Samba Jazz & Love

The contents of this cd (I've tried to buy it twice - once used, once new) is NOT the 2013 release "Samba, Jazz and Love, but actually the 2010 release: "Harpa Brasiliena". It's great music, I have it and enjoy it. In fact I wanted more. Very disappointing to be sent a mislabeled piece of plastic. I'm grateful to Amazon's return policy, but I would love to get my hands on the real thing. I've tried getting in contact with ENJA have not heard back from them.Cristina Braga is great!! If this problem ever gets fixed (and I don't know how I'll ever know) I'll certainly try to buy a third time.

Cristina Braga is something of a unique pleasure - she sings, she plays the harp, she does both with an ensemble of friends on this very soothing and gentle CD of music from her native Brazil. Braga is principal harpist with the Rio de Janeiro Symphony and has worked as a soloist with many symphony orchestras. She is also professor of harp at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and a member of the directors' board of the World Harp Congress. She is considered one of the most important harpists in South America - showing the world a harp with Brazilian soul, spreading out the possibilities of her instrument and introducing listeners worldwide to the sound of the Latin American jazz harp. And now she proves that she is as comfortable in popular music as she is in the classics.In addition to her own improvisational use of the harp as her accompanist, she here adds a supportive group of musicians to enhance her appeal. The ensemble, then, is Cristina Braga voice and harp, 
Ricardo Medeiros, doublebass
, Jessé Sadoc, trumpet and flugelhorn, 
Joca Moraes, alfaia drums and tambourin, and 
Arthur Dutra, vibraphone.All of the compositions are from Brazilian composers, sung primarily in Portuguese, and a great assortment of songs Braga has selected:Love Parfait (Medeiros / Vilhena)O Barquinho (Menescal / BoscoliSamba e Amor (Chico Buarque)Desafinado (Jobim)Rio Paraiso (Rosenbilt / Tapajós)Triste de Quem (Santos / de Moraes)Só Dan ço Samba (Jobim / de Moraes)Preciso Me Encontrar (Candeia)Canta Mais (Jobim / de Moraes)Chovendo Na Roseira (Jobim)Desde Que o Samba É Samba (Caetano Veloso)This is sultry, subtle and seductive music from the fingers and voice of Cristina Braga - and friends! Grady Harp, June 13

Ich finde die CD rundum gelungen. Cristina Braga kann durchaus singen (die erste Rezension kann ich in keinster Weise nachvollziehen) und sie beweist, dass Samba, Jazz und Harfe hervorragend zusammenpassen können. Mit etwas mehr Abwechslung hätte es fünf Sterne gegeben, so vier und alle, die Bebel Gilberto lieben und auch was für Harfe übrig haben, werden den Kauf dieser CD nicht bereuen.

Selten eine so schlechte CD gehört. Die Begleitband geht ja noch, aber Frau Braga kann nicht singen und erst recht nicht Harfe spielen.Die Stimme erinnert an Melodie Gardot im Koma. Und die Harfe? Grauenvoll. Nicanor Zabaleta und Jonny Teupen drehen sich im Grab um und Deborah Henson-Conant kann beruhigt feststellen, dass sie immer noch die Beste ist. Besser als Dorothy Ashby ist sie sowieso.Was Frau Braga unter Samba versteht, ist mir schleierhaft. Langweiliges Gelulle oder was? Sogar wirklich sehr schöne Jobim Titel wie "So danso Samba" oder "Desafinado" sind einfach nur öde. Und: Harfe spielen ist eindeutig mehr als nur ein paar lustlose Glissandi runter zu schrubben.Finger weg, Geldverschwendung.