She opens the CD with “Chega De
Saudade,” a famous bossa nova number written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and
Vinicius de Moraes. Right away, the music sounds so positive, so full of joy,
with Mari Nobre embracing life in such a strong and bright way that it’s difficult
for the listener to not follow suit. There really is a lot of beauty in the
world, she seems to be reminding us. Take the guitar work on this track, for
example. The positive vibes of the music on this disc are likely to be at least
partly due to the fact that Mari Nobre performed this concert just a few weeks
after having surgery for cancer. Talk about bouncing right back, and not
letting things get you down. Talk about strength. Mari Nobre covers two other
Jobim compositions on this disc – “Retrato Em Branco E Preto,” which was
co-written by Chico Buarque, and “Corcovado.” On “Retrato Em Branco E Preto,”
Mari Nobre’s heartfelt vocal performance is at first accompanied only by Daniel
Szabo’s delicate and beautiful work on piano, and that’s my favorite section of
the track. The arrangement for this one was done by Mari Nobre.
One of my favorite tracks is
Mari Nobre’s version of Benny Golson’s “Whisper Not.” This rendition begins
with a slow, groovy bass solo, accompanied by just some finger snaps,
establishing a cool atmosphere. And then, once it’s established, Mari Nobre
comes in, and her vocals sound delicious. But everything about this track is
delicious, including Daniel Szabo’s work on piano and a delightful lead on
saxophone by Justo Almario. Though the Gershwin name is part of this CD’s
title, Mari Nobre covers only one song by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, “Fascinating
Rhythm.” Not a bad choice, though, right? She delivers an interesting
rendition, beginning it slowly, then, when it kicks in, giving it a Brazilian
rhythm. And I love Justo Almario’s work on flute. (By the way, if anyone hasn’t
seen Eleanor Powell’s incredible tap-dancing scene in the 1941 film Lady Be Good, I highly recommend
checking it out. It’s done to “Fascinating Rhythm,” and it makes me happy every
time I see it.)
This album contains one
original track, “Linda,” written by Mari Nobre and Patrick Lockwood, a song
that was included on the Nobresil album Original.
It’s a fun, joyful song. She also does a pretty rendition of “When I Fall In
Love” and a fun version of “Frenesi.” But as I mentioned, the song I was most
excited to hear (and the reason I first popped in this disc) is her rendition of
Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End Of Love.” I love Leonard Cohen, and this is the song
with which he kicked off every concert I saw him perform. It’s from my
favorite Leonard Cohen record, Various
Positions. This is a cool, jazzy rendition, as you might expect. The vocals
have a lightness and a playfulness that caught me off guard the first time
around, and there is even a bit of scat. Wait, does she skip the “Dance me to the children that are asking to
be born” verse, or did I just miss it? There are some nice touches on sax,
and some wonderful work on bass, including a bass solo – another surprise the
first time I heard this track. And for good measure, there is a drum solo near
the end.
CD Track List
- Chega De Saudade
- Whisper Not
- Retrato Em Branco E Preto
- Fascinating Rhythm
- Corcovado
- Linda
- When I Fall In Love
- Dance Me To The End Of Love
- Frenesi
Live And Alive: From Gershwin To Jobim… A Musical Journey was
released on April 21, 2017 on Chrome Records.
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