Pianist Luiz Eca (1936-1992) his Tamba Trio were key figures in the flood of bossa nova-jazz "trios" of the early 1960s; Eca later branched out into a freer jazz style, and became known for his record producing and arranging skills... I'm not, actually, a huge fan of his work, but he is a major figure on the Brazilian jazz scene... So here is a quick look at his career...
Luiz Eca "Uma Noite No Plaza" (Discos Radio, 1955)
Luizinho E Seu Piano "Sambas Da Saudade" (Columbia, 1956)
Luiz Eca & Astor "Cada Qual Melhor" (Odeon, 1961)
Pianist Luiz Eca, paired up with bandleader/trombonist Astor Silva, puts his chops on display, running through what I imagine must have been his standard nightclub set at the time. The opening tracks display a remarkable dynamism and innovation -- Eca really digs into the ivories on "E Luxo So" and "Yesterdays." The set swiftly devolves into tedium, though, with by-the-numbers, slightly bossa-fied versions of American standards such as " 'S Wonderful," "Cheek To Cheek" and "Moonglow," as well as Brazilian chestnuts like Ary Barroso's "Aquarela Do Brasil" and a few more contemporary tunes. Like I said, it's clearly a nightclub set, put on wax inside a studio setting... Eca stands out on a few tunes, but Astor's mellow, well-rounded brass arrangements are unremarkable and unmoving. A very professional record, but nothing to get too excited about.
Tamba Trio "Tamba Trio" (Phillips, 1962)
Tamba Trio "Tempo" (Philips, 1964)
Shifting back to an all-instrumental style, this album highlights Luiz Eca's increasingly dense compositional style. While not yet as baroque as his later work with the Trio or with Edu Lobo, this is still richer and more more complex than most of the music by their Braz-jazz contemporaries, such as the Jongo Trio, etc. Interesting, lulling, mildly soporific, but certainly worth checking out.
Tamba Trio "Tamba Trio" (Phillips, 1966)
Tamba 4 "We And The Sea" (CTI/A&M, 1967)
One of the definitive albums by pianist Luiz Eca's much-vaunted Braz-jazz ensemble. This set was recorded in the United States, under the auspices of American jazz producer Creed Taylor. The album opens with a fairly annoying, modernist take on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "O Morro," with the tempo taken at a brisk gallop. Other tracks are more lyrical, with a breezy easiness that should satisfy the lounge-y crowd. Not entirely my cup of tea, but worth checking out.
Luiz Eca & Radames Gnatalli "Os 6 Mais Numa Imagem Barroca" (CBS, 1968)
Tamba 4 "Samba Blim" (CTI/A&M, 1968)
Tamba 4 "Tamba Trio" (1969)
Luiz Eca "Pianos E Cordas" (Elenco, 1970)
Luiz Eca "Pianos E Cordas, v.2" (Elenco, 1970)
Luiz Eca "Brazil 70" (Elenco, 1970)
Luiz Eca & Sagrada Familia "Onda Nova Do Brasil" (EMI, 1971)
Here's a real find! This wild set which was recorded in Mexico with a who's-who list of younger Brazilian jazz players, is a radical departure from the straight jazz'n'bossa of his Tamba Trio work, a psychedelic jazz-rock outing that blends some of the "sunshine" pop of the times with heavier acid blues riffs and punchy jazz charts, even a bit of Nuyorican-style salsa. Clearly influenced by the tropicalia scene in Brazil, it's an album that is very much of its time, a document of hippie-era musical excess which holds up well next to other classic albums that are better known. Performing with Eca are Nelson Angelo, Joyce, Claudio Roditi, Wilson Simonal, Nana Vasconcelos and numerous others, including a battery of female vocalists working in the whole Quarteto Em Cy/Brazil '66/Brazuco mode, which is mostly pretty shrill and irritating, but still evokes a nostalgic feeling. Joyce has a few softer, lyrical moments (I think that's her singing on the closing track...) and while she apparently doesn't play guitar on here, it's still a nice document of some of her earliest work.
(Reissued on Inca Rock Records, 2003, and on Vampi Soul in 2005.)
Luiz Eca & Quinteto Villa-Lobos "Vanguarda" (Odeon, 1972)
Tamba Trio "Tamba" (RCA, 1974)
While this starts out on an iffy note (with the rock-fusion electric guitar on "Se E Questao De Adeus Ate Logo" and the glossy, lightweight fluff of "Nao Tem Perdao"), it soon turns out to be one of the more interesting albums by this lounge-y soft-jazz ensemble. Gradually they shift into more challenging territory, at first into some cheesy electronic kitsch, and finally into spacier, percussion-based avant-jazz, material which would have made Hermeto Pascoal proud. If you'd to find out what these fellows had to offer other than cheery easy listening, then this would be a good album to check out -- it makes the best case for their consideration as a serious jazz band of any record of their that I've heard. Worth checking out!
Tamba Trio "Tamba Trio" (RCA, 1975)
A fine return to form, with the group getting all breezy and facile again. Not really very challenging, but easy on the ears and not overly saccharine. Worth checking out, though it didn't really wow me. Danilo Caymmi, Toninho Horta, Ivan Lins and Joao Bosco (all on their way up in the world) pitch in on various tracks.
Luiz Eca "Antologia Do Piano" (Som Livre, 1976)
Luiz Eca & Claudia Versiani & Marco Paulo "Lacos Concerto Show" (Som Livre, 1976)
Tamba Trio "20 Anos Do Sucesso" (RCA, 1982)
Luiz Eca "Luiz Eca" (Carmo, 1984)
Triangulo "Triangulo" (Carmo, 1985)
Luiz Eca with Robertinho Silva on drums and Luiz Alves on bass.
Luiz Eca & Pery Ribeiro "Pra Tanto Viver" (Continental, 1986)
Luiz Eca & Jerzy Milewski "Duas Suites Instrumentais" (Independente, 1988)
Luiz Eca & Maria Petersen "Encontro Marcado" (Line Records, 1992)
Luiz Eca & Victor Assis Brasil "Brazil No Museu De Arte Moderna" (Imagem, 1993)
Luiz Eca "Luiz Eca Trio" (Velas, 1995)
Luiz Eca & Victor Assis Brasil "Ao Vivo No Mam" (El Dorado, 1997)
Posthumously released, this album was originally recorded in the late 1970s...
Luiz Eca "Serie Bis" (EMI, 2001)
A collection of early '60s work by the leader of the much-vaunted Tamba Trio... Apparently these sessions were taken off albums done outside of the Tamba lineup. It's kinda standard-issue lounge-y Brazilian bossa-jazz, centering around Eca's deft piano work. On some tracks he goes a bit overboard and gets all tinkle-happy. For the most part, though, this is pretty mild stuff -- no nutty, over-the-top saccharine arrangements, no great jazz breakthroughs, and no real surprises, either. Tamba Trio fans will love this... I wasn't really all that impressed.
"Bossa Nova: The Story Of The Brazilian Music That Seduced The World"
By Ruy Castro
(A Capella Books, 2000)
Eca and the Tamba Trio appear in the sidelines of this charming and authoritative history of Brazilian popular music, which documents the rise of bossa nova, tracking the careers of Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius De Moraes, Nara Leao and others in a gossipy, informal narrative that's a delight to read. Castro brings the mythic figures of Brazil back down to human scale, poking fun at their humanity, their foibles and years of obscurity, while also pointing out their sheer brilliance, and the adoration that Brazilians feel for their music. The chatty, informal tone adds a nice hometown touch that lets you feel as if you were standing on the corner yourself when that gal from Ipanema walked by, cracking jokes with the rest of the fellas. This book is also notable for its emphasis on the now-neglected figures of the great "radio singers" who ruled the public heart in the decades before bossa hit - legendary figures such as Lucio Alves, Aloysio Oliveira, Orlando Silva, Dick Farney and Sylvia Telles whose stars have faded, but are compelling nonetheless. Castro has complete command of his subject, but doesn't feel stuffy or preachy at all. An outstanding book, and required reading for anyone looking for a deeper knowledge of Brazilian culture.
