Baden Powell – Canto De Ossanha
Baden Powell – Canto De Xango
Baden Powell – Manha De Carneval
Picked up a pristine copy of this record at a record store in Barcelona by the name of Wah-Wah (which shrink wraps all their LPs, at first I was thinking “how can one store have so many sealed copies!” but alas, not the case).
Back in the day, I used to have a slightly beat up copy of this from Groove Merchant, but I can’t tell you how happy I was to find this one. This record is the MOST necessary Brazilian record in my collection. All instrumental, jazz, bossa, samba sounds and just truly sublime playing by a true master Baden Powell. “Canto De Ossanha” is perhaps the best known track on here, but every single one is a winner, from the start with “Tristeza” to the end with “O Astronauta.” “Canto De Xango” is maybe my favorite track on here, with it’s oh so very tranquil flute and guitar duet to begin and then a 180 degree shift into Brazilian percussion and trademark work from Baden, sounding as if he’s two guitarists with just these gorgeous cascading lines.
Another personal favorite is “Som Do Carnaval” which actually doesn’t feature any guitar and is an all percussion samba that gets you moving. More pensive sounds for a late afternoon (or very late night) include “Round About Midnight,” “Manha De Carneval” and “Das Rosas.”
I’m not sure if this is still in print on CD, I’ve never seen a reissue on vinyl. In the 1990s Polygram had a 2 disc compilation called “Three Originals” that included this album with a couple others recorded around the same time. In whatever format, if you can find this music, I highly recommend getting it.