As some readers may recall, sometimes I cheat a bit and post songs that are not strictly speaking Brazilian (such as with a post on Cesária Évora and one on Spinetta). For this week, I was planning on a post on Carmen Miranda (which will still come soon enough!), but then in the train on my way to Groningen I somehow started listening to Roberto Fonseca’s 2007 album Zamazu, and was reminded of how absolutely fantastic the album is. Plus, some of it was recorded in Brazil, with a Brazilian producer and Brazilian musicians, so I guess I’m not cheating too much here…
Roberto Fonseca is one of the most talented Cuban musicians of his generation. As a pianist, for years he accompanied la crème de la crème of Cuban music (e.g. Ibrahim Ferrer) before launching his solo career. I do not know his other solo albums as well, but Zamazu is an absolute masterpiece. My favorite song of the album is ‘Zamazu’ itself, but for some strange reason I could not find it on youtube. So instead here is my second favorite, ‘Clandestinos’; I especially like the low notes at the beginning and the end of the song. I did find a very cool live version of 'Zamazu' though, at the North Sea Jazz Festival here in the Netherlands (can't believe I missed that one!), which you can also find below the fold. I love how the singing accompanies the piano rather than the other way rond!
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