Moacir Santos - Saudade
Released - 1974
Recording and Session Information
United Artists Studios, Los Angeles, CA, March 5, 6 & 12, 1974
Steve Huffsteter, trumpet, flugelhorn; Benny Powell, trombone; Morris Repass, bass trombone; Sidney Muldrow, French horn; Ray Pizzi, bassoon, alto, tenor sax, flute, piccolo, bassoon; Jerome Richardson, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone sax, flute, alto flute; Moacir Santos, alto, baritone sax, arranger, conductor; Mark Levine, piano, electric piano, arranger; Lee Ritenour, guitar; John Heard, bass, electric bass; Harvey Mason, drums; Mayuto Correa, Carmelo Garcia, congas, percussion; Donald Alves, Mike Campbell, Jose Marino, Petsye Powell, Carmen Saveiros, Regina Werneck, backing vocals.
13961-3 Early Morning Love
13962-6 Suk Cha
13963-4 Kathy
13964-3 Off And On
13965-7 A Saudade Matta A Gente
13966-4 What's My Name
13967-2 Amphibious
13968-11 This Life
13969-11 The City Of L.A.
13970-3 Happily-Happy
Track Listing
| Side One | ||
| Title | Author | Recording Date |
| Early Morning Love | Santos, Yanna Cotti | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| A Saudade Matta a Gente | Antonio Almeida, J. de Barro | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| Off and On | Santos, Cotti | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| The City of LA | Mark Levine | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| Suk Cha | Santos | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| Side Two | ||
| Kathy | Santos, Ray Evans, Jay Livingston | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| Haply-Happy | Santos, Petsye Powell | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| Amphibious | Santos, Assis | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| This Life | Santos, Cotti | March 5,6,12 1974 |
| What's My Name | Santos, Evans, Livingston | March 5,6,12 1974 |
Liner Notes
Steve Huffsteter - trumpet, flugelhorn
Benny Powell - trombone
Morris Repass - bass trombone
Sidney Muldrow - french horn
Ray Pizzi - bassoon, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo
Jerome Richardson - soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute
Mark Levine - piano, electric piano, arranger
Lee Ritenour - guitar, electric guitar
John Heard - bass, electric bass
Harvey Mason - drums
Mayuto Correa, Carmelo Garcia - conga, percussion
Donald Alves, Mike Campbell, Jose Marino, Petsye Powell, Carmen Saveiros, Regina Werneck - backing vocals
The three musical lives of Moacir Santos have been marked by sharp contrasts. The quondam child prodigy from Pernambuco In North-east Brazil, never has been less than a successful artist, one whose talent extended to almost a dozen instruments, yet to some extent his has been a roller coaster career.
Of the three main stages, the first two were documented in his Blue Note debut album, Maestro (BN-LA-007-G). The years in Northern Brazil with the traveling circus band led to prominence as a radio star in Recife; but Santos, not content With the life of a big fish in a little pond, moved to Rio, where he was a conductor for the National Radio Network from 1954-63.
During May of that year the third phase began. "I went to New York, just as a visitor for a while," he says. "Soon after I came back again to settle in the United States."
For all his fame at home, Santos remained in obscurity during the rest of that year, holed up in Newark, N.J., where he spent eight months studying English. At year's end he moved to California, partly at the urging of Sergio Mendes, with {whom he did some recording as a percussionist, "I tried to show my bag to people here, but for a long time nothing happened. I didn't mind too much — I'm a very conditioned person, simple, not worried about fame and money."
After many false starts, Santos met the one man who, instead of merely making promises, followed through on them: Horace Silver. "Horace had heard my music in Brazil. One night, at the Lighthouse In Hermosa Beach, he introduced me to the audience: afterward, he told me he was determined to really get me going here. It was through him that Blue Note Records became interested."
For this, his second Blue Note album, Santos has followed a pattern not unlike that of the first. As producer Duke Pearson said, "Moacir is so talented, and has such a sensitive ear, that he needed no guidance in the selection of musicians and material."
Petsye Powell, to whom Santos assigned the lining up of the various vocal groups, is the talented wife of the ex-Basie trombonist Benny Powell, who is also heard on this album, and a lyricist of demonstrable gifts by her Haply- Happy collaboration with Santos). The vocal solos on Early Morning Love are by Petsye and Donald Alves. For these and two other songs, English lyrics were provided by an American girl, Yanna Cotti, of whom Santos says, "My music got its American citizenship through her."
The other contributors to the writing were Dorival Caymmi, composer of the attractive A Saudade Mata A Gente (Homesickness Kills People); Mark Levine, who in addition to playing keyboards on the session was composer and arranger of The City Of LA (a reference to "la" in the solfeggio scale as well as to Los Angeles); Assis, a trumpeter friend in Brazil who worked With Santos a long time ago on the composing of Amphibious; and finally the well known U.S. team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, collaborators with Santos on two songs in the previous album, represented by What's My Name in the new set.
Despite the involvement of these qualified writers, Moacir Santos' music derives its strength essentially from his own multiple talents. As a composer, I believe that for all his successes at home, he is one the most underrated products of the Brazilian music world.
In his role as arranger, Moacir has provided his musicians with settings that enable them to adjust to the particular kind of rhythmic stimulation endemic to his music.
As in the previous album, there is a happy reconciliation of concepts, idioms, rhythmic and melodic ideas that might once have been thought irreconcilable. Schooled studio veterans like Jerome Richardson (and, needless to say, Santos himself) are juxtaposed with brilliant neophytes such as the 21 year old Lee Ritenour, whose electric guitar contributes to Haply-Happy.
Of Ray Pizzi, who plays such a striking variety of instrumental roles, Santos simply observes, "I consider him a genius." He adds that drummer Harvey Mason may be placed in the same class. The former George Shearing and Herbie Hancock percussionist was able, Moaclr points out, to assimilate immediately the particular feeling required for this ensemble.
Some of the song titles have a special meaning for Moacir. Kathy, a delightful theme in 5/4, was dedicated to a girl friend of Bob Hicks, a trumpeter who worked With Stan Kenton and Santos' own band, Suk Cha was named for Moacir's daughter-in-law from Korea, where his son served in the U.S. Army.
Summing up the philosophy that led to the generation of so much colorful music, Moacir Santos says. "My feeling is Afro-Brazilian soul." The characterization is an appropriate one, and a reflection of the soulfully modest individual who made lt.
— LEONARD FEATHER
(Author of The New Encyclopedia of Jazz, Horizon Press)
Produced by DUKE PEARSON
Executive Producer GEORGE BUTLER
Recorded At' United Artists Recording Studio. Los Angeles, California
Recorded March 5th, 6th & 12th, 1974
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