PÉROLAS - AGOSTINHO DOS SANTOS

The two most beautiful male voices in MPB during the 1950s belonged to Cauby Peixoto and Agostinho dos Santos. If the first one is remembered to this day, Agostinho wasn't that lucky. When he died in a plane crash in 1973, aged 41, the memory of his music was run over by the politics-related music that was being done in Brazil at the time, miles away from the romanticism and tenderness of his style. This collection rescues recordings made between 1958 and 1960 on RGE, where he released six precious LPs. There are gems like A Felicidade (Tom & Vinicius) and Manhã de Carnaval (Antonio Maria & Luiz Bonfá) - which would be turned into his greatest hits - included on the soundtrack of Marcel Camus' Black Orpheus.

Therefore, Tom, Vinicius, Menescal, Bôscoli, Carlos Lyra, Newton Mendonça, Oscar Castro Neves and Baden Powell are some of the songwriters represented on this compilation. Even after so many covers, Eu Sei que Vou Te Amar, Dindi, Desafinado, Chega de Saudade, Primavera, Samba de uma Nota Só, O Barquinho and Chora Tua Tristeza still sound fresh in Agostinho's versions, since he was one of the first artists to record them. There are also three classic samba-tunes: Fim de Caso and A Noite do Meu Bem (Dolores Duran) and Balada Triste (Dalton Vogeler/ Esdras da Silva), one of his greatest hits. By listening to him, one realizes that the fantastic singer deserved more attention.

(Rodrigo Faour)