weeks in 1988 at People Jazz Bar in Rio and he was still swinging and inventive in his arrangements. I was performing with a trio of bassist Paulo Russo and the late drummer Claudio Caribe. My group played from 11:00 P.M. to 1:00 A.M. and then Luis' quintet came on from 2:00 to 4:00. He would come in early and sit in with my group and I would stay late and sit in with his group. In between sets we would have conversations about music, both jazz and Brasilian. He was equally knowledgeable about both.

I once again highly recommend searching for any Tamba Trio recording. You'll gain a new perspective on some of those "tried and true" Brasilian classics that you think you know.

SERGIO MENDES & THE BOSSA RIO SEXTET

This month I take a look at Sergio Mendes and his group, The Bossa Rio Sextet.

First of all, get that image that you have of Sergio Mendes out of your head. You know what I mean: Sergio with his goatee, dressed in a nehru jacket and love beads, leading his group, Brasil ‘66, through watered down versions of Mas Que Nada, The Look Of Love and other psuedo-bossa hits. That stuff was all well and good for what it was and made him an international success ($$$) but first and foremost Sergio was a great Brazilian Jazz pianist and bandleader. One only has to check out his early instrumental recordings (stay away from anything that says Brasil ‘65, ‘66, ‘67, etc., these are the vocal-oriented groups) and you can hear that this guy could swing!

Playing professionally by the age of sixteen, Sergio eventually atracted the attention of Antonio Carlos Jobim who took him under his wing, introducing him to the inner circle of Rio's musicians. Eventually he formed his own group, The Bossa Rio Sextet (not to be confused with the group, Bossa Rio, which was a vocal-oriented group that included Pery Ribeiro and pianist Manfredo Fest). The Bossa Rio Sextet was a mainstay at Beco das Garrafas. This was the area in Rio that was often refered to as the "52nd Street of Rio" because like "Swing Street" in New York it included nightclub after nightclub where the new music of the time, in this case Bossa Nova, developed and was featured. But Sergio's group always seemed to stand out from the other groups playing in Beco das Garrafas. His group emphasized horns (usually 2 or 3) instead of vocalists like the bossa groups and his group was larger in size than the piano led trios such as Bossa Tres, The Sambalanco Trio and others. The Bossa Rio Sextet brought a broader, more energetic sound to the music scene. It could be compared to the arrival on the 50s U.S. Jazz scene of some of the Hard Bop groups like the Jazz Messengers or the Clifford Brown/ Max Roach Quintet after listening to the West Coast Cool style groups.

Sergio's first recording as a leader was Dance Moderno, recorded in Rio in 1961 and it featured visiting U.S. musicians Kenny Dorham, Herbie Mann and Curtis Fuller. The recording is a mixture of U.S. Jazz standards (Love For Sale, On Green Dolphin Street, Nica's Dream) and Brazilian tunes that had already become classics (Outra Vez, Tristeza De Nos Dois, Olhou Para Mim). U.S. saxophonist Cannonball Adderly was so impressed with Sergio and his group that he brought them to New York in 1962 to record his record, Cannonball's Bossa Nova on Riverside Records. This was later reissued as Cannonball Goes Latin. And to illustrate Sergio's importance to the recording it was later issued as an Italian bootleg CD with Sergio listed as the leader: Sergio Mendes' Bossa Nova featuring Cannonball Adderly. The recording features the compostions of my musical partner, harmonica player Mauricio Einhorn, including Batida Diferente, Joyce's Samba, Sambop and the "single" from the record, Clouds (Nuvem).

Recently released is a CD which combines two of Sergio's early Lps, The Swinger From Rio (1966), Atlantic Records, and The Beat Of Brazil (1967), first released on Philips and later released on Atlantic. I feel that this CD is indicative of Sergio and the group's best work, illustrating his contribution to Brazilian Jazz, showcasing his wonderful, hard-driving, swinging piano playing, and showing how he really put his personal stamp on the music. On The Swinger From Rio (recorded in New York) the personel is Sergio on piano, Antonio Carlos Jobim on guitar (!), Tiao Neto on bass and Chico DeSouza on drums. They are joined on different tracks by Phil Woods, Art Farmer and Hubert Laws. The tunes are all Brazilian, standards like Maria Moita, Primavera, Favela and a tune by Jobim, Sabinha Bossa Nova, that would later be known as So Tinha De Ser Com Voce. The North American jazz players adapt well to the Brazilian songs and the Brazilians, having played this style of Brazilian Jazz for years, really swing, combining the best elements of both styles.

On The Beat Of Brazil (recorded in Rio) the group is the working Bossa Rio Sextet (plus an additional featured soloist) of the time with Tiao Neto once again holding down the bass chair. He was also 1/3 of the Bossa Tres group along with the drummer on this date, the legendary drummer Edison Machado, who some say was the first to play samba on the trap drumset. Tiao would later go on to be a member of the Bola Sete Trio and was the (electric) bassist for several years in Jobim's last group. Jobim himself doesn't play on this date but instead provides all the arrangements. By the use of two trombones, Edson Maciel (slide) and Raul de Souza (valve), affectionately listed as Raulzinho, and two tenor sax players, Hector Bisignani and Aurino Ferreira, one hears the classic small group sound of the Hard Bop group. Aurino normally played baritone sax in the group. He had a big sound and a swinging style that was very reminiscent of North American Serge Chaloff. Edson Maciel was also an outstanding soloist who so impressed Quincy Jones that Quincy offered him a job in 1967. What's interesting about the similarity of this group and the U.S. Hard Bop groups is that I'm told that when Horace Silver first went to Rio for three weeks he spent practically every night in Beco das Garrafas listening to this group. Now the question becomes: Who influenced who?

The sound bite I have included here is "So Danco Samba" from The Swinger From Rio session. It includes the classic intro from the Getz/ Gilberto recording of three years earlier, this time played by the composer himself, Jobim, on guitar. Check out Sergio's comping and fills behind the melody. Then listen to the way he authoratatively takes the first solo after the melody. He places his notes and builds his solo against the Brazilian beat in a way that suggests a combination of Count Basie, John Lewis and Horace Silver but at the same time making a personal statement.

Sadly, after The Beat Of Brazil session Sergio put his focus on his vocal group which had become a commercial success. It seems that as his success went up, his artistic values went down. But his instrumental groups still remain important to the development of Brazilian Jazz.

I hope you enjoyed this profile. I encourage you to seek out these recordings. You won't be disappointed. Don't forget to keep checking back to this site. There's more to come on the history and development of Brazilian Jazz.

ZIMBO TRIO

This month's profile is on The Zimbo Trio, nicknamed "The Modern Jazz Quartet of Brazil" because of their length of time together. They've actually surpassed the MJQ in longevity and now hold the record for a Jazz group playing together with the same members. The MJQ was formed in 1955 and ended in 1994, but had disbanded from 1974 to 1981. The Zimbo Trio, which consists of Amilton Godoy on piano, Luiz Chaves on acoustic bass and Rubens Barsotti on drums, was formed in 1964 and continues to this day. The group has made over 60 recordings which have included theme records dedicated to the music of one composer such as Milton Nascimento and Tom Jobim. They've also made several recordings with important singers such as Elizeth Cardoso and Elis Regina. Luis Chaves also holds the special honor of being the first Brazilian bass player to have a record issued under his name — "Projejeçäo (Projection), issued in 1965.

The fact that these musicians have been together so long is definitely reflected in their music which features tight arrangements, shifting rhythms and time signatures, unison passages, varied dynamics and straightahead swinging. The interplay and empathy with each other that they achieve can only be reached by three musicians who know each other very well. These three don't just musically follow each other, but they can actually anticipate where each other will go.

In 1994 the group received the Prëmio Sharp award (the Brazilian version of the Grammy) for Best Instrumental Group for their CD, "Aquarela Do Brasil", Movieplay BS-231. One of their best CDs is "Caminhos Cruzados, The Zimbo Tri Interpreta Tom Jobim", Movieplay BS-259, where they perform the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. The soundbite I have included here is their version of"Garota De lpanema" (The Girl From lpanema). Listen to the way they take this 30 year old song and reinvent it with their arrangement. They apply different rhythms to different sections of the song. One section might be a partido alto rhythm, another a straight samba, another has a 6/8 feel. They are perfectly in sync with each other as far as the dynamics, the feel, the energy, etc.

One thing that I find interesting about the group is that they always play and record Brazilian music exclusively. It runs the gamut from Bossa Nova to Samba, to the music of some of the MPB composers like Djavan and Ivan Lins, to the music of some of the more traditional composers like Ary Barroso and Villa-Lobos. The only exception to this, when they are playing North American Jazz standards like "There Will Never Be Another You", "Autumn Leaves" and Charlie Parker's "My Little Suede Shoes," is on a recording made in 1979 entitled "Sonny Stitt In Brasil With The Zimbo Trio" - Fresh Sounds FSR-CDI 18 They had accompanied Sonny Stitt on a South American tour and then went into the studio to record. For years the Lp version of this recording was one of those collector's items that musicians talked about but few had actually heard as it was only available in Brazil. Fortunately Fresh Sounds released it on CD several years ago.

In 1973 the group started a music school in Sao Paulo (their hometown) called CLAM, Centre Livro de Aprendizado Musical (Musical Center For Free Studies). This school is very important for teaching and exposing the music to a younger generation. Their most famous student is pianist, and now singer, Eliane Elias.

Well I hope you enjoyed this mini profile. I encourage you to seek out the recordings of this great group. You won't be disappointed. Don't forget to keep checking back to this site. Upcoming profiles will include The Sambalanço Trio (a group from the 60s that featured Airto on trap drumset). The Tamba Trio, The Bossa Jazz Trio (a group that included Amilton Godoy's younger brother, Amilson, on piano), Tenorio Jr. ( a wonderful Bill Evans-influenced pianist who literally disappeared in the 70s under tragic and mysterious circumstances), pianists Dom Salvador and Manfredo Fest, and much more. Abraços!