Title: Neal Alger - Brazilian Quartet

Artist(s): Neal Alger: Guitar
Tim McNamara: Tenor Sax, Flute
Curt Bley: Electric Bass
Luiz Ewerling: drums

Recording Info: Recorded at Tone Zone Recording, Chicago, Illinois on 11 December 2019. Engineering by Jonathan Horwich assisted by Roger Heiss. Guitar mic is a Telefunken 251 e; Sax and flute mic is a Neumann U-67; Electric bass is a direct feed to the custom 8-track Studer/Revox C-278 tape deck; drums are two Austrian Audio OC 18 cardiod mics. Mic preamps by Manley.

1. No More Blues 6:30
2. One To Zero 3:47
3. Samba e Amor 8:12
4. Feitico da vila 5:38
5. The Girl From lpanema 6:04

Brazilian music has a long storied history here in the United States beginning as early as 1953.  However, its popularity was cemented in the early 1960s starting with a goodwill tour of Brazil and other South American countries (1961) by American jazz musicians. Upon return, some of them (Charlie Byrd in particular) recorded Bossa Nova/jazz albums, which with the help of Stan Getz and other musicians soon caught on with the public.  Another tour of South America was launched (1962) and more Bossa Nova albums followed, which increased its popularity.  The beautiful sound of Brazilian jazz is wonderfully captured here by Neal Alger and his quartet.  If you have any doubt as to the quality of the playing, listen to the first two songs which are brilliantly executed combining both the beauty of Brazilian music and stunning jazz improvisation. This is easy-to-listen-to music combined with a depth of improvisation that makes this outing special.  Making the event even more captivating is the guitarist’s use of an older tube guitar amplifier which on this recording is appropriately captured by a vintage tube microphone (Telefunken 251e).  This tape is a work of beauty.

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