Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto
Casa

If it is true, as one of its main interpreters claimed, that Tango is "a sad thought that is danced", then Bossa nova could be defined as a dance that turns into poetry, a movement of the body that inevitably becomes reflection, contemplation. It is popular music that feeds on realistic images, tropical landscapes between Corcovado and Copacabana, strong and simple feelings which, however, in the hands of great musicians like Antonio Carlos Jobim, of sensitive spirits like Vinicius de Moraes, give life to an ideal world, almost metaphysical, made of soft colors, where there’s no room for shouted joys, for sensations at their peak; everything is subdued, muted. Certainly, in this universe, there is space for happiness as well as for pain, there are sensual pleasures and "infinite sadness," but they are always related to the transience of life, to eternity, to Time, the usual great sculptor. This does not produce inaction, immobility, Bossa nova is also an unquenchable desire for a full life, but everything is seen with a certain detachment, disenchantment, cloaked in a "nostalgic melancholy," the famous saudade, produced by this yearning, this awareness. Making this "ideal new world" even more credible and desirable is the perfect correspondence between form and content, between music and lyrics, a union that has few equals.

To get in touch with the soul of who was one of the founders, the true theorist of this existential-musical philosophy, Jobim indeed, and to attempt to give a reverent yet not overly deferential reinterpretation, respectful of the spirit but not too philological of some of his compositions, a handful of talented musicians, led by the Morelenbaum couple, she a vocalist, he a cellist, and the highly decorated Japanese general Ryuichi Sakamoto, hero of a thousand battles, ventured to the doorstep of the late Maestro's villa, receiving a warm welcome from his family. The album, aptly titled "Casa," was recorded over five days right in the Jobims' Rio de Janeiro home, a historic place where many of his luxurious compositions came to light. And the piano played by the inspired Ryuichi is the very same one around which a sort of Brazilian Arcadia rose at the end of the '50s and the beginning of the '60s, which saw among its followers Joao Gilberto, Vinicius, Elisete Cardoso, Sylvia Telles.

The fifteen tracks chosen by our group avoid the more predictable evergreens, such as "Garota de Ipanema." For this joyful spiritual session, less beaten paths were chosen, perhaps less known tracks, but more capable of making this meeting of nostalgic sensibilities possible. In almost all of them, there is little more than the sweet and sensual voice of Paula, already a vocalist with Jobim's group, the cello of Jaques, already an arranger for Veloso, and the piano of the good Sakamoto, except for the bass and viola played by a descendant of the hosting family, Paulo. This simplicity, this different approach gives the tracks a new light, perhaps bringing them closer to classical music, to chamber music rather than to jazz standards. In particular, the opening piece "As Praias Desertas" or "Inútil Paisagem" suggest a credible Debussian path to Bossa nova, rarefied notes and work by subtraction. Also, "Vivo Sonhando" and "Bonita", lighter tracks, are skillfully slowed down, emphasizing the play of light and dark thanks to Jaques' cello. A special mention is necessary for "Imagina," a superb musical-operatic duet between Paula and Ed Motta, a true artist (note this title "Dwitza," we may talk about it again...), strong like one of those unknown champions of the Carioca championship capable of dribbling the entire opposing defense. There are also more traditional interpretations for the more traditionalists, but always of the highest level, such as "O Grande Amor" or "Sabiá," with Sakamoto's "touch" in evidence. It seems that a strange bird remained perched on a banana tree near the Jobim villa, immersed in rich vegetation, throughout the album's recording. It would come as soon as the famous piano started playing. Strange, but not too much: a true "Home" lives also thanks to its spirits.