Egberto Gismonti - Sanfona

Egberto is one of the greatest brasilian musicians

Egberto Gismonti is a very skilled performer and composer.

He plays mainly piano but also guitar and probably several other instruments too.

In my opinion, disc 1 of this CD contains some of his most beautiful compositions. Listen the tracks and verify for yourself.

Try to find also his "Alma" CD, that in my opinion is another very good album. I only was able to find "Alma Brasileira" at Amazon, but that is another CD. February 15, 2006

Amazing Recording from an Amazing Artist

This is a fantastic recording of Egberto's music. Ranging from abstract "free" jazz to hothouse Brazilian samba inspired rhythms to meditative guitar ruminations this CD is astounding for the level of playing and interplay from all the musicians, the quality of the compositions and freshness of concept. The quartet side in particular stands out. The four musicians play with white-hot intensity on Gismonti's challenging pieces with nary a cliche in sight. It's hard to know what aspect of EG to be most impressed with: his astounding guitar playing, his virtuostic and fresh approach to the piano or his unique and powerful compositions. This is one of my all time favorite Jazz (if you can call it that!) recordings and I urge you to get it.
Highest Recommendation! April 8, 2002

A Masterpiece

I love all types of music and this an all time favorite. If you open minded, and want to hear original, heartfelt, and intellegent music, without any pretensions, this is it. The compositions, performance and feeling are all perfect on this one.
One thing to add: There are really two different parts to this CD. One is a quartet with Gismonti on mostly piano and some guitar. (The one with guitar is incredible.) And another is Gismonti going solo on (acoustic) guitar or an accordion-like "Indian Organ". The solo guitar pieces are as great as any I have heard. March 23, 2002

World-class music

Egberto and his quartet were at the top of their form in this great recording. I still remember their live performance in Buenos Aires in 1981. It was a huge indoor stadium filled with 5.000 people, and the quartet played the music on this album: Grand piano, guitar, sax, flute, bass and drum set, with Nené occasionally playing brazilian percussion. Everybody somehow knew, or felt, that they were witnessing something huge, almost incredible, bigger than life. Even if they were not familiar with his compositions.

Egberto is so much more than his music. His albums featuring photos of his family, his cousins, uncles and aunts, the Carmo of his childhood, his own children, constantly remind us that indeed it is possible and necessary to go back to our beginning, our roots, to add all that baggage to our own music, to our own lives. Especially with such a bombardment of foreign trash music and culture in our cities that has only gotten worst and worst.

In this part of the world we have a few outstanding composers and performers that have made incredible music blending the local melodies and rhythms with modern and sophisticated harmonies. Egberto is certainly one of them, together with Hermeto Pascoal and Astor Piazzolla. "Loro" makes me think of Hermeto every time I listen to it. Maracatu, one of my favorites (It is so nice to hear Egberto tell about going fishing in the middle of the night on a canoe, with a flashlight, and how this music grows, as dawn slowly comes about).
Now that Egberto has a quartet with cello and bass, one can't help but remember our dear Astor Piazzolla and his quintet.

This is superb music, played with heart and intelligence by gifted musicians. Don't try to find a label for it. It just does'n get any better than this, and thank God for the superb ECM engineering. February 1, 2002

A masterpiece

I heard this album for the first time in 1989 while in Germany, and it is one of maybe a handful of occasions I knew I was listening to something timeless and special from the first note. Over the intervening 11 years, my opinion has not changed. Forget labels - modern jazz, world jazz, classic jazz, Brazilian jazz. This is a jazz masterpiece, period. I consider no record collection to be complete without it.

Many other reviewers here have covered this territory already, so I will just add one thing I think goes unnoticed about this album: the fine work of the rhythm section. Gismonti's and Senise's playing, while brilliant, does get a bit ethereal in places. And were it not for the rock-solid backing of percussionist Nene and bassist Zeca Assumpcao, you get the feeling things could have started spinning into a mushy ECM oblivion (you know what I mean).

One reviewer here said this was the best jazz album ever recorded. I wouldn't go that far; I simply have too many favorites to pick just one. But Sanfona would be among the group I would be choosing from among. November 9, 2001

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