Search - Elis Regina :: Montreux Jazz Festival

Elis: A Brilliant Performance!

S. Sittig | Washington, D.C. | 03/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD captures Elis's brilliant performance at the 1979 Montreux Jazz Festival. The reason the album had not previously been released is because ticket sales had been so huge for Elis's show in Montreux, that the producers decided to add a matinee the same day of the evening show. Elis performed at the matinee, knocked them dead, but then lost steam for the evening show. She was tired, feeling wiped out from giving her all in the afternoon. Although Elis did get through the entire concert and at the end of that evening's performance, she was invited back on stage by Hermeto Pascual to do some jamming sessions. Feeling perhaps revitalized, or more relaxed since the concert itself was over, Elis gave it her all and gave brilliant/improvisational renditions of classics of Bossa Nova, like "Corcovado", "Girl From Ipanema" and others. And Elis left the festival feeling at least vindicated for having sung well at the improv session with Pascual.But she was unhappy with the evening show, it wasn't good enough for Elis and she had her record producer promise never to release that concert live.But 2 years later, after Elis had died, the record producer realized that they had also taped the afternoon show which had been wonderful! He then felt he must somewhat betray Elis's trust and find the master tapes for that stunning afternoon performance.Well, he did and that, together with the improv/jam session with Pascual, are what have been included in this latest CD release. And let me tell you, what a JOYOUS sound Elis produces..all the tracks are excellent..really, there are no stand-outs, all are uniformly brilliant.Perhaps her jam session with Pascual will be the most interesting section for her faithful, longtime fans, because she interprets classics in a totally new way.I can't think of another singer, except for perhaps Ella Fitzgerald, who could improv/scat/jam as well as Elis does in the session with Pascual.Pure brilliance, and a must-have for fans."

AWESOME, INCENDIARY LIVE PERFORMANCE.

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 07/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"WOW!! On a scale of 1 to 5 Stars, Elis Regina's fiery live performance at Montreux is actually worth SIX STARS!!



We're so fortunate to finally have all 16 tracks of Elis' musical Montreux excellence, with a super backup group in front of an adoring crowd on the world stage. This updated CD includes the so-called 7 'forbidden songs' from the evening performance. It's said Elis vetoed them because she was unhappy with the lower sound level of the evening performance. The CD demonstrates that in two shows, Elis employed her entire arsenal on the stage that day. While she could have 'soft samba-ed' her way through the day, she preferred to push the envelope. And push she did. Forget about the mythology of what happened that day at the Montreux Jazz Festival over 25 years ago, as a matter of fact don't even read the one-sided Portuguese liner notes. Her outstanding performance on this live CD tells the entire tale, re-mastered in vivid detail.



The afternoon show has some of the finest moments of my many years of listening to performances at Montreux. Only the 1969 Eddie Harris/Les McCann/Benny Bailey Montreux performance of "Compared to What?" comes close to this level of audience excitement. Elis' Band: Cesar Mariano (keyboards), Helio Delmiro (electric guitar), Luiso (bass), Paulinho Braga (drums) and Chico Batera (percussion).



The bluesy extented musical intro to "Cobra Criada" has Cesar showing his Horace Silver roots leading to Elis' entrance on stage. For 20 minutes, Elis & Co put on a sustained virtuoso MPB performance. She starts at a high level and turns up the heat with each song, barely pausing between songs before surging into the next. "Madalena" gets a great makeover treatment. Her unique way of joining multiple songs into 'one extended song' works in dramatic effect during the thrilling Milton Nascimento tribute of "Ponta de Areia, Fe Cega Faca Amolada, and Maria Maria". By the time she reaches the end of "Maria, Maria", she and the group whips the audience into a hand-clapping, foot-stomping frenzy. She takes no respite during the following song, a soaring version of "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro" ("Bahia"), and she is relentlessly excellent during the remainder of the afternoon show: the joyous classic "Upa Neguinho" is made new again.



The final thunderous, extended ovation shows the audience loved every moment of the night performance and was screaming ("don't go?") in unison at the end. The world is a better musical place now that we can hear "Amor Ate O Fim", "Mancada", "Onze Fritas" (my personal favorite) and "Agora Ta". But the evening was far from over. Enter Hermeto Paschoal....



Presumeably, the scintillating 'summit meeting' with Hermeto Paschoal begins following the end of "Agora Ta", but Warner decided to leave it at the end of the afternoon performance for some reason, behind "Upa Neguinho". (If you can program your CD player, put the duo performance last to truly represent the order of events and put the icing on the cake). This duet performance includes a mesmerizing version of "Garota de Ipanema" (The Girl from Ipanema), in multiple tempos and keys, with a soulful Elis singing wonderfully in Portuguese and dead-on English. Hermeto's pianism is heroic and beautiful.



Merci, Warner, for giving us this masterpiece, but a huge 'Thumbs Down' on the unnecessary and slanted liner notes and the pretentious CD cover photo. When you re-issue the CD, put Elis' picture on the cover with the orchid in her hair, please (not her arm) and ditch the liner notes altogether. And in the 21st Century, isn't it time to give the English- and Portuguese- speaking fans double translations of the song lyrics. Takes so little effort and could increase worldwide fan bases.



Merci, beaucoup, Elis, over 20 years after your passing, you still are the Queen of MPB."

OUTSTANDING!!!!

Juan Fernando Pepio | California, USA | 03/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What you can expect from the Best Female Singer in the world? well you can expect only THE BEST! and that's what this CD is all about, you will be transported to Montreaux, you will feel like if Elis is standing in front of you singing with all the power that she had, even when she didn't want to release this album because of the quality of her interpretations, I can say that is the Best that she ever made, by the way this CD is the only one that includes Garota de Ipanema, there is no other album from Elis where you can find that song, that was the first and last time that she record(actually sang) that song, so sit down and ENJOY!!!!"