CD Bossa 65L Celebrating Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal, by Scott Yanow (L.A. Jazz Scene)
“Adolfo’s arrangements include plenty of mood and tempo variations. The charts and the musicians do justice to these often-obscure but rewarding melodies. Adolfo, who includes the familiar “O Barquinho” in the repertoire, sprinkles the set with concise and sparkling piano solos. I imagine that both Roberto Menescal and Carlos Lyla are pleased with Bossa 65.”
Antonio Adolfo
Bossa 65 (AAM)
While Antonio Carlos Jobim is easily the best known of the Brazilian bossa-nova composers, he was not the only major talent in the early 1960s movement. On Bossa 65, pianist Antonio Adolfo leads a nine-piece group that interprets five songs apiece by Roberto Menescal and Carlos Lyla. Menescal, who is best known for his song “O Barquinho (Little Boat),” had a guitar school with Lyra in 1958, led one of the first bossa nova bands, and was both a record producer and a talent scout for the Polygram label. Lyra, who was also a singer, had his first song recorded in 1954 and was an early friend of Jobim’s. Both composers are still alive today.
During the past decade, Antonio Adolfo has recorded a series of rewarding Brazilian jazz albums. On Bossa 65 he is joined by tenor-saxophonist Marcelo Martins (who plays very effective alto flute on “Marcha Da Quarta-Feira De Cinzas”), trumpeter Jesse Sadoc, trombonist Rafael Rocha, altoist Danilo Sinna, guitarist Lula Galvano, bassist Jorge Helder, drummer Rafael Barata and, on some selections, percussionist Dada Costa. The musicianship is top-notch and Martins and Sadoc in particular take consistently exciting solos.
The songs, while born as bossa-novas, are not necessarily played that way on this set although the gentle Brazilian rhythms are part of the feel. Some of the music is fairly straight ahead and “Maria Moita” is Afro-Cuban jazz. Adolfo’s arrangements include plenty of mood and tempo variations. The charts and the musicians do justice to these often-obscure but rewarding melodies. Adolfo, who includes the familiar “O Barquinho” in the repertoire, sprinkles the set with concise and sparkling piano solos.
I imagine that both Roberto Menescal and Carlos Lyla are pleased with Bossa 65. This easily recommended set is available from www.aammusic.com.
Scott Yanow