With The Royal Philharmonic, Ettore Stratta’s keen musical sense has created an album of lasting beauty. Each of the 12 titles is delicately crafted: We love the orchestrations on ‘One Note Samba’, ‘Wave’, ‘How Insensitive’ and Berimbau’, while ‘Atras Da Porta’ (Close The Door) has its own soulful appeal. And you’ll never forget Dori Caymmi’s ‘Like A Lover’ (it was made popular by Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66) once you’ve heard Al Jarreau sing it on ‘Symphonic Bossa Nova’.
When young João Gilberto emerged from Rio’s Odeon recording studios one afternoon in 1958, he had no idea that his new 78 rpm single ‘Chega Da Saudade’ would grow to influence generations worldwide. But now, more than four decades later, Bossa Nova, like some rare and beautiful perennial, has returned to the musical forefront.
Ettore Stratta and The Royal Philharmonic are the latest to discover this musical truth with this CD. Conductor Stratta’s credits include recordings with Barbra Streisand, Placido Domingo and Lena Horne, and three similar crossover albums including Symphonic Tango, Symphonic Boleros, and The Symphonic Andrew Lloyd Weber.
But why Bossa Nova, the American musak of the 70’s? A fair question in a modern world where speed is measured in nanoseconds and our collective memory in megabytes. The answer, literally, is as close as your ears. Symphonic Bossa Nova is a tonic for what we miss in life. The calming things we pass by, or put off. Like stopping to smell, (or here’s a reality check) even notice the roses.
And don’t let the word “symphonic” scare you off. This isn’t your father’s classical orchestra. Stratta’s keen musical sense hones this group to a razor sharp edge, with a supporting cast that includes saxophonist Tom Scott, flutist Hubert Laws and vibe master Gary Burton. Add the Brazilian contingent-Trumpeter Claudio Roditi, Oscar Castro-Neves and Dori Caymmi to one of the world’s finest orchestras and you have a potent world-class line up.
Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote the liner notes for for this CD and he paints us a picture from his hillside home in Rio: "Beautiful sunny morning... After the rain and the unusually cold night came this unexpectedly sunny morning. A falcon sunbathes on the top of the garapa tree while I listen to this wonderful recording, hiding behind sunglasses. Deep inside the forest, a toucan calls..." Now admit it.
Couldn’t you use more of that in your life? And that’s another great truth, isn’t it? Simply put, this recording is musical magic.
