Franks is part of a rare breed of singers for the pre-millennium generations. He’s a thinking man’s balladeer, a songwriter whose skills include a wonderfully charming mastery of vocabulary and the poetic nuance that can sometimes comes with experience. Couple this with a sharp eye for the human condition and his abiding admiration for Antonio Carlos Jobim and its easy to understand how the essence of Brazil comes alive in his music – even when the story’s focus is elsewhere.

That, in a nutshell, is what makes the CD – which was recorded mere months after Jobim’s passing – one of his very best. Virtually every song, including his hit single ‘Somehow Our Love Survives’ is interlaced with allusions to the land of Samba and sun, and his friendship with the Brazilian songwriter. In fact, when listening to his lyrics it’s easy to get the impression that Jobim continues to sit on Franks’ shoulder. And what better musical mentor could one ask for?

‘Like Water, Like Wind’ gets to the heart of the matter as a loving dedication to the memories these two musicians obviously shared. The same goes for the title song and Djavan’s ‘Bird Of Paradise’, with the original English lyrics courtesy of… Michael Franks.

If these are at the nexus of it all, then surely ‘Cinema’ is at the pinnacle. This song was co-written with Jobim creating the music and Franks conjuring up the words to frame Michael Brecker’s tenor sax and Eliane Elias’s piano play. Marvelous.

The more you listen, the deeper the message goes. Like any good storyteller, Michael Franks purposefully cloaks his feelings slightly – not to act as a barrier to the inspiration, but more as an invitation to explore the intimacy of it: “Tenderly now, let me demonstrate, you need only undulate, keeping time with the samba like this while the stars rise” are part of the lyrics taken from ‘Abandoned Garden’. Without insight, these might well be words spoken between lovers, not about a deep seeded friendship around which the music flowed.

Today our music comes to us from shiny silver discs read by laser beams and downloads accessed by clicking on electrons in the form of a computer generated button. It’s easy to forget that music is the most ‘human’ form of expression.

Both Michael Franks and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s music live to remind of that simple notion, and how powerful it can be.

Tapping keyboard giant Ronnie Foster in 1987 to produce his new recording was the logical ‘next step’ for Djavan. Consider that 1986 was a banner year for the Brazilian pop singer: He was featured prominently on Manhattan Transfer’s Grammy-winning ‘Brasil’ album and his then-current ‘Meu Lado’ record generated three future ‘greatest hits’ songs, including ‘Asa’, which led to a guest performance on Lee Ritenour’s ‘Portrait’ album later that year. The table was set for a breakout recording and ‘Bird Of Paradise’ exceeded expectations.

Brazilian ‘purists’ often deride this recording as ‘not Brazilian’ and they’re right – the line up was culled from the cream of the Los Angeles studio scene: George Duke, Harvey Mason and Nathan East (before their Fourplay years), Larry Williams and percussionist Bill Summers. Foster had a hot hand as a rising producer, having already worked with George Benson, Roberta Flack and David Sanborn.

But the purists are also wrong: ‘Bird Of Paradise’ remains as one of Djavan’s greatest recordings. His songwriting for this project is superb – melodies range from eloquent (the title track) to poignant (Miss Susanna) to several uptempo tunes with lasting hooks, as on the horn-driven ‘Take Me (Me Leve)’, ‘Apple’, ‘Stephen’s Kingdom’ and the opening track, which features Ronnie Foster’s trademark keyboard grooves as a bed for Djavan’s scatty delivery.

This is Djavan entering the peak of his career: his voice is supple and sharp, his range matching his abilities; his standout songwriting is fresh and uniquely Brazilian.

And this recording began a short-lived trend for Djavan; American music critics flocked to this CD, due in part to the decision to include several songs in English (lyrics provided here by Michael Franks and Brock Walsh) with a separate release for the Brazilian market titled ‘Nao É Azul Mas É Mar’, where the songs are in Portuguese only, and with different track ordering.

We highly recommend the ‘Bird Of Paradise’ edition as an all-time favorite that will sounds as fresh and exciting years from now as it did upon its release.

Thanks,

Publisher