Deodato
Prelude

LA RECENSIONE

Who is Eumir Deodato? The answer is very simple: one of the greatest geniuses of contemporary music.
Already known since the '60s (he was an arranger for artists such as Antonio Carlos Jobim and Wes Montgomery), Eumir saw his fame and notoriety grow steadily with the beginning of the subsequent decade and the advent of Blaxploitation.

Under the motto "black is beautiful", the Brazilian composer released in 1972 "Prelude", a phenomenal album starting with its dark and unsettling cover, marking a clear shift towards sounds balanced between Latin-American influences, Jazz-Fusion, and engaging Funk rhythms. "Prelude" quickly achieved an overwhelming success in both critical acclaim and sales, riding the wave of the magnificent adaptation of Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra", the well-known theme from the soundtrack of "2001: A Space Odyssey", presented in a new and irresistible funky version. However, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is not an isolated case within the record: it is impossible not to mention the other two tributes by Eumir Deodato to the great classical tradition, the percussive "Baubles, Bangle And Beads" (inspired by the great Russian composer Alexander Borodin) and Debussy's "Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun", in a mystical version halfway between Free-Jazz and visionary Funk, deserving of an ovation. Samplers around the world would then be tempted by the initial groove of the melancholic and orchestral "Spirit Of Summer", by the "brazileira" atmosphere of "Carly & Carole", or by the concluding "September 13", featuring the frantic drumming of another ace of African-American music, the immense Billy Cobham, whose skillful beats would challenge the endurance of any self-respecting Akai and sequencer.

In short, 32 years later, "Prelude" sounds incredibly current, an album truly recommended to everyone: to the diggin' maniacs, Jazz enthusiasts, or simply to lovers of good music, to proudly showcase in their collection of CDs or vinyls. Good for 2005, but also for 3000.