GHA Records, the label fot the guitare since 1988 !
Website by Digital Tribe
Website by Digital Tribe
When Leo Brouwer asked me if I’d ever thought of reissuing my first album Dança dos tons which first came out in Brazil in 1989, I mentioned it to the GHA label and they were very enthusiastic about it. In addition they suggested that I should smooth the transition between the musician I was at the time, and the artist I have since become, by recording four new songs, a blend of voice and guitar recorded with natural acoustics, something I had not done for a long time.
In fact there are fourteen years between these songs and the eight pieces taken from the first recording, which also took place in August, in that same city of São Paulo where I was living at the time and where I returned to live a short while ago. It was very emotional remembering how I chose the repertoire, going for works with plenty of character, inspired by folk music, written by classical composers (Leo Brouwer, Roland Dyens and Sérgio Assad), pieces to which I then decided to add percussion and sound effects. It was also on this occasion that I timidly allowed my own voice to be heard.
For the concert celebrating the release of this album, none of the musicians who had taken part in it were available, not even my father. However, the various sound effects were such a fundamental part of my music that it was unthinkable to perform without these sounds. Then suddenly the inspiration was born to start imitating the sounds with my voice, never for a moment suspecting that I was creating a new style, one which was to become my own. It was a fascinating time as I began to train my voice, and eventually it enabled me to find my own niche in a madly competitive world.
Badi Assad
Badi Assad was born in São Paulo, Brazil and started playing the guitar when she was fourteen, inspired and coached by her father and her two brothers, the world famous Sérgio and Odair Assad. Since then she has become an incredible all-round musician blending her voice into her music with the guitar. It has developed into an absolutely unique style which has eradicated the boundaries between singer and guitar player. This album is partly a remake of Badi Assad’s first album: Dança dos tons”, which first came out in Brazil in 1989. GHA Records was very enthusiastic about it, and inspired Badi to work at and smooth the transition from the musician Bady was at the time to the artist she has become. It resulted in the recording of four exciting new songs, a blend of voice and guitar, recorded with natural acoustics. The program includes well-known pieces such as the Ballada de la doncella enamorada” by Leo Brouwer, Saudade nr.3 by Roland Dyens, and a wonderful composition by Sérgio Assad called Preludio e tocatina which is a beautiful, colourful mixture of the sound of “South America”. By adding rhythm and folkloristic instruments and voice to the pieces of Leo Brouwer and Roland Dyens, they grow even more in depth and make their character even clearer. Very exciting is the mysterious sound world that Badi creates on “La huida de los amantes por el valle de los ecos” by Leo Brouwer! It is a joy to listen to the “world of music” that is called Badi Assad, and her voice and guitar playing are unique.
Badi Assad is a young Brazilian performer whose accolades include top prize in 1987’s International Villa-Lobos Festival and critical recognition from Guitar Player and Acoustic Guitar. This wonderful compilation presents eight tracks from her 1989 debut album, Dança dos tons, together with four solo pieces recorded in 2003. Assad now combines her classical guitar technique with wordless singing, occasional lyrics and mouth percussion. The 1989 recordings focus on Assad’s guitar and include sparse percussion, mandolin and guitar (contributed by other musicians). Although the new tracks are more self-assured and even daring, each piece is spellbinding. Many tracks recall Latin America’s classical music tradition and display a more mature harmonic sense than one usually hears on guitar-based recordings. Assad takes her time developing moods throughout the CD, beginning with four slower, meditative pieces. On the fifth track, “Vrap,” she picks up the pace and increases tension, which she later releases on “Joana Francesca” and several slower, somewhat languorous, pieces. “Saudade No.3” continues in this vein, beginning with a solo guitar introduction, then segueing into a tango with mandolin and 7-string guitar added.
Assad closes the album with two charming Cuban and Catalan folk pieces. The performances on this CD form a well-paced, captivating whole – I recommend it enthusiastically.
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