Márcio Faraco - Ciranda

Márcio Faraco is a welcome addition to the ranks of contemporary bossa nova performers with a smooth, pleasant singing voice and excellent guitar skills. It is striking that he has had to exile himself from his native Brazil and spend years of apprenticeship in France with Didier Sustrac (who contributes background vocals and takes a co-writing credit on "Nostalgia") before being able to make this, his debut album, still based thousands of miles away from home. Those apparent disadvantages notwithstanding, Ciranda manages to evoke bossa nova masters like Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto while being somewhat more accessible to North American ears, if only because his music is less introspective and the frequent horn arrangements (by Faraco) and string charts (by producer Wagner Tiso) give the tracks a broader appeal. Chico Buarque steps in as a guest duet partner on the album-opening title track, which is a stamp of approval from Faraco's predecessors for an approach seemingly intended to open Brazilian music out to the world. - by William Ruhlmann, AMG

Too often, the brilliance and popularity of bossa nova by its creators João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim have overshadowed contemporary developments in Brazilian music. This excellent CD by guitarist-vocalist-composer Márcio Faraco should bring listeners up to date on what's happening in that festive and folkloric country. Faraco, born in Algrete in southern Brazil and based in France, sings in the whispering canto faldo/spoken-song style of Gilberto, with the influences of Milton Nascimento and Caetano Veloso. In settings ranging from solo guitar and voice to ensembles with horns and strings coarranged by the underrated keyboardist-arranger Wagner Tiso, Faraco serves up a spicy sonic soup full of Brazil's Indian, European, and African flavors. The midtempo title track is an easygoing duet with Chico Buarque, and the haunting "Baile de Mascaras" features African percussionist Doudou N'Diaye Rose, while "Virtine Carioca" displays a zesty, Wes Montgomery-like jazz-guitar line. All told, Marcio Faraco's lovely CD shows us what the bossa nova will sound like in the 21st century. - Eugene Holley Jr., Amazon.com

Artist: Márcio Faraco
Album: Ciranda
Year: 1997-99
Label: EmArcy/Universal (2000)
Runtime: 45:36

Tracks:
1.  Ciranda (Márcio Faraco/Pedrin Gomes) 3:35
2.  Na casa o seu Humberto (Márcio Faraco) 4:43
3.  Flores pra lemanjá (Márcio Faraco) 3:48
4.  Meu juramento (Márcio Faraco) 4:13
5.  Aguas passadas (Márcio Faraco) 4:47
6.  Baile de máscaras (Márcio Faraco) 4:36
7.  A dor na escala Richter (Márcio Faraco) 3:30
8.  Nostalgia (Márcio Faraco/Didier Sustrac) 4:10
9.  Vitrine Carioca (Márcio Faraco/Ronaldo Lima) 3:45
10.  Nos braços do redentor (Márcio Faraco) 4:10
11.  Vida ou game (Márcio Faraco) 4:14

Personnel:
Márcio Faraco (Guitar and Vocals)
Carlos Werneck (Electric Bass) - 1,2,4,6,8-11
Wagner Tiso (Piano) - 1,2,7,8,10
Julio Goncalves (Percussion) - 1,2,4,8,10,11
Ney de Oliveira (Drums) - 1,4,6,8-11
David Chew (Cello) - 1,5,7,8
Claudio de Queiroz (Clarinet, Flute) - 2,4
Francis Varis (Accordion) - 3,11
Zé Luis Nascimento (Percussion) - 3,6
Nicolas Dautricourt (Violin) - 5,8
Didier Sustrack (Backing Vocals) - 6,8
Floriane Bonanni (Viola) - 5,8
Chico Buarque (Vocal) - 1
Dadá Viana (Percussion) - 1
Philippe Slominski (Trumpet and Flugelhorn) - 4
Jacques Bolognesi (Trombone) - 4
Tarcísio Gondim (Cavaquinho) - 4
Glaucus de Oliveira (Saxophone) - 6
Doudou N'diaye Rose Jr (Sabar) - 6
Vincent Aucante (Viola) - 8