Brasil Beet

Victor Assis Brasil was the best Brazilian jazzman of his generation, having being praised by international critics. Brasil showed early evidence of talent for music, excelling at the harmonica and the drums. At age 12 he gave his first concert at the harmonica. In 1961, at age 16, he was presented with an alto saxophone. In 1965, while already a professional, Brasil recorded his first album, Desenhos, with highly favorable reviews, consolidating his pioneering role as a Brazilian jazz musician. His next conquests were the achievement of third place at the 1966 International Jazz Contest in Vienna, Austria, and of the Best Soloist award in the Berlin Jazz Festival, which granted him a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music (Boston, MA). During the following four years he spent in the U.S., Brasil wrote most of his 400 works…

A wonderful early album from Victor Assis Brasil - one of Brazil's greatest saxophone players of the 60s and 70s, and an artist with a keen post-Coltrane approach to his work! The album's awash in modally grooving numbers that would have made Coltrane proud - soulfully swinging tunes that bounce along on tight piano, bass, and percussion - as Victor spins out some lean and exploratory lines on alto sax. The album features some nice work by a young Claudio Roditi, and the lineup shifts a bit from track to track - but Brasil's incredible tone and solo work on the alto sax really holds the whole set together, and offers up a new surprise at each track!

Victor Assis Brasil was the best Brazilian jazzman of his generation, having being praised by international critics. Brasil showed early evidence of talent for music, excelling at the harmonica and the drums. At age 12 he gave his first concert at the harmonica. In 1961, at age 16, he was presented with an alto saxophone. In 1965, while already a professional, Brasil recorded his first album, Desenhos, with highly favorable reviews, consolidating his pioneering role as a Brazilian jazz musician. His next conquests were the achievement of third place at the 1966 International Jazz Contest in Vienna, Austria, and of the Best Soloist award in the Berlin Jazz Festival, which granted him a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music (Boston, MA)…