Sergio Mendes – Quiet Nights (1963)

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Originalmente postado no Loronix em 13 de setembro 2007.
Comentários originais incluídos.

This is a special repost of one of the greatest accomplishes of Loronix. It is also a tribute to our friend Caetano Rodrigues, a great friend of mine that I could only have the chance to meet through our community. For those who does not know who is Caetano Rodrigues, he is just the greatest Bossa Nova LP collector in Brazil, blessing Loronix on an on-going basis with albums from his personal collection.
I said before and I want to say it again, Caetano’s contribution to our community is such like a once in a lifetime opportunity and this post is to make people understand – specially the new Loronixers – why Caetano is so important to Loronix by making his whole collection available to us to the love he has to the music from Brazil and the great sympath to our website.

This is Sergio Mendes – Quiet Nights (1968), for Philips, one of the rarest Bossa Nova albums, never made available in CD. As I said, Quiet Night is being reposted to homage Caetano and also to address major improvements cover artworks, MP3 files with higher bitrate and the now popular FLAC looseless alternative. I’m keeping original post information adding personnel info, which is still uncertain after months.

Tracks include:

Personnel

Sergio Mendes
(piano)

David Pike
(vibes)

Eddie Higgins
(vibes on Insensatez)

unknown
(guitar)

Sebastiao Neto
(bass)

Chico Batera or Edison Machado
(drums)

I decided to make a chronological approach showing excerpts from conversations made until this publishing, as follows:

The first citation from Bossanov, the starter of this post:
August, 28th, 2006 – “Do you have some of the most mysterious Sergio opus – LP Quiet Nights (Philips, 1967 in my opinion or 1963 as mighty www.allmusic.com insist?)?”

Frank Oliver Hellmann introduces the mysteries that surrounds this release:

August, 29th, 2006 – “The Quiet Nights album was recorded 1963 or 1964 in USA and was released by Philips not before 1967, after the success of Brazil 66. It has Dave Pike on vibes, Tiao Neto on bass and Chico Batera on drums. It was produced by Eddie Higgins who replaces Pike on one track. The guitar player is not known, but possibly it is Rosinha de Valenca. I have the original LP, this is a great record (real instrumental Bossa Nova) and the only one which is not reissued in CD yet.” zecalouro’s note: I decided to do not push our friend Oliver to get the LP, just to keep the discussion live!

Caetano Rodrigues shows a real excitement about Quiet Nights:

“This LP was not released in Brazil and was recorded in the USA, February, 1963, just before the anthological Carnegie Hall Show. This LP is FANTASTIC with Sergio backed up by Dave Pike. Eddie Higgins was invited by Dave Pike to play vibes on Insensatez, since Dave was unfamiliar with the harmony. The bass player was Tiao Neto, drumming is credited to Chico Batera. I spoke with Chico Batera to bring more clarification about this LP and Chico said that he did take part at the recording session and is quite sure that Edison Machado did it. The guitar player is still unknown. Hearing the acoustic guitar, it seems that Oscar Castro Neves or even Antonio Carlos Jobim would be playing.”

zecalouro reads today at BJBear71, complimentary information provided by Frank Oliver:

“Pianist Eddie Higgins was working in the recording booth at this session. Dave Pike had been playing vibes during the session but was unfamiliar with the melody for “Insensatez.” The group was running out of studio time, so Higgins started the tape and ran out into the studio and played vibes on this one track. The group was Sergio Mendes’ Brasil ’65. Another track in the album, “Abraco a Sergio,” was composed by Higgins and played by Mendes. The guitar player is unknown but it might be Rosinha de Valenca who was working with Mendes’ Brasil 65. The record was issued in 1967, but was recorded November 1964 or 1965. An interesting note about the session is that Mendes was brought in to record some background music for the Seeburg Company and was VERY upset when Philips put it out later as an album. That was not supposed to happen.”

Take your own conclusions. Some mysteries are still to be revealed. Take your time to discuss at Loronix Forum with our peers about this LP. Together, we can have all the answers revealed.

Before you run away to get the LP, please send your virtual compliments to Caetano Rodrigues who provided this record without noticing, just reading those initial comments from Bossanov and Frank Oliver. Thanks Caetano for another strike, our community should acclaim Quiet Nights.

Track List

01 – Desafinado (Tom Jobim / Newton Mendonça)
02 – One Note Samba (Samba de Uma Nota Só) (Tom Jobim / Newton Mendonça)
03 – Morning Of The Carnival (Manhã de Carnaval) (Luis Bonfá / Antônio Maria)
04 – Meditação (Meditation) (Tom Jobim / Newton Mendonça)
05 – The Tower (Tiao Neto)
06 – O Peixe (B. Traut)
07 – Quiet Nights (Corcovado) (Tom Jobim)
08 – Só Danço Samba (Tom Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes)
09 – Insensatez (How Insensitive) (Tom Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes)
10 – Amor Em Paz (Love In Peace) (Tom Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes)
11 – Infinity (Dave Pike)
12 – Abraço a Sergio (E. Higgins)


13 Comentários originais:

Futch said…
Corcovado (aka. Quiet Nights) is one of my all time favorite songs. Although I can’t think of a song Jobim wrote that I don’t like.
This looks really fun. I just downloaded it. I’ve got to go listen to it right away.
Thanks.
Sunday, 12 November, 2006

bossanov said…
Hi, Zeca!
In reality not Bossanovadreamer (nice guy from Germany), but me Bossanov (poor guy from Russia) was real “father” of this post (see my comment from 28 september, starting all the history)
So, it’s really misterious record!
My another wish was the Bill Perkins “Bossanova wis strings attached” from Liberty. Some tracks from this record was in Capitol compilations, like “Bossanovaville” and this is great music, comparable with Getz bossa LPs.
Sincerely Bossanov
Sunday, 12 November, 2006

bossanov said…
Hi, Zeca!
Again about Sergio Mendes’s “Quiet Nights”.
According to Ruppli’s discography “The Mercury Labels – A Discography” by Ruppli and Novitsky, Greenwood Press, 1993 (with the info about Personnel/recorded date/master numbers ) this record was made in US, Chicago, Universal Recording: ca. November 1967.
Abraço!
Sunday, 12 November, 2006

zecalouro said…
Bossanov,
Just made the correction. It is not the first time I take your Bossanov nick as Bossanovadreamer. They are quite similar, specially late at night with small eyes.
Thanks also for the updates.
Regards, zecalouro
Sunday, 12 November, 2006

bossanov said…
Thanks a lot, dear Zeca!
Your posts are allways incredible!
I can’t believe till now, that such a good and RAAARE music is available through internet!
Do you know about Paradise Masters CD releases (Bwana, Turma de Balanco, etc.)? They are great guys. I’ll try to buy something from hmv.co.jp. Ironically, but this Japanese site is the best way to buy Brazilian music for me, Moscow guy. It’s really global world.
My best wishes
Sunday, 12 November, 2006

jean lafite said…
Dance Moderno is another mendes title i have seen, but never heard. have you ever posted it? i am looking forward to “Quiet Nights” this looks great. thanks to Zecalouro and his syndicate.
Sunday, 12 November, 2006

zecalouro said…
Hello Jean Lafite,
Yes. Dance Moderno was the release that brings all the hype to Quiet Nights.
You can check here: http://tinyurl.com/ygyaaa
Best wishes,
zecalouro
Sunday, 12 November, 2006

jamil said…
Cara sem palavras para este post…Bom demais…
[]s
Jamil
Sunday, 12 November, 2006

jean lafite said…
Zecalouro is the top of the heap.
Monday, 13 November, 2006

frank-oliver said…
The date November 1967 is wrong. In 1967 Mendes was recording with Brasil 66, when you here this recording it clearly sounds like 1963/1964. I got my informations about the recording from the discographer of Eddie Higgins who spoke directly to Eddie Higgins. These are the things Eddie remembers about the session. If a good looking woman like Rosinha de Valenca or Jobim himself plays the guitar he would remember this. Perhaps Oscar Castro-Neves is the right choice.
The man who must know all these things is Sergio Mendes himself. Unfortunaly I didn´t know his e-mail address.
Monday, 13 November, 2006

bjbear71 said…
Yes, this would not be the first time I have come across a mistake in a print discography book, as great as Ruppli’s work is. Also, why would a Philips label recording be listed in a Mercury discography?! This makes no sense to me, they are totally unrelated labels back then in the 1960s. The *only* way this could have been recorded in 1967 is if Sergio stilled owed Phillips an album under previous contractual obligations and therefore was bound to record it to fulfill that obligation. Sergio was well into recording for A&M in 1967…
Thursday, 13 September, 2007

zamurozien said…
11 comments and nobody giving thanks to Caetano?
I hope not to be too late: MANY, MANY THANKS CAETANO!
Saturday, 13 October, 2007

gk said…
Thank you Caetano!
Thank you Zeca!
Now I will unveil the great mystery of who is the guitarist.
Actually, it is not a mystery at all, if you are a guitarist who has listened to as much brazilian music as I have.
This is a ‘slam dunk’ – Oscar Castro-Neves.
I saw him a couple of weeks ago in San Francisco, before I read this blog, unfortunately, or I would have asked him to confirm this point.
However, simply listen to the tracks – especially ‘O Peixe’ (intro) or ‘Corcovado’, etc. – and then listen to any of Oscar Castro-Neves documented recordings carefully.
Perhaps the most identifying feature of Oscar’s playing his his damping technique – this, to me, is unmistakable – Rosinha de Valenca, Baden Powell, etc. have a different sound. Oscar is very, very ‘tight’ in the way he damps strings in between chords.
Also, Oscar’s chord voicings are quite characteristic and his rhythm is absolutely unmistakable.
So you have it!
Thanks again,
gk aka dilbertohttp://www.dilberto.com
Tuesday, 13 November, 2007

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