The Brazil Connection
It's the brainchild of music producers Frank and Christian Berman. The brothers used original multi-track masters and an all-new, state-of-the-art separation technology to extract the classic vocal performances. Once in hand, they melded the newly isolated vocals with brand-new, authentically arranged backing tracks from an all-star cast of Brazilian musical pioneers from the bossa nova and samba genres, including Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Roberto Menescal and Brazilian musical legend, Marcos Valle.Marvin Gaye Remembered
by Gary G. VercelliBack in 1983 I was shooting a lot of pool, playing at least two hours a day. One Sunday in February, I drove over to a friend’s house to purchase a used cue.
When I arrived, my friend, Cal, welcomed me into his living room. The television set was on in an adjacent room. The NBA all-star game was about to begin, but we were focused on discussing nine-ball. As we negotiated a price on the cue, I heard the national anthem sung in a way I never heard before.
Both Cal and I were drawn into that adjacent room by Marvin Gaye’s gospel-tinged soulful rendition of a song he totally transformed. He illuminated the anthem, drawing all in attendance to clap along with the final bars. Both Cal and I felt we had just witnessed something magical. Gaye stylized the anthem in a sensual yet spiritual way.
Years later, I read an article stating a drugged-fueled Gaye showed up only minutes before the live broadcast, handing a cassette tape with a drum machine rhythm track to the event’s producer. As they popped it in the deck it sounded a lot like “Sexual Healing,” until Gaye’s voice transformed it. While Gaye’s tardiness must have given all responsible for the broadcast ulcers, the final result was a moment we’ll all remember fondly. A year later, Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his own father, just shy of his 45th birthday, April 1st, 1984.
When I arrived, my friend, Cal, welcomed me into his living room. The television set was on in an adjacent room. The NBA all-star game was about to begin, but we were focused on discussing nine-ball. As we negotiated a price on the cue, I heard the national anthem sung in a way I never heard before.
Both Cal and I were drawn into that adjacent room by Marvin Gaye’s gospel-tinged soulful rendition of a song he totally transformed. He illuminated the anthem, drawing all in attendance to clap along with the final bars. Both Cal and I felt we had just witnessed something magical. Gaye stylized the anthem in a sensual yet spiritual way.
Years later, I read an article stating a drugged-fueled Gaye showed up only minutes before the live broadcast, handing a cassette tape with a drum machine rhythm track to the event’s producer. As they popped it in the deck it sounded a lot like “Sexual Healing,” until Gaye’s voice transformed it. While Gaye’s tardiness must have given all responsible for the broadcast ulcers, the final result was a moment we’ll all remember fondly. A year later, Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his own father, just shy of his 45th birthday, April 1st, 1984.
