Search - Roberto Menescal :: Pure Bossa Nova

There should be a law against music being this gorgeous!

Vesna Vespa | Santa Monica,Ca,USA | 04/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have really no words to express how beautiful this compilation is...purely magical!Bossa nova at its most gorgeous...Menescals style is intoxicating!6 stars if I could!!"

Great Bossa Nova composer in a splendid songbook by Brazilia

Carlos from Rio | Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil | 01/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Roberto Menescal is one of the greatest Bossa Nova composers. He is also a guitarrist, arranger and group leader for his Roberto Menescal & Seu Conjunto, an instrumental combo with a long time career in the 50s and 60s. He is still pretty active as a guitarrist, producer and arranger for some current interesting artists in Brazil like Wanda Sah and Chris Delanno.



Roberto Menescal & Seu Conjunto is the instrumental performer for 5 tracks in this 14-track CD. This combo had its brilliant times in the early Bossa Nova with a rhythm section with Deodato at the piano plus Ugo Marotta on vibes and Menescal playing his guitar.



This CD also contains:



- a splendid Elis Regina rendition of 'O Barquinho' with Toots Thielemens;

- a rare crooner outside Brazil, Mr. Emilio Santiago, who sings beautifully 'Se Pelo Menos Você Fosse Minha' from a rare album a long time out of print even in Brazil;

- a delicious 'Moça da Praia' with another great and rare Brazilian crooner, the late Lucio Alves who sings backed by Roberto Menescal & Seu Conjunto;

- a Bossa Nova classic by the great Tamba Trio on 'Ah Se Eu Pudesse';

- the late great Sylvia Telles on 'Vagamente' and the sensational swinger 'Telefone' with Lucio Alves and Roberto Menescal & Seu Conjunto;

- a rare songbird outside Brazil, Ms. Marcia, in a standard rendition of the great song 'A Volta'.



Also post-Bossa Nova songbird, Ms. Leila Pinheiro offers a beautiful rendition of 'Errinho À Toa'.



All compositions and renditions are Bossa Nova in its essence. Maybe Mr. Menescal can be taken as the most representative Bossa Nova composer along with Antonio Carlos Jobim for his almost total dedication to it.

"