Wanda De Sah

The Sergio Mendes Trio & Wanda De Sah - Brasil '65 (1965) {2013 Japan Jazz & Bossa Nova Best & More Series CD04of8}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 173 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 75 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 250 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1965, 2013 Capitol / Universal Japan | TOCJ-66624 | 24bit remaster
Jazz / Bossa Nova / Latin Jazz

Reissue with the latest 24bit remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. That's Brasil 65, not Brasil 66 – a distinction that marks a key early stage for the great Sergio Mendes – heard here on one of his first albums to mix together bossa jazz and vocals! The approach here is a bit more like vintage bossa dates from Brazil – or a bit like some of the Verve bossa records too – as Sergio's core trio is at the heart of every tune, playing with a great jazzy approach – then augmented in different ways by alto and flute from Bud Shank, guitar from Rosinha De Valenca, and vocals from the lovely Wanda De Sah! Production is perfect – really in a classic Elenco Records mode – and titles include "Let Me", "Consolacao", "Tristeza Em Mim", "Muito A Vontade", "Reza", "Berimbau", and "Aquarius".

Wanda De Sah - Softly! (1965) {2013 Japan Jazz & Bossa Nova Best & More Series CD05of8}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 156 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 59 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 301 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1965, 2013 Capitol / Universal Japan | TOCJ-66625 | 24bit remaster
Jazz / Brazilian Pop / Bossa Nova / Latin

Reissue with the latest 24bit remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A lost bossa classic from Wanda De Sah – aka Wanda Sa, the wife of Edu Lobo, and a singer who worked with Sergio Mendes in his pre-Brasil 66 days! The album's got a wonderfully laidback feel – languid, yet jazzy, with the feel of some of Astrud Gilberto's best work on Verve, yet with vocals that are possibly better – thanks to Wanda's pedigree in Brazilian pop. Recordings were done in California, not Rio – and arrangements are handled by the great Jack Marshall – who's got a strong ear for keeping things interesting with a mix of strings, Latin rhythms, and Capitol pop shadings.

The great incontrovertible truth of Brazilian vocalists in the '60s is that the more global success they enjoyed, the weaker and more insubstantial their voices. (As a test, simply compare and contrast the chart-topper Astrud Gilberto with the chart-absent Elis Regina.) Wanda de Sah was quite popular, which says most of what you need to know about her vocal prowess, both on the material she recorded with Brasil '65 as well as her solo career. But as with Astrud Gilberto, vocal weakness is hardly a barrier to entry. When given complementary musicians and arrangements - which were as common as coffee in Brazilian music circles - a thin, wispy voice could be made to sound positively radiant. DRG's 2008 pairing of Brasil '65 and Softly!, the two albums de Sah appeared on during 1965, reflects her peak year as an artist….

Paul Desmond's first genuine all-Brazilian album under the Creed Taylor signature was a beauty, a collection of songs by the then-moderately known Edu Lobo and the emerging giant Milton Nascimento, then only in his early twenties. All Desmond has to do is sit back and ride the Brazilian grooves while lyrically ruminating on whatever pops into his head. It sounds so effortless - until you try it yourself. The swirling, often gorgeous orchestral arrangements are by Don Sebesky (one CD edition mistakenly gives Claus Ogerman credit on the cover), Airto Moreira leads the samba-flavored percussion forces, and Lobo and his wife Wanda de Sah appear on three of Lobo's four songs…