Record of the day: Marcos Valle, "Jet-Samba"

Record of the day: Marcos Valle, “Jet-Samba”

Marcos Valle
Jet-Samba (Cd Dubas/Universal 3259120066398)

Are you starting to feel a certain tingling in your legs with the desire to treat yourself to a few days of vacation? It's still early to move, but while waiting for the still distant summer you can treat yourself to an hour of relaxation, perhaps dreaming of a few hammocks on the beach, in the company of one of the greatest Brazilian musicians, MarcosValle, who has been in the front row for over forty years among the protagonists of music with the yellow-green flag.

Valle is known for his songs covered by dozens of artists around the world, from “Summer Samba” to “Adam's Hotel”, from “Samba de Verão” to “Viola Enluarada”, and has worked with artists such as Milton Nascimento , Eumir Deodato and Dori Caymmi.
Despite his beautiful voice, Marcos is able to demonstrate his ability even without it, so I advise you to pay attention to “Jet-Samba”, entirely instrumental, because it allows you to fully enjoy Valle's skill as a composer and arranger.

They are twelve delicious tracks, lazily laid on spicy bossa nova rhythms with a few handfuls of pop and jazz flavors.
Valle mainly uses the warm sound of an old Fender Rhodes electric piano, which brings to mind the recordings of his friend Deodato and Sergio Mendes; this deliberately slightly retro flavor runs through the entire album, full of very refined harmonic scores that always maintain great catchiness thanks to the melodic freshness of the themes.

There is no song of a lower level than the others and it is difficult to decide whether the mariachi-flavored trumpets of “Brasil/Mexico” or the piano theme of “Catedral” are better (which seems to pay homage to Villa-Lobos in alternating atmospheres melancholy and wild interludes in frevo style).

The theme that gives the album its title insinuates itself softly into the memory and never leaves it again, and the instrumental contribution of expert musicians such as the percussionist Armando Marçal (formerly with the Pat Metheny Group) and Jacques Morelenbaum (unforgettable cellist alongside Caetano Veloso ) adds further refinement to the fragrant recipe that Valle prepares for us. Exquisite brass and wind performances, masterly balance of the arrangements and a completely relaxed atmosphere make this album an authentic balm against daily stress.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.