Plays and Sings Bossa Nova + The Gentle Rain

Aquarela do Brasil. LUIZ BONFÁ / PLAYS & SINGS BOSSA NOVA + THE GENTLE. Two LPs on one CD, Deluxe limited edition 6-panel digipak, with inside booklet and updated liner notes. A musician of virtuosity, subtlety, and passion, guitarist, singer and composer Luiz Bonfá (1922-2001) ranks among the key architects of the bossa nova sound and the greatest masters of Brazilian popular music of the 20th century. Presented here are two of his greatest albums, Plays and Sings Bossa Nova (Verve V6-8522), on which he collaborates with such stars as Leo Wright, Oscar Castro-Neves and Lalo Schifrin, and The Gentle Rain (Mercury SR-61016), a movie soundtrack composed solely by Bonfá, on which he is backed by an orchestra arranged and conducted by the great Eumir Deodato. This superb release includes Bonfá's classic version of his tune "Manhá de Carnaval" (aka "Black Orpheus"), among its many highlights. 1-13: Luiz Bonfá Plays and Sings Bossa Nova LUIZ BONFÁ, guitar & vocals; OSCAR CASTRO-NEVES, piano, guitar & organ; IKO CASTRO-NEVES, bass; ROBERTO PONTES-DIAS, drums & percussion; LEO WRIGHT, flute; MARIA TOLEDO, vocals; String section arranged by LALO SCHIFRIN. New York, 1962. 14-30: The Gentle Rain - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for the homonymous Burt Balaban film. LUIZ BONFÁ, guitar; Orchestra arranged & conducted by EUMIR DEODATO. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. *BONUS TRACK (31): LUIZ BONFÁ, guitar. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1959.