Tom
Jobim and Elis Regina were two towering figures of Brazilian popular music that
crucially helped to advance and disseminate this musical genre. While Jobim
played a pivotal role in the birth of bossa nova together with Vinícius de
Moraes and João Gilberto, Regina was a performer whose excellent voice and
emotional commitment to music rendered one of the most talented and cherished
singers in Brazil. Elis & Tom
fulfilled Regina’s old wish of recording some of Jobim’s most relevant songs
with the composer, and the result is stunning. The record begins with perhaps
the best rendition of “Águas de Março”, where Regina and Jobim engage in a
playful and very entertaining call and response. In “Triste”, Regina sings
about solitude and disillusion against a melancholy backdrop of piano, flutes
and electric guitar. “Soneto da Separação” is a beautiful parting song where
Jobim and Regina illustrate the separation between loved ones with witty
metaphors. “Inútil Paisagem” concludes the record in low spirits and addresses
the pain of loneliness, namely how it renders beauty useless. For a glimpse of Elis & Tom, I share “Chovendo na
Roseira”, a hopeful tune that deals with life and renewal:
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