Luis Bonfa recorded by Emory Cook: Wow!

I have this album. Beautiful music, beautiful recording. Perfect soundtrack for a night in with the other half.

 

Yes, incredible stuff. Bonfa was the best, his sense of melody wonderful and his technique unsurpassed

 

Ooo, I want to hear this! I have a Luis Bonfa album on Verve, and its spectacular. Great stuff on the Black Orpheus soundtrack too.

 

Wow, cool, I'm picking this CD up! Thanks for the info, I had no idea!

 

Sounds awesome, I'm on it!

 

Matthew, thanks for the wav sample. I just ordered it. I like Luis Bonfa a lot, so I don't know why I hadn't acquired this.

 

Thanks for the tip, love finding out about things like this! Wonderful to get bossa nova that's the 'real deal' too without having passed through the 'filters' of euro or n.a. producers... by the way, cool site you have there! anyone who can reference scherchen and sinatra in the same breath is ok by me!

 

What do you think -- artistically and sonically -- about O Violão e o Samba which was put out last year on Blue Note?

I don't really have any Bonfa albums except a copy of one he did for Chesky in his later years and also the Black Orpheus soundtrack. (And the Gentle Rain soundtrack LP -- which I think is only worthwhile for the solo guitar track where Bonfa performs title song. I've been playing that over and over lately.)

 

Pretty piece of music, exquisite playing! I'm going to explore this, thanks!

 

If you like Bonfa check out this incredible site :
http://www.kanji.zinbun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~yasuoka/Bonfa/

I have many of these albums, some really astounding music. The very early stuff is marvelous. EMI own the rights to the Copacabana stuff and Odeon brazil have released a few of the brazilian albums from the late 50s-early 60s.
When he moved to the US in '62 he made the amazing Verve records, both the solo and the collaboration with Getz can not be recommended highly enough.
The Philips stuff is terrific too. The album he made with Maria Toledo is wistfully magic. 'The King of Bossa Nova' album with the insane guitar chord cover is great and was recently reissued by Universal France. The 'Brazilian Scene' is more MOR but has a groovy Herb Alpert vibe..
The Dot catalogue is more confused. There will mushy easy listening mixed in with some diamonds of 'saudade', he worked a lot with Euimir Deodato on these. 'Black Orpheus Impressions' has some killer tracks on it. Speaking of which anybody with any interest in braziliana needs to get the Universal France edition of the Black Orpheus soundtrack that came out a little while back. Superb remastering from the original tapes and loads of bonus material. Bonfa only plays on his 'Manha da Carnaval' and 'Samba de Orfeu' the rest of the acoustic guitar is Roberto Menescal.
A standout album from the early 70s is 'Jacaranda' on Randy Woods 'Ranwood' label. The tracks 'Don Quixote' and 'Song Thoughts' are breathtaking.
His technique got a little rustier as he got older but still on albums like Bonfa Magic you hear some fabulous stuff.
In 2000 I was in Rio and for some reason was going through the phonebook. There in the 'B's was Bonfa's number. I checked with a friend and he said that Bonfas son was running the catalogue and that I should call to say hello.
I never did and regretted it greatly when he passed away and few years later.
Luiz Bonfa... SARAVAH!

 

I just bought this CD. I've been playing it constantly! Thanks again.

 

I'm getting a new guitar (new to me) delivered tomorrow. This is serving as inspiration for me, even though I suck as a guitar player, in comparison to Bonfa anyway.

 

Hey, don't sweat it. About 99.9% of guitarists suck in comparison to Bonfa!

 

I just got my copy of this disc Friday, and I'm really digging it. I love the fact that it's so intimate and a field recording yet Cook just nailed the sound of the guitar, in a way that you just don't hear on glossier studio recordings. Really glad this thread was started!

And the playing - I really was pretty clueless about Bonfa before now, beyond knowing he wrote Manha de Carnival - unbelievable! All due respect to the many fine Brazilian guitarists out there I enjoy, from Joao Gilberto to Toninho Horta, this guy smokes them all. MONSTER technique, but employed in such a musical and unassuming way. Wow.

Time to seek out more of his recordings...the liners mention a fine album on Atlantic from the same year as this Cook recording, that's first on the agenda.

 

No matter how many Bonfa LPs I listen to I just can't get into him.. and I'm a Brazilian music maniac..Perhaps I don't have the right Bonfa record but...

Joao Gilberto is probably my favorite living musician of all (not even he can make me forget Billie though)... I listen to Joao pretty much every day..and I enjoy ALL his records.

I just don't get Bonfa.. my loss..

Maybe its his voice? Or his singing or his songs? I dont' know what my problem is

 

Serge, you have to try harder. Joao Gilberto loved Bonfa so much he wrote 'Um Abraco No Bonfa', one of his prettiest melodies. I don't think Joao did that for anyone else except his daughter. Are you saying you don't like the Verve solo album Bonfa did?

 

This Luis Bonfa LP for me was one of Emory Cook's best recordings of many fine efforts.

 

The Rio '59 CD is quite amazing. So intimate and honest. His jazzy take on "Night and Day" is astoundingly great and I love the impressionism of "A Brazilian in New York."

The man was a monster musician/artist, there can be no denying that.