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Jobim is the "man" Ogerman is the "man". Put them together and you have a beautiful listening experience.The "Waters of March" is a very complex song-yet we have Jobim singing his composition both in Portuguese & in English.The arrangements by the great Claus Ogerman are beautiful-and add a great touch to the Jobim songs.
There are moments where this works beautifully, but it doesn't always create as many sparks as was perhaps envisioned. Those seeking more in the vein of Jobim's brilliant "Wave" or "Stone Flower," (my personal Jobim favorites) may find this album a little disappointing. Several pieces included here were written for films. As I understand it, the idea behind this album was to fuse Jobim's Brazilian melodic sensibilities with a strong dose of Debussy and Brazilian composer Villa-Lobos (both highly influential to Jobim). I wasn't as blown away by this album as other Jobim fanatics. But who knows, it may grow on me. But Jobim's vocals, while definitely possessing a unique character, can be occasionally jarring to these ears. With my own roots in punk rock, I'm usually forgiving of musical or vocal imperfections.
After all, there *are* a few great songs here. Also, Jobim does a fair amount of singing here, which can at times be problematic. While it does contain some excellent songs, like the definitive version of the classic "Aguas De Marco," and the deeply moving, beautiful, and moody "Matita Pere" and "Mantiqueira Range," the rest of the music is a bit too draggy, meandering, and syrupy for me. But people wanting to hear a slightly different side to Jobim's work may want to check this out. As for the film music passages here, some is intermittently interesting, but overall, I much prefer the more melodic work that Ennio Morricone was doing at the time. For those not familiar with Jobim's vocals, he sings in a cool, slightly raspy voice which suits more simple and direct melodies just fine, but on more melodically demanding numbers, he comes off a little flat, and it sounds a bit like being serenaded by your old, slurry, alcoholic uncle. It just doesn't have the dazzling, high-level consistency of some of his previous work, and it does stray a bit from his Bossa Nova roots at times.
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF WORK. IT DEMONSTRATES BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT THE GENIUS OF CARLOS ANTONIO JOBIM. WHO EVER LOVES BRAZILIAN MUSIC. THIS CD IS A MUST HAVE.
It's amazingly well-orchestrated, conducted and produced by Claus Ogerman, and the orchestra sounds a lot bigger than it is. Admittedly, if you're not a good listener, you may not like it. This is a CD reissue of a great album (rel.1973) which I originally had on cassette - and wore it out - it's that good. The arrangements tend to be esoteric and "floating" in nature (I enjoy that). It's Jobim, himself, backed-up by a top-notch New York studio orchestra. [I actually put it in an orchestral category]. One must be ready to spend time doing nothing except meditating/listening. It's great "rainy day" music - just stare out the window, drink in hand, contemplating nature in your beautiful backyard forest (or ocean, or desert, or what-have-you) and: enjoooyyyyy.
.very Talented Musician, Haunting, & Memorable. I own the Original Record, and have very "Definite Memories" that are entwined with the Music. A "Must Have" for any fan of his music.
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