Johnny Alf Johnny Alf
Selling Points
• This wonderful self-titled album was first released on vinyl in 1966 by Rozenblit. • Features legendary musicians Hermeto Paschoal (flute) and Airto Moreira (drums). • Highly regarded as the “true father of the bossa nova” among Brazilian musicians. • Artists such as Simone, Alcione, and Emilio Santiago have recorded Alf’s tracks.
This wonderful self-titled album by pianist, singer, and composer Johnny Alf was first released on vinyl in 1966 by Rozenblit. Here, the bossa nova pioneer sings beautiful songs featuring legendary musicians Hermeto Paschoal on flute and Airto Moreira on drums.
Genre: Brazil/World Label: Mr Bongo Recordings CD: MRB 93 Price Code: U (SRP $19.99) Number of Discs: 1 Digipak, Box Lot 30 D
U.S. ORDERS ONLY
VINYL: MRB 93 Price Code: X (SRP $31.99) Number of Discs: 1 LP Jacket, Box Lot 20 Street Date: 1/8/13
STREET DATE JANUARY 8, 2013
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U.S. ORDERS ONLY
Johnny Alf: piano, vocals Hermeto Paschoal: flute Airto Moreira: drums Track Listing: Kao Xango • Cancao pra Disfarcar • Ceu Alegre • Imenso do Amor • Quase Todo Igual • Gismi • Samba Sem Balanco • Se Eu Te Disser • Bossa So • Tudo Que e Preciso • Eu So Sei • Eu Quis Fugir de Teus Olhos • Eu E A Brisa (CD Bonus Track)
When Alf was nine years old, his mother’s employers offered him a deal: if he passed the entrance exams to a well-regarded local state school, they would pay for his piano lessons. Alf spent the next six years studying classical piano, Brazilian popular music, and U.S. jazz. Heavily influenced by composers such as Debussy and Bach, as well as jazz musicians Cole Porter and George Gershwin, Alf co-founded a Frank Sinatra fan club in Rio in the late 1940s. His first major career break came when he was recruited to play in Hotel Plaza in the Copacabana neighborhood, a meeting point that many see as the birthplace of bossa nova. Among the regulars were Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Alf’s reputation for pioneering a new sound earned him the nickname “Senhor Modernidade” (“Mr. Modernity”). He produced only 20 records, but he had a huge impact on his country’s music. He passed away at age 80 in 2010, and after his death the lyrics to one of his best-known songs — “Eu e a Brisa” — were read out in the Brazilian senate.
“An influential Brazilian songwriter, pianist, and singer whose delicately swinging music was a precursor to the bossa nova.” — NEW YORK TIMES “A true genius … he introduced Brazil to a new way of singing, playing, and composing several years before the term ‘bossa nova’ was coined.” — ALL MUSIC GUIDE “A ’60s bossa classic from Johnny Alf, a set that really showcases the bluer side of bossa at the time! The set’s got a rich, sophisticated sort of sound, right up there with the best Elenco or Forma vocal sessions of the ’60s … easily one of his greatest efforts.” — DUSTY GROOVE