Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

What with Hair re-launching in the West End, it’s time to get Aquarian in a Brazilian way. And what better way than with the latest release on Far Out Recordings, Aquarius. Joyce Moreno (commonly known as just Joyce) is a near close to the voice of Brazil as you can get and when Antionio Carlos Jobim says she is “one of the greatest singers of all time”, your own ears can’t disagree. Not that there’s been any question about how good she is for decades now and this collection of 13 tracks is a little bit extra special as she’s been teamed up with bossa legend Joao Donato.

So you’ll be expecting a mix of bossa nova, traditional samba and laidback Cuban rhythms; and you get it. The songs on Aquarius and a mix of classic and new but each one is sublime to a degree that’s perfection of cool. From the first notes of ‘No Fundo do Mar’ to the last of ‘Chama o Donato’, this album is a pure “Joy(ce)”.

Hard to pick out any tracks above the rest but ‘Amazonas’ is total cool-jazz with strings, flutes, winds, piano backing Joyce in style. Sometimes you’re just lost for words and this album is as good as any in Joyce’s 20 albums in career that started in 1968. There’s no let up in her majesty. From being a member of influential bands A Tribo and Luiz Eça y la Familia Sargrada(they of the classic La Nueva Onda De Brasil with tours with Vinicius de Moraes (co-writer of ‘The Girl From Ipanema’) in Europe.

So whilst it’s not exactly her rediscovered 70s material (released on Far Out last year as Visions Of A Dawn), ‘Guarulhos Cha Cha Cha’ is a bit cheesey and ‘Luz da Cancao’ is “dinner jazz” (albeit very good dinner jazz), we can overlook this as ‘Caymmi Visita Tom’ shuffles down the beach and we get a fantastic version of her 1980 big hit, ‘Feminina’ (not that she could do a bad version).

And the title track is super cool with a great work by the band whilst showcasing Joyce’s renown jazz skating; afraid it fades out a bit too quick for my liking but you can’t complain really. The duets on ‘Xango e de Bae’ and ‘E Passa o Carrossel’ provide yet more highlights along with the closing track.

Every time we get a new release from Far Out Recordings we always say can it be as good as the last? Iin this case, it was spot on Garrincha!! Estrela Solitaria (The Lonely Star) and whilst that one is still a favourite in the FLY offices (especially as the World Cup is coming soon), but you’ll be hard pressed not to love Aquarius as it’s top quality throughout..

Reviewed: Joyce & Donato - Aquarius (Far Out Recordings) Cat. No: FARO149CD Release date: 5th April 2010
Tracklisting:
1. No Fundo do Mar (4:36)
2. Amor nas Estrelas (3:30)
3. Amazonas (3:50)
4. Guarulhos Cha Cha Cha (2:39)
5. Caymmi Visita Tom (3:06)
6. Xango e de Bas (2:18)
7. Luz da Cancao (3:19)
8. Feminina (4:32)
9. Aquarius (3:34)
10. E Passa o Carrossel (3:46)
11. E Muto Mais (3:47)
12. Tardes Cariocas (2:53)
13. Chama o Danato (3:07)

Links:
www.joyce-brasil.com
www.myspace.com/joycebrasil
www.faroutrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/faroutrecordings
The Original Broadway cast of HAIR - the love begins at the Gielgud Theatre 1.4.10 www.hairthemusical.co.uk
Guanabara www.guanabara.co.uk Parker St (corner Drury Lane), London WC2B 5PW
Cosmic Soundas Radio cosmicsounds-london.comTROG 17.4.20 with ZELJKO KERLETA:
01. Isao Suzuki - Orang-Utan.(Three Blind Mice)
02. Don Ellis Orchestra - Turkish Bath (Columbia)
03. Thomas Almqvist - Horisont (Mistlur)
04. Ray Barretto - Lucretta the Cat (Fania)
05. Cal Tjader - Gringo City (Fantasy)
06. Luiz Eça Y La Familia Sagrada - Homem da Sucursal-Barravento (Lazarus)
07. Sergio Mendes - Love Music (Polydor)
08. J.J. Johnson - Theme From Cleopatra Jones (WB)
09. Ohio Players - Don’t Say Goodbye (Arista)