Search - Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jaques Morelenbaum :: Morelenbaum (2)/Sakamoto: Casa (Tribute to Jobim)

Soul Food

Mark Hoover | Lansing, MI USA | 11/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're here on this page today, then there's a day in your past when you were first aware that the beautiful and seductive song you suddenly could not get out of your head was written by someone named Jobim. For me, it happened while driving in the small hours of a long-ago November night, listening to a program on a faraway radio station called "Night Flight." This album was recorded in Jobim's own house, and Jobim's piano responds to the hands of the masterly Ryuichi Sakamoto with as much rich emotion and dulcet tone as it once yielded to its former master. Like so much of Jobim's music, the arrangements here are spare and winsome, shot through with silky beauty and underpinned by emotional tones that recall the first time you gasped upon finally realizing what it means to be in love.Perhaps you sometimes long again for the shiver that inevitably followed those first, early Jobim record purchases. Finally, here is an album that delivers the goods. I cannot imagine a more perfect voice than Paula Morelenbaum's to sing these songs...she eclipses even Astrud Gilberto. The living-room ensemble of acoustic instruments captures what the songs must have sounded like in Jobim's imagination as he composed them. The recording itself is exquisite. The engineers and producer "play" their mixing boards and recording decks with as much under-the-radar mastery as the musicians, finding balance and clarity for every instrument and voice. No wall of sound here...just delicacy and beauty, and glimmerings of the unspoken sadness that gave wings to the joy in Jobim's music.An old Jobim lyric translates roughly as "Happiness is a traveler who visits your house, but cannot stay..." The Brazilians speak of "fada," a paradoxical view of fate: in their view, although each life must inevitably come to sorrow (for it is our nature), happiness and beauty burn brighter by our knowledge that we can enjoy them for whatever time we are able to hold them in our hands.Jobim, too, was a visitor who could not stay...but his spirit burns on brightly in this album."

ANOTHER GEM...

Larry L. Looney | Austin, Texas USA | 09/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...and I was sure that the Morelenbaums couldn't easily top their previous album (QUARTETO JOBIM-MORELENBAUM). This new release finds Paula and Jacques joined by the amazingly talented Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto -- and if you think that's an inappropriate addition, wait until you hear this beautiful recording. Sakamoto's work has long been considered some of the best around -- his soundtracks alone are enough to cement his place in music's hall of hallows -- and his creativity and sensitivity are well-spent on these tunes by Brazil's legendary songwriting master, Antonio Carlos Jobim.Paula's vocals are stunning in their emotion and loveliness, and Jaques' cello is perfect in every way. There are several notable 'guests' on the recording as well: Paulo Jobim, a member of the aforementioned Quarteto, adds his tasteful guitar work; Ed Motta duets with Paula on vocals on one track; Luiz Brasil is along on guitar; Zeca Assumpcao delivers on bass; and the astonishing (but never overpowering) touches of Marcos Suzano on percussion complete the mix.My only (minor) complaint about the track selections is the inclusion of the final track, a live improvisation. While it showcases the imaginations and musical telepathy shared by Jaques and Ryuichi, it's a little cacophonous for the rest of the material -- but it's definitely not enough to compel me to drop my rating of this fine recording below its well-deserved 'five stars'."

Quaint and Suffusive

Infinite Catalyst | Monument, CO | 05/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Real musicians, real instruments, and an untraditional studio. This combination should excite jazz and lounge enthusiasts around the globe. Jobim may not be Ennio Morricone, but the man understood the art of aurally soothing the listener, something that the Morelenbaums and Sakamoto have been perfecting with their prospective instruments (and voices) their entire lives. Ryuichi Sakamoto is the perfect aural ergonomic asset to this album. I cannot think of a single pianist more fitting to contribute to such a subtle and delicate album. Sakamoto is known for his abilities on the piano as a conjurer of intense emotion, yet not done in the brazen art of forte. Sakamoto, who some may consider is just short of minimalism, does not dominate this cd with irritating displays of technical proficiency, or dominate the sound-scape with ill placed notes or themes. Rather his poignant contributions hold much more beauty in their simplicity, his notes lingering and welling with copasetic peace; the other instruments responding and breathing together. Fotografia is my fav. song on this cd. The intro is melodic and intriguing, giving way to partial thematic variances and soft pseudo-improv as the different players interact. This cd is definitely down-tempo. It does not need to be degraded into the genres of easy listening or chill-out, but rather takes its seat with other jazz and lounge masterpieces with equally impressive instrumental execution as the aural designer, Jobim's themes. This collection of pieces is a washing, soothing masterpiece filled with a powerful sound/light interface that evokes only sunlight and feelings on contentment. Find the one you love, something to drink, and an afternoon or evening to spend with this cd."