NanaVasconcelos was born in Recife on the Northeast Coast of Brazil and, even after twenty years of playing throughout the world, his roots are apparent in everything he plays.
Nana returned to Brazil and recorded his album, Amazonas, and began a collaboration with guitarist Egberto Gismonti that lasted for eight years and produced three albums of duets.
Nana's very original use of the drum machine is distinguished by an unusually careful tuning that makes it sound almost organic and by his ability to play it live, typing out polyrhythms instead of programming them layer by layer.
Naná Vasconcelos is one of the cluster of endlessly inventive Brazilian percussionists who were changing the direction and sounds of Brazilian jazz in the post-bossa nova 1970s.
Vasconcelos is an especially inventive virtuoso of the berimbau, the weird yet expressive instrument shaped like an archer's bow, and he is also adept at the odd-numbered meters (5/4, 7/4) that were used frequently in the north but not the south of Brazil.
In the meantime, Vasconcelos joined the Pat Metheny Group from 1980 to 1983 as a "special guest," one who had the effect of rerouting Metheny's music in the general direction of Brazil.
NanaVasconcelos and Antonello Salis had already played together, twenty years ago: a meeting that resulted in “Lester”, the album that came out in 1988 under Soul Note.
The trio Vasconcelos, Salis and Consolmagno is based on pliability, the ability to invent melodies and on the simplicity with which they build new forms of musical experience.
Nana is not only popular, he is also an innovator, who has amplified the concept of percussion extending it to everything that emits sound: nature, electronics and human bodies are the fields where Nana have made his experiments, always bearing in mind the Brazilian musical tradition.
Of course, I am not saying nothing new, but although everybody knows the capacity and skills of Andersen, Towner and Vasconcelos, this trio works as an unit.The music of this CD can take your imagination to go around not only to all the world but to your interior in search for different emotions.
This CD is a marvelous marriage of two widely varying styles of music--it's extremely successful at shaping the moments of transition between the Bach and the African music as well as overlaying the two.
Someone once said that if Naná Vasconcelos ever lost his luggage, with all his instruments in it, on his way to a concert, he could still do it, and it would bring people to tears.
This CD contains the Nana Vasconcelos's Saravah albums (from 1971 to 1973) : Africadeus (berimbau solo) and his work with the « new bossa » brasilian musician Nelson Angelo and Novelli (during their exile in France).
Naná Vasconcelos, the worldly renowned musician, recognized as the best percussionist of the world by the media in several occasions, releases his new album.
His musical inspiration for this title was the image of the first African that laid his feet in Brazilian soil.
Naná Vasconcelos (Juvenal da Hollanda Vasconcelos), a percussionist with gifted creativity, was born in 1944 in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil and began a career in music over thirty-five years ago.
He invited me to the studio where he was mixing his new CD, and on the way we stopped by the late Collin Walcott's apartment and a restaurant where Codona used to eat.
When we got to the studio, without taking a break, Nana went right to work on his CD, which is a diverse assorment of acoustic guitar, chanting, rapping, singing, and his ever tasteful and creative percussion.
A seca (Dino Braia, Mércia Rangel, Alceu Valença e Naná Vasconcelos)...
Naná Vasconcelos toca com quarteto de cordas - 18/8/2003...
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"The world's foremost Brazilian percussionist, Nana's stunning virtuosity is matched only by the originality of his compositional vision.
The music here ranges from his trademark solo music to ensemble pieces featuring some of his favorite collaborators, among them Cyro Baptista and Egberto Gismonti, including a lovely piece for string orchestra.
Nana's seductive voice and percussion is on the forefront throughout, weaving in and out of this delightful collection of award-winning film scores."
Location: Home » Pop/Rock CD Reviews » Badi Assad — Verde — Badi Assad, vocals and guitar; featuring NanaVasconcelos and Cordel do fogo Encantado; many others — DGG Edge
Badi Assad — Verde — Badi Assad, vocals and guitar; featuring NanaVasconcelos and Cordel do fogo Encantado; many others — DGG Edge B0004978-02 — 46 min.
Badi Assad comes from a musical family; her bothers are the Assad duo with a number of spectacular classical guitar and crossover recordings on the Nonesuch label, and she also received extensive training in classical guitar.
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Vasconcelos is an especially inventive virtuoso of the berimbau, the weird yet expressive instrument shaped like an archer's bow, and he is also adept at the odd-numbered meters (5/4, 7/4) that were used..