''Saudades'' ( Portuguese: "The Blues") is an album by Brazilian jazz percussionist

Naná Vasconcelos Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos, known as Naná Vasconcelos (2 August 1944 – 9 March 2016), was a Brazilian percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, notable for his work as a solo artist on over two dozen albums, and as a backing musician wi ...

recorded in March 1979 and released on ECM the following year. The ensemble features guitarist

Egberto Gismonti Egberto Amin Gismonti (born 5 December 1947) is a Brazilian composer, guitarist and pianist. Biography Gismonti was born in the small city of Carmo, Rio de Janeiro, Carmo, state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, into a music ...

backed by the

Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR'') was a German radio orchestra based in Stuttgart in Germany. History The ensemble was founded in 1945 by American occupation authorities as the orches ...

, conducted by Mladen Gutesha.ECM discography
accessed September 14, 2011

Reception

The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review by John Storm Roberts awarded the album 4½ stars, stating, "This 1979 recording is probably Afro-experimentalist Vasconcelos' finest. It presents his various facets— berimbao playing, intricate overlain vocals, fine percussion, even gorgeous guitar—simply and almost overwhelmingly. This is one of those performances that remind one to never let natural dogmatism get too out of hand."Roberts, J.
Allmusic Review
accessed September 14, 2011

Track listing

:''All compositions by Naná Vasconcelos except as indicated'' # "O Berimbau" - 18:58 # "Vozes (Saudades)" - 3:14 # "Ondas (No ólhos de Petronila)" - 7:53 # "Cego aderaldo" (

) - 10:32 # "Dado" - 3:36

Personnel

–

berimbau The berimbau (, borrowed from Kimbundu ''mbirimbau'') is a traditional Angolan musical bow that is commonly used in Brazil. It is also known as ''sekitulege'' among the Baganda and Busoga. It consists of a single-stringed bow attached to a gourd ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

s, voice *

–

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

* Mladen Gutesha – conductor **

References

ECM Records albums Naná Vasconcelos albums 1980 albums Albums produced by Manfred Eicher {{Brazil-album-stub