Visions of Dawn (Far Out Recordings, 2009)
The 1970s were years of exploration and high creativity in music. Brazil was no exception. You can relive the feel of the era with the release of an album titled Visions of Dawn, recorded by one of Brazil’s finest singers, Joyce, together with renowned musicians Nana Vasconcelos and Mauricio Maestro. This is not a reissue, but rather a "lost album," an outstanding project that was never released up to now.
Recorded in 1976, Visions of Dawn has a timeless, dreamy feel. Musically, the trio’s style at the time was called acid folk. What this translates to is a mesmerizing cocktail of acoustic Brazilian folk idioms and psychedelic rock explorations, featuring Joyce’s vivid vocals. Far Out Recordings in the UK unearthed this gem which brought together Joyce and two of her best friends, percussionist Nana Vasconcelos and producer, guitarist and bassist Mauricio Maestro. "We recorded an album there [Paris] with our friend Nana Vasconcelos, who then lived in France," says Joyce. "We were ready for new adventures."
This was not the first time the three musicians worked together. Joyce, Mauricio and Nana became friends as part of Milton Nascimento’s Clube da Esquina (club on the corner), a musical movement characterized by the fusion of traditional Brazilian music with modern rock music.
The three musicians participated in Nascimento’s legendary Clube da Esquina albums. Joyce, Mauricio and Nana were also part of Sagrada Familia, another seminal Brazilian band led by Luiz Eça. In addition, Joyce and Nana played together in A Tribo, an additional legendary band that included Nelson Angelo, Joyce, Novelli, Toninho Horta and Naná Vasconcelos.
" Visions of Dawn in the language of Barack Obama – is taken from the suite of our 1976 disc," adds Joyce. "For the album to be more psychedelic would be impossible. This is not a Joyce album, this is a work of three heads."
Visions of Dawn is a stunning set of recordings by some of Brazil’s finest at their prime.
Buy the CD:
- In North America: Visions of Dawn
- In Europe: Visions of Dawn (CD), Visions of Dawn: the Paris 1976 Project (vinyl)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
