Aquarela Do Brasil

 (15 customer reviews)

On a scale of 1 to 5, "Aquarela Do Brasil" is a SIX!! One of the great MPB performances of all time, with Toots Thielemans adding soaring beautiful harmonica/guitar solos between some truly amazing vocals by Elis Regina. Plus Toots gives three solid solo performances, including an Elis tribute.

Recorded in 1969, during a "howling snowstorm" in Stockholm Sweden of all places, the Brazilian Super-Diva, Elis Regina, and the acclaimed jazz master, Toots Thielemans, conjured up a steaming, mid-summer Brazilian beach in the studio. Elis is on fire throughout and clearly having alot of fun! Her musical quintet, Elis Cinco, is brilliant and audibly enthusiastic. Singing with a wide range of emotions and tossing off gymnastic phrases with ease, Elis is incredible! She wields her voice like a knief, cutting quickly and deeply into each song. Toots is equally brilliant and the entire ensemble plays like old musical friends. I speak no Portuguese but this music is as clear as a...Read more

I spend quite a bit of time commuting, so I carry a heavy cache of CDs with me to pass the drivetime. I'll probably turn this CD into pulp, I play it so much. There's a good mix of tempos among the tracks. I especially enjoy "Aquarela Do Brasil," "Visao," and "Honeysuckle Rose." The talents of Toots and Elis make for a wonderful blend of sound. If you want a good CD for drivetime (as well as elsewhere), this CD is definitely it!

What a voice! I would buy this cd for wave alone,much less the rest of this brilliant album.Elis blessed the world with that magnificent voice, and she breaks my heart with it at the same time.Thank you Elis,for giving us all you had.