Viva Brasil

  

Tania Maria - Viva Brasil
2000

Tracks:

01. Florzinha (Petite Fleur) (Sidney Bechet - Tania Maria Correa Reis)
02. Tá Tudo Certo (Tania Maria Correa Reis) / Mas Que Nada (Jorge Ben Jor)
03. Sebastiana (Rosil Cavalcanti)
04. Encanto Meu (Tania Maria Correa Reis)
05. Vem Pra Roda (Tania Maria Correa Reis)
06. It's Only Love (Tania Maria Correa Reis - Leslie Carter)
07. One Note Samba (Antonio Carlos Jobim - Newton Mendonça)
08. Não Se Avexe Não (Francisco Anysio - Haydee Paula)
09. Amei Demais (Tania Maria Correa Reis)
10. Sangria (Tania Maria Correa Reis)
11. Conceição (Jair Amorim - Dunga)

Personnel:

Tania Maria (vocals, piano, synthesizer);
Cacao (saxophone, flute, clarinet);
Marc Bertaux, Carlos Werneck (bass);
Stephane Huchard (drums);
Mestre Carneiro (percussion).

  

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Want to know how to say "wow" in Portuguese? Try Tania Maria. That says it all.

On her new CD titled "Viva Brazil", Tania Maria returns—musically at least—to her native Brazil. She combines her original compositions with some of the best known Brazilian classics. Her interpretation of "Sebastiana" is second to none. And there is her stunning arrangement of "One Note Samba". She slows the normally jumpy tempo to a sultry ballad and the result is magic.

Then there are Tania Maria's original composition, my favorite being "Sangria". Like the drink, this is a wonderful blend of flavors; jazz, funk and pop.

Tania Maria adds her own creation to the rick tapestry of Brazilian music. Her blend of African rhythms and Latin melodies result in a sound that is at once soulful and rich. The ultimate ingredient in the mix is Tania Maria's sensuous voice.

From the first drum beat of the opening selection "Florzinha/Petite Fleur" and ending with the last mellow notes of "Conceicao" Tania Maria holds her listeners under her spell.

If you are already one of her many fans then this CD is the perfect addition to your collection. If you are new to the sounds of Tania Maria then this CD is the perfect introduction. Either way, don't miss it.

 

~ Barbara White

 

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Brazilian singer/pianist/composer Tania Maria launched her career in France in the 1970s and sounds as energetic as ever. One of the original crossover artists, she combines classic Brazilian rhythms and sensibility with funk, jazz, pop, and splash of rock & roll. Tania Maria is instantly recognizable: nobody would confuse her strong, lusty, distinctive voice and playful piano style (including those dissonant three-note fills) with anyone else. This CD contains one of her signature tunes, "It's Only Love," updated with Cacao's soulful sax as well as some experiments. There's a percussion-infused version of Sidney Bechet's well-known "Petite Fleur," which works so well it's the highlight of the CD, and a slow ballad take on "One Note Samba," which doesn't. The melody simply isn't interesting enough to elongate. But there are better moments here: the funky bass work and churning percussion on "Encanto Meu," "Nao Se Avexe Nao," and "Sangria," which is served up hot, with Tania Maria's fiery, Cuban-style solo and comping; the syncopated party pulse on "Vem Pr'a Roda"; and the sexy, laid-back swing on "Amei Demais." Her singing is so expressive it makes one wish that English translations of the lyrics were provided. Tania Maria's mischievous humor really comes out in her electrifying live performances, but there are hints of it here in her laughing countdown to one track and the background chorus of "Whoa!" on another. This veteran is one of a kind, and this CD is a good introduction to her sound and a must-have for fans.

 

~ Judith Schlesinger

 

 ♥

Taurus

 

Tania Maria

Taurus

1981

Tracks:

1 - Tranquility - Tania Maria
2 - Imagine - Lennon
3 - Bandeira Do Lero - Tania Maria
4 - Two A.M. - Tania Maria
5 - Que Vengan los Toros - Tania Maria
6 - Cry Me a River - Hamilton
7 - Eruption - Tania Maria

Personnel:

Tania Maria: Piano, Keys, Vocals, Composer
Willie Colon: Percussion, Conga
Eddie Durán: Guitar
Rob Fisher: Bass
Vince Lateano: Drums

Recorded at Russian Hill Recording, San Francisco, California, August 1981.

 

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Brazilian-born Tania Maria has been a leader since the tender age of 13, when her band of professional musicians, organized by her father, won first prize in a local music contest and went on to play for dances, in clubs and on the radio. Her father, a metal worker and a gifted guitarist and singer, had encouraged her to study piano so that she could play in his weekend jam sessions, where she first absorbed the rhythms and melodies of samba, jazz, pop music and Brazilian chorinho. Since then, she has never worked in anyone else's group. Exposed early to the artistry of Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Luiz Eca, Sarah Vaughan, Anita O'Day, Tom Jobim and Milton Nascimento, she developed her own masterful synthesis of what she heard an effervescent style of piano work and rapid-tongued vocals in arrangements that fuse Brazilian rhythms and Caribbean salsa with the improvised expression that is the heart of American jazz.

Her family was poor. Her 4 sisters, also musically inclined, followed their mother's prudent warnings against making careers of such inclinations and entered the fields of dentistry, psychology, engineering and advertising. Tania Maria spent 2 years studying for a law degree, married and started a family, but by the mid '70s she had answered a calling that seems to have been waiting for her since her birth. She committed herself to performing again, moving to Sao Paulo where she sang and studied piano.

Her nightlife soon led her to Paris, her home base for several years, where she recorded several albums. At a concert in Australia, her formidable musical precision and freewheeling spirit caught the attention of American guitarist Charlie Byrd, who recommended her to Carl Jefferson, head of Concord Records. "Even then", Byrd recalls, "she put her own stamp on music. I was very impressed, Tania Maria's first America album, 'Piquant', earned jazz critic Leonard Feather's Golden Feather Award".

Although 6 years of classical study underlie her solid pianistic technique, Tania Maria's highly praised vocal skills came naturally, "I'm Brazilian", she says, "and singing is the greatest tradition we have!". Well known for ebullient scat singing, she indetifies herself primarily as a pianist. "I play percussion on my piano", she explains, rather than smooth runs up and down scales. And she often scats in unison or harmony with the notes that flow from her touch, soaring beyond the constraints of words. "The first person that I heard that did this was a Brazilian, Sivuca, and he did this with the accordion, the same thing that George Benson does with his guitar. So I was thinking, it they can do it with the accordion and guitar, why can't I do it with the piano? For me it's so easy in one way it's my trademark. You know somehow that Tania Maria is passing by!"

"There's a kind of musician that utilizes the music to pass their lyrics, because the message is not in the music, the messages is in their lyrics. I don't think I'm that kind of person. When I do my improvisations, I have the impression that I am saying something. The music conducts me to a certain space and a certain message."
"In our day, the less you talk, the more you do. I'm a little tired to listen to politicians say, oh, 'Read my lips'. It's better for me to boop-be-doo-boop-be-ooh-boo - then it's difficult to read my lips!".
Based in New York since the '80s, this extraordinary improviser best known for her fiery interpretation of Brazilian, Afro-Latin, Pop and Jazz Fusion, in a style that is uniquely her own. Tania has played virtually every important Jazz Festival in the world and has appeared on countless television and radio programmes. Tania has recorded 19 albums and in 1985 was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category "Best Jazz Vocal Performance - Female Artist". In 1995 Tania performed at prestigious venues like The Blue Note and famous festivals like Saratoga Jazz Festival, New Orleans Heritage Festival, etc... all over the world. 

When she chooses to perform live, everyone, including Tania Maria, is in for a joyful celebration of "the colors of people, the many different sounds of people". She tells us "When I play, I have the possibility to be 80 percent more on the side of happiness. The other 20 percent, it's up to the public to put in!".

 
TaniaMaria

 
WikiMaria
  

  

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