Track Listing

1. Pt. 1: Quarto Mundo #1/Danca das Cabecas/Luminosas Aguas/Celebracao de
2. Pt. 2: Tango/Bambuzal/Fe Cega Faca Amolada/Danca Solitaria

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #160761 in Music
• Released on: 2000-08-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued

Customer Reviews

Essential
If you're not familiar with Egberto Gismonti's music, I'd start with this one. Not that it's the most accessible one, but simply because this one will deeply touch you, most likely. It's my favorite one, among the 15-some CDs I got. When I heard this one in my early 20s, it totally changed my musical horizon, and opened doors. This music seems as pure and intuitive as it could be. It's pure emotion, while its musicality and complexity are beyond the reach of most of us fellow musicians. Gismonti and Vasconcelos are going beyond the bondaries of any classification. There is something of the native amazonian forest people in there, there is classical music too, probably due to Gismonti's classical piano training with Nadia Boulanger, and Villa-Lobos influence, there is lots of heart and emotions. I don't know many artists who have been able to reach such heights on both guitar and piano (Ralph Towner is probably the other one). I consider Nana Vasconcelos as the best percussionist of all times. Egberto and Nana are the most amazing duo. My 2 cents.

Some of the most memorable music ever written
This is the sort of music that stays with you for the rest of your life. In my case, Egberto's music was a window that brought light and fresh air in the middle of the terror and concentration camps of Argentina in the 70's.
I remember saving money, week after week, in order to be able to get these early ECM recordings, as well as the imports from the brazilian labels.

In one of his presentations in Buenos Aires during this horrible period, Egberto was denied the use of the Steinway piano at the concert hall, since according to the theater officials, he wasn't a "classical pianist". Thank God, an even better, German-made Steinway was produced before the concert started.
In the process, Egberto was kind enough to give these bureaucrats a little lesson in the fine art of temperature and humidity control as it pertained to the preservation of the piano he was denied access to. Just a fine example of the kind of person Gismonti really is.

Egberto meet Nana by chance, in Paris, as he was on his way to Oslo, for the recording of this music. It was to be a "solo" album at first. But the meeting proved to be a blessing. These dear musicians made one of the most memorable recordings of music that I can think of, only hours after the first meet each other.

I always have the same dream at night: Egberto and Astor Piazzolla, side by side, sitting in front of a very long music score, making revisions, composing, giving us some of the most memorable and lasting bodies of music ever. They have indeed done just that, each in their own particular way, and we are better human beings, thanks to them.

Magico!
Egberto Gismonti is one of the most talented jazz musicians around. His flute-playing is pretty impressive on side one; his guitar work, also on side one, is simply staggering. But when you turned the LP over and heard his fantastic piano, you cannot help but be amazed. I know nothing about the technicalities of playing keyboards, but if someone had told me it was Keith Jarrett or Lyle Mays playing, I would have believed them.

This is one of those LPs that I bought when it first came out, back in 1977, and have re-purchased on CD. This is where it all started, ECM-wise, for Gismonti and Vansconcelos. As soon as you start playing the album, you feel like you've let the Amazonian jungle into your room. Vasconcelos can conjure up an entire rainforest with his percussive background effects. Gismonti spent a period in the Brazilian jungle working with Indian musicians in order to gather material for this album, and it shows ... wonderfully. I should add that Gismonti is a classically trained musician -- he had studied in Paris.

This album is quite unlike any other in my collection. It is definitely not from the Windham Hill or Narada stables. Difficult in parts, it's magical everywhere.