LUZES DA MESMA LUZ

Eduardo Gudin is one lucky man. He has managed to make many a composers' dream come true: to have their works recorded with an orchestra and a singer. Better, still: the orchestra, assembled especially for the occasion, is really good, and the singer is no one other than the excellent Fátima Guedes. Aged 50, Gudin has been contributing to Brazilian music for 30 years, as illustrated in songs like Mordaça, Paulista, Verde and albums like Eduardo Gudin & Notícias do Brasil (1995). In this Luzes da Mesma Luz, though, what comes to light is his arranger skils. Gudin wrote all of the arrangements in the album, firmly conducting violin, viola, cello, clarinet, flute, saxophone, bugle, trumpet and percussion sections which accompany himself on the guitar, Lito Robledo on the bass and Toninho Pinheiro on the drums. The orchestra elements are used carefully. Fátima Guedes, with her one-of-a-kind key, imprints a type of withheld emotion that fits the rich fluency of the whole concept, transforming the vocals into one more orchestra instrument.

Best tracks: Abertura, Verde, Velho Ateu, Ainda Mais, Ângulos, Neo-Brasil, Apaixonada and Canção Serena. The booklet features charming reproductions of Cláudio Tozzi's art work.


(Nana Vaz de Castro)