Quincas Moreira

Rubiao modeste professeur hérite une fortune du philosophe Quincas Borba, sous réserve de prendre soin de son chien. Mais avec la richesse il hérite la démence de son ami. L'amour et la folie surgissent ici romantiquement la main dans la main, cependant la basse continue du roman est l'ambition économique dont le héros devient l'instrument. Quincas Borba est un livre merveilleusement drôle, subtil et rapide. …

Zeitlebens galt der Vagabundenkönig des Honky-Tonks und Patriarch der Prostituierten Quincas als Feierbiest Nummer 1 in Brasilien. Als er aufgrund seines exzessiven Lebensstils plötzlich das Zeitliche segnet, bekommt er von seiner entfremdeten Familie nur eine Schnellbestattung. Seine trauernden Freunde jedoch möchten ihm den Abgang bieten, den er verdient hat und nehmen seinen Körper mit auf eine letzte Tour durch Bahia – und die hat es gehörig in sich!

Many of Airto Moreira's records from the late 1970s and early '80s get an undeserved bad rap because of their obvious – and intended – commercial appeal. Though he came to prominence in America as a member of Miles Davis' early electric bands, Moreira was an established artist in Brazil; one who sought to marry the sounds of his nation's folk traditions with all kinds of popular music. 1979's Touching You…Touching Me was recorded during his Warner period, and is perhaps his most polished record. Self-produced, he learned much of the technique he employed from the best-selling recordings of the time in all pop genres.

The most high-profile percussionist of the 1970s and still among the most famous, Airto Moreira (often simply known by his first name) helped make percussion an essential part of many modern jazz groups; his tambourine solos can border on the amazing. Airto originally studied guitar and piano before becoming a percussionist. He played locally in Brazil, collected and studied over 120 different percussion instruments, and in 1968 moved to the U.S. with his wife, singer Flora Purim. Airto played with Miles Davis during part of 1969-1970, appearing on several records (most notably Live Evil). He worked with Lee Morgan for a bit in 1971, was an original member of Weather Report, and in 1972 was part of Chick Corea's initial version of Return to Forever with Flora Purim.

Executed flawlessly and recorded with crystal clear presence, the eight tracks that make up this album present Airto at his most diverse. Vocalist Ruben Rada makes both “Meni Devol” and “La Tumbadora” come to life with falsetto forays that soar above Airto's complex and organic groundwork. Furthermore, the percussive battery is supported additionally by masters Manolo Badrena and Laudir de Oliveira (a member of the pop group Chicago at the time). As an added bonus, the late Jaco Pastorius contributes a typically fine lead voice to the dark and brooding “Nativity”.