Mario Castro Neves (4)

MARIO CASTRO NEVES - ON A CLEAR BOSSA DAY (2004)

1. Candy
2. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars
3. Helena And I
4. On A Clear Day
5. So Nice
6. Samba S.A.
7. Nice Work If You Can Get It
8. The Whole Mess
9. Muito À Vontade
10. Lili
11. Mamadeira Atonal
12. Mara My Love
13. Tokyo Waltz
14. My Rio

Credits
Acoustic Piano: Mario Castro-Neves
Acoustic Bass: Manuel Gusmão
Drums: Cesar Machado
Vocal: Ithamara Koorax
Vocal: Ana Zinger

Arranged by Mario Castro-Neves

MARIO CASTRO NEVES - STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN (1977)

1. Sometime Love Affair
2. Feelings
3. Subtle Chemistry
4. All You Get From Love Is A Lovesong
5. Boca Grande
6. Stop, Look and Listen
7. Summersoft
8. Why Can't There Be You
9. This One's For You
10. Open Up (Try Understanding)

A really rare session from groovy Brazilian keyboardist Mario Castro-Neves – originally only issued as part of the obscure Canadian Talent Library series in the 70s! The vibe here is similar to Mario's classic 60s work in Brazil – an electrified take on the style begun by Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66, but served up with an approach that's got a lot more of a 70s groove overall. As with Sergio's, Mario's group features two female singers in the lead – singing side by side in a really great way – but unlike Sergio, Mario has a real ear for writing his own tunes, and contributes a number of great originals to the album, really helping to push it past the obvious, and give it a rich feel of its own! Mario's tunes are totally great – sung in a breezy vocal style, and supported by instrumentation that includes keyboards, guitar, and bits of jazzy horns.
Dusty Groove America, Inc.

MARIO CASTRO NEVES & SAMBA S.A. (1967)

That's dad, an exquisite pianist. :)

1. Candomble
2. Yearning Lovers
3. Nana
4. De Brincadeira
5. Bye Bye Blackbird
6. E Nada Mais
7. Keep Talking
8. Vem Balancar
9. Once More
10. Morte De Um Deus De Sal
11. Ta Por Fora
12. Corcovado
13. Carolina
14. Costa Brava
15. Rosa Morena
16. Estrada Do Sol

Bossa nova has always been a multicultural movement. The American participants (Stan Getz, Bud Shank, and Charlie Byrd) were influenced by Brazilian samba; the Brazilian participants (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfá, João and Astrud Gilberto) were influenced by American jazz (specifically, cool jazz). And it is no accident that many bossa nova standards have both English and Portuguese translations; bossa nova has long had one eye on the Brazilian market and the other on the English-speaking world (which isn't to say that bossa nova hasn't been popular among people who speak Spanish, French, Swedish, or Italian as their primary language). Recorded in Rio de Janeiro in 1967, Mario Castro-Neves & Samba S.A. is a good example of bossa nova's multicultural outlook. This CD finds pianist Mario Castro-Neves leading a small Brazilian group, which includes the female vocal duo of Thaís and Biba -- and instead of having them perform Brazilian songs exclusively -- Neves gives the singers a variety of Brazilian and American songs to work with. Clearly, this session was meant to appeal to both Brazilian and English-speaking audiences, which is why familiar Brazilian songs (including Jobim's "Corcovado" and Walter Santos' "Vem Balancar") are heard alongside English-language material (such as the standard "Bye Bye Blackbird" and the Chris Montez hit "Keep Talking"). But whether the language is English or Portuguese (mostly the latter), Neves maintains a sensuous and gently swinging approach to the samba rhythm. Samba, of course, can be played aggressively and exuberantly, but the bossa nova recordings of the '60s approached samba in a subtle, relaxed, understated, cool jazz-minded fashion -- and that is the sort of ambience that Neves favors on this pleasing album, which RCA Brazil reissued on CD in that country in 2001. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

MARIO CASTRO NEVES & HIS ORCHESTRA - BRAZILIAN MOOD (1973)

 

01 - Xaxado Blues (Mario Castro Neves)
02 - Watch What Happens (Michel Legrand / Norman Gimbel)
03 - The Whole Mess (Mario Castro Neves)
04 - The Look of Love (Burt Bacharach / Hal David)
05 - Macumba Mood (Mario Castro Neves)
06 - Loud and Clear (Mario Castro Neves)
07 - Hold my Hand (Mario Castro Neves)
08 - Helena and I (Mario Castro Neves)
09 - Wave (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
10 - Call me Up (Mario Castro Neves)

A unique British session from bossa maestro Mario Castro-Neves -- one that's got the same sweet and jazzy touches as his 60s records, but a slightly different feel as well! The style here is totally great -- kind of the same maturation of sound that Sergio Mendes was hitting in the early 70s -- thanks to the right placement of a few electric elements, and a generally warm style of production that creates a great blend of modes in Castro-Neves' music. Instrumentation features keyboards, percussion, and some larger orchestrations used in very spare and creative ways -- and there's often some great electric bass bubbling along the bottom to groove things up nicely. Many tracks have wordless vocals, sung in a scatting, breezy way that's even groovier than Brasil 77 -- and titles include "Macumba Mood", "The Whole Mess", "Xaxado Blues", "Call Me Up", "Helena & I", "Hold My Hand", and "Loud & Clear".