The Brazilian Scene [Digipak]

Performer: Luiz Bonfá
Producer: Hal Mooney
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Luiz Bonf� (guitar); Jerome Richardson (flute); Donald Payne (bass instrument); H�lcio Milito (drums). Arrangers: Hal Mooney; Luiz Bonf�. Along with Baden Powell and Laurindo Almeida (who came earlier), composer Luiz Bonfa ("Manha da Carnaval") was one of the prime Brazilian guitarists during bossa nova's heyday, releasing a string of American instrumental albums all through the '60s. (Charlie Byrd, who first introduced the music here, gave them all competition from the American side.) THE BRAZILIAN SCENE, recorded in 1966, features jazz flutist Jerome Richardson and arranger Hal Mooney, but it's mostly a showcase for Bonfa's strong classical guitar. Heavily influenced by Andres Segovia, Bonfa favors a more highly structured approach than the introspective Powell or the jazzy Almeida, producing a bright, aggressive sound that cuts right through the easy-listening arrangments. (The opening, "Avocado," even bears a small resemblance to the Tijuana Brass.) Though there are no bossa nova standards this time out, the light and breezy set is divided between Bonfa originals and choice covers such as "Yesterday" and "That Old Black Magic," on which the guitarist jauntily riffs in a syncopated samba, along with Brazilian drummer Helcio Milito.

Before bossa nova took the world by storm in the 1960s, the reigning sound of Brazil was the samba. Guitarist Luiz Bonfa was one of the most well-known Brazilian samba-cancao composers and performers of the 1950s, known for his complex, lively fingerpicking style and soulful compositions. His contributions to the BLACK ORPHEUS soundtrack--particularly "Manha de Carnaval," which has since become a jazz standard--elevated him to fame in 1959, and he continued to enjoy the respect of peers and audiences well into the '90s. Bonfa died in Brazil in 2001.

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