Search - Vinicius De Moraes :: Days in Mar Del Plata

Esteemed lyricist, composer, vocalist, and poet Vinicius de Moraes is best known outside his Brazilian homeland as the lyricist for many early bossa nova classics co-composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Baden Powell. Recorded in 1971 as the follow-up to de Moraes's popular 1970 collaboration with guitarist Toquinho and singer Maria Creuza, Days in Del Plata is something of a lost gem. It was recorded in the studio while de Moraes was performing nights at the Argentinean club La Fusa with the then-emerging Brazilian singer Maria Bethania, who sings on three of the 11 songs here. The vibe is loose, with de Moraes in front of a small band, reading his poetry and speaking between songs. His warm, gravelly voice is rough-hewn but lived in. The mix of popular and (then) new material is in the samba, bossa nova, and, according to de Moraes, "musica nova" vein, but all of it has the allure of classic Brazilian music: warm, sinuous, inviting, festive. --Tad Hendrickson