Antônio Maria
Antônio Maria wrote the lyrics that made Luiz Bonfá's Manhã de Carnaval a global standard. The song's carnival dawn of longing, later sung in English as A Day in the Life of a Fool, anchors Black Orpheus and endless jazz readings.
Working with Bonfá he also wrote Samba do Orfeu, another strand of the Orfeu score that travelled far beyond the film. Earlier Brazilian radio hits such as Menino Grande and Ninguém Me Ama already showed his plainspoken gift for everyday feeling set to popular melody. The Orfeu lyrics favour clear emotion over ornament, which is why singers and instrumentalists keep returning to that morning-after carnival mood: festive on the surface, desolate underneath.
Compositions by Antônio Maria appear on
Seasons of Love
A jazz trio, string orchestra and guest soloists join vocalists Gian Slater and Eddie Perfect. Graeme Lyall’s rich arrangements refresh Great American Songbook standards and other stage and screen favourites.
Wordless Meanings
In the beginning there was harmony – before anyone asked “What sort of music do you play?”, before everyone grew too busy to listen, before music became ‘the industry’. Somewhere along the way, harmony was lost in a cacophony of meaningless words.
Love Rhapsody
Emma Sidney’s debut jazz album Love Rhapsody traces love in every mood, from triumph to loss. Standards sit beside three of her own songs, sung with swing, Latin colour and intimate ballad feeling.