ARTHUR MOREIRA LIMA — Arthur Moreira Lima Interpreta Ernesto Nazareth Vol.2 (1975) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The dozens of short piano pieces of Ernesto Nazareth are often designated as tangos, waltzes, polkas, and other dances. But although they're deeply enmeshed with the popular music of Brazil early in the last century, they're not for dancing, and, as with Chopin's piano music (another major influence), they don't always fall into one classification or another. For North American listeners, the striking thing is how many of them, had they been written in St. Louis or Chicago, would have been called rags. Hear track 1 on the present disc, Famoso, several strains of which feature pure ragtime rhythms, while others add a syncopation or two that would have been mostly absent in North America except perhaps in the mostly lost music of the New Orleanian Louis Chauvin. Scott Joplin, for his part, wrote a few tangos that could have held their own in South America. This disc is part of a set of four featuring performances by Brazilian pianist Arthur Moreira-Lima. No documentary information whatsoever other than a track list is provided, but the performances were apparently taken from LPs released in the 1970s. The sound drops out a bit in spots but has generally held up quite well. This set may be of the most interest to collectors, but the performances are beautifully sensitive to the small rhythmic details in Nazareth's music and strike a nice balance between its popular and classical elements, something that seems to elude most players of Joplin. Hear the very Chopin-like waltz Mercedes, track 5, or Odeon (track 6) with its contrasting strains of straight polka and 2+3+3 bass lines for a good idea of what you're getting here, which anyone who likes either tango or ragtime will enjoy. James Manheim  
ERNESTO NAZARETH (1863-1934)
1.    Famoso    3:29
2.    Fidalga    6:46
3.    Floraux    3:56
4.    Nenê    2:47
5.    Mercedes    4:33
6.    Odeon    2:58
7.    Brejeiro    2:09
8.    Eponina    6:28
9.    Escovado    2:49
10.    Pássaros Em Festa    6:00
11.    Sarambeque    2:49
12.    Vem Cá, Branquinha    2:11
13.    Você Bem Sabe    1:55
Credits :
Arthur Moreira Lima - Piano