Nana Vasconcelos Saudades LP

Tracking Angle Rated 9/10 Music, 9/10 Sonics!

Luminessence, ECM's new audiophile vinyl reissue series, is a kaleidoscope, shedding light on the jewels of the label's deep catalogue in elegant, high-quality editions. The hallmarks of the series: original and evocative music, imaginatively played and sensitively produced. The recordings underline the scope and variety of ECM's world of sound and the LPs are presented in different formats.

The series features albums that have changed perceptions of creative music making, albums now heralded as classics.

Brazilian percussionist Naná Vasconcelos's Saudades album, recorded in March 1979, was the culmination of a dream for a musician who had long yearned to hear the berimbau in an orchestral context. This 'concerto' for an innovative player of a traditional instrument was made possible with the creative input of Egberto Gismonti, here the arranger of the material for strings, as well as co-composer and supporting soloist. The Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart was conducted by Mladen Gutesha (who had worked with ECM previously on trans-idiomatic projects with Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek and Terje Rypdal). Produced by Manfred Eicher, Saudades remains an extraordinary journey, an ahead-of-its-time album, waiting for the world to catch up. This vinyl reissue, in gatefold sleeve, adds new liner notes providing historical context and background information.

This 1979 recording is probably Afro-experimentalist Vasconcelos' finest. It presents his various facets - berimbao playing, intricate overlain vocals, fine percussion, even gorgeous guitar - simply and almost overwhelmingly. This is one of those performances that remind one to never let natural dogmatism get too out of hand.

the interplay between the raw, vibrant sound of the berimbau and the lush, beautiful string parts create a soundscape unlike any other

In a word: Beautiful.