The Rough Guide To Brazilian Cafe (CD)

The Rough Guide To Brazilian Cafe (CD)
Brazilian Cafe is kind of a catch-all term for many styles of Brazilian song set in relaxed frameworks and carrying a very 21st century vibe updating bossa nova and samba, MPB, forro, carnival, and tropicalia. The Rough Guide compilation producers do their authoritative job presenting the best-known artists recording this kind of music from Ce� and Seu Jorge & Almaz to Lu韘a Maita, Baden Powell's son, Marcel, Cibelle, and Dori Caymmi's son, Danilo. Some songs here shift the paradigms of the past and update the country's traditional folk music, such as Vitor Ramil's gorgeous "Milonga de los Morenos," with a duet appearance by Caetano Veloso. The beauty in this particular song is highlighted by its haunting melody and a spoken word section; the latter comes from a poem authored by none other than writer Jorge Luis Borges. Contrast this with the modern, airy, Brazilian jazz-funk reading of the Tom Jobim/Vinicius de Moraes samba "O Morro N鉶 Tem Vez," by Powell's band with its lithe but fiery nylon-string guitar lines and electric bassline. While neither of them fit strictly into this notion of "cafe music," in many ways, they both underscore its diversity and are therefore wise choices for inclusion here, alongside Ce�'s "Comadi," from her second album, which employs reggae, forro, and samba, and the Ipanemas' percussive, groove-laden, trombone-led instrumental "A Cara Dele." In addition to the album's 15 selected tracks, the folks at Rough Guide add a bonus treat for free: a complete album by Ramil and Marcos Suzano ,which not only defines the futurist "Brazilian Cafe" aesthetic, but perhaps points further into the 21st century's revisioning of the country's music than anything on disc one. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi All Music Guide