"So I'm in Sao Paulo having dinner with a Brazilian friend and we're discussing Brazilian music and he mentions this CD and Moacir Santos. He knows I know something about Brazilian music despite the fact I'm a gringo. But I had never heard of this guy and so I must have flashed a completely blank look. My friend shrugged and told me to go buy it. Of course I couldn't find it in Brazil so I ordered it online and it was waiting for me when I got home. But I did pick up a copy of Coisas and got a taste of what to expect.
Oh my goodness--it is heaven! It is unbelievably familiar especially for those who pay attention to jazz and to movie soundtracks. Apparently Santos has lived in Pasadena for over 30 years, toiling in obscurity in the film business. His sound is unbelievably comforting and listenable.
Perhaps this is his time and this is an extraordinary pair of cds. Obviously a labor of love by those who organized and produced this in Brazil, I can not recommend it enough.
Definitely check it out..."
Great! Superb! Magnificent!
Joćo Carlos Rodrigues | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 08/31/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The composer and saxophonist Moacyr Santos belongs (with Paulo Moura, Johnny Alf, Alaide Costa, Do Um Romão and few others) to a very unknown cathegory of brazilian popular music. That of afro-brazilian artists belonging to the Bossa Nova movement, considered by most people as an white middle-class way of play the samba. Santos, who lives in California since late sixties, have recorded very few in Brazil and America. This double cd "Ouro negro/Black gold" shows how good he is, with his sensual songs and magnificent arrangements. One of the best things ever recorded of modern brazilian music. Superb!"
Black gold, in deed
Habib Khalfallah | 11/20/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Big band Brazilian music was never that attractive to me. The music on this CD is different, however. It's got the most beautiful compositions. The arrangements are fantastic. And the rhythms are fabulous. This CD may turn into a classic sooner than one might think. Black gold, in deed."
Ouro Negro + Moacir Santos = Colors of Brazil
David Stahl | Citizen of the World | 11/12/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ouro Negro is a recent release by one of my long time favorites, Moacir Santos. I owe him a great debt of gratitude for bringing such joy into my life. This is a beautful CD by one of the long-acknowledged maestros of Brazil. It has incredibly intricate, yet accessible rhythms, lush harmonies, soaring solos from some of the great musicians of his country, and the essence of Moacir's joyous spirit! Favorite tunes?? Hard to pick and choose, but "Mother Iracema," "Suk-Cha," and "Carnaval" are hard to beat.
If you are in love with the music of Brazil, you owe it to yourself to own this one. I wish I could give it 6 stars!
I smiled from ear to ear from the moment I put it on until the last song ended."