Memoria (Schema, 2014)
Of all the recent Brazilian releases that came out in the past months, one of them really stands out. It’s the latest album by singer-songwriter, guitarist and composer Tomaz di Cunto, better known artistically as Toco.
While there has been a flood of albums by Brazilian female crossover vocalists in the international market, we haven’t seen much movement in the area of male vocalists. So you really need to check out this brilliant artist. He has a captivating warm and beautiful vocal style that will take you to the golden age of Brazilian samba jazz and bossa nova.
Toco is based in Milan (Italy), where he has made various recordings for Italian label Schema. On Memoria, Toco goes back to his Brazilian roots, especially Minais Gerais and the Brazilian northeast, presenting a wonderful mix of samba jazz, classical elements and Brazilian Popular Music. It’s music that is rootsy, soulful, mesmerizing and deeply Brazilian.
“Memoria is an album about my memories, my hometown, the scent and flavors of my childhood, things I’ve read, movies I’ve watched at the cinema and my love for music,” says Toco. “It’s about going back home, re-establishing a link with the past and recalling cheerful and happy memories.”
The recording quality is outstanding. Equally brilliant are the captivating arrangements and the long list of musical collaborators who participated in the recording, including Roberto Taufic (acoustic guitar) and Eduardo Taufic (piano and fabulous Sergio Mendes-style Rhodes) from Natal (northeast Brazil), Mauro Martins (drums), Edu Hebling (double bass), Marquinho Baboo, (percussion), Ligiana Costa (vocals), Nina Miranda (vocals), Elisa Mini (vocals), and Selton (vocals).
The vocal interplay between Toco and the female vocalists really shines in pieces like ‘Rainmha’, where Nina Miranda and Toco truly captivate the listener. This wonderful male-female interaction also takes place in ‘Versos Perdidos’ with Ligiana Costa and ‘Sem par’ with Elisa Mini. Truly memorable.
Memoria was produced by Stefano Tirone, who worked on Toco’s earlier recordings, Instalacao Do Samba (Schema, 2004) and “Outro Lugar” (Schema, 2007). Outro Lugar was partly recorded in Rio de Janeiro with Roberto Menescal and other musicians from the carioca scene and featured bossa nova and samba jazz from the 60s.
Memoria presents the best of Brazil, with feel good music that takes you to imaginary tropical destinations. It’s a beautifully crafted recording in all senses, highlighting a new generation of Brazilian musicians who have absorbed the rich heritage of Brazilian traditional and popular music, taking it to the 21st century. Toco’s songs are destined to be new classics in the Brazilian songbook. Undoubtedly, Memoria is one of the best world music releases of 2014.
Buy Memoria in North America
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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.
Have just finished listening to Memoria, My roots go back to Jao,Stan,Astrid, Sergio etc, this album, old already is obviously timeless. So beautiful , I’m in awe and forever grateful to have found Toco,thank you Utube as usual!!!!