Antonio Carlos Jobim - Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro): The Original Sound Track From The Film

To fully appreciate the music on this CD you really need to have seen the Academy Award winning movie.

I saw the movie four times shortly after it won the award - in the early 60's - and since then, I've seen it countless times on DVD. I'll continue to do so for the rest of my life.

I am passionate about Brasil, the music of Brasil, it's culture and the people. It's a very special part of the world.

So, how did I find the sound track album of Black Orpheus.
I found it hypnotic.

Ranging through soft, sometimes sad songs, to the wild and infectious sounds of the carnival, this CD brings Brasil into your living room.

My two favourite tracks are A Felicidade and Manha de Carneval.
The incredibly beautiful music on this CD will take you on an emotional trip ranging from melancholia to ecstatic joy. It's a wonderful mixture of Samba and Bossa Nova.

One moment you'll have tears in your eyes, the next, you'll want to get up and samba like you've never done before !

The sounds of Brasil and it's people occupy every track and you will wish somehow you could be transported there right now so you can not only hear this extraordinary music live, but you could also experience the smells of Rio and the carnival....

I've never listened to a CD that captures the sights and sounds of a country as perfectly as does this sound track of Black Orpheus.

Let's call it by its Portuguese title, Orfeu Negro. It adds to the magic.

As the years goes by this CD will slowly fade away and the only copies available will be classified as rare and collectible at an appropriate price.

Don't wait. Get a copy now and be captivated by its sheer beauty.

Seems like it is always implied that Bonfa plays all the guitar on this.He is only featured in a few small passages.He did compose some of the songs and Jobim/DeMoraes composed the others.Jobim does not apear at all on this soundtrack.That being said it is great stuff although not the same tunes as the original stage version from 1956.There is a cd of those songs and it is well worth having.[...]
dan

I like Manha De Carnaval so much that I listened to Domingo, Nana Mouskouri, Carly Simon and Luis Miguel's versions borrowed from the libraries. I like the original song in track 6 by Luiz Bonfa. Track 8 guitar playing is also beautiful. Track 11 female vocal is wonderful, spontaneous and second to none. The sound quality is excellent.

It's wonderful to have a new recording of the sound track from the movie Black Orpheus. The movie was one of my favorites but I played my old record of the sound track so many times (and put it through so many moves) it was scratched and no longer enjoyable to listen to. Now everytime I listen to my CD version I am transported to the time and space of the movie and the time and space of the early sixties when I first heard it. The little bonus addition at the end of the CD is fun too.

Save your money. I love the movie very much, and to watch it and to listen it is an experience like none other. However, if you look for the music from this movie, do not look here. This is just the movie, except without video. I have great respect for Bonfa and Jobim's work on this music, but they do not get glorified truly since the tracks change so quickly and the movie sounds play such a large role in the soundtrack cd. Listen to Trio da Paz and their Black Orpheus album and see how it compares, and even though it is not the original Jobim or Bonfa, it pays more homage to them than this original soundtrack. Verve took the wrong route with this one. Yes the music is landmark in evolving Samba/Bossa Nova, but this cd does not depict truly how wonderful the music is.

Considerada la primera película en la que se da a conocer el bosanova, "Orfeo Negro" incluye una serie de fabulosas canciones como "A felicidade", "A nosso amor" y "manha de carnaval". Al parecer los temas fueron tomados de la película, razón por la cual el audio no es el mejor. Este es un disco para coleccionistas entusiastas del bosanova pero no espere variedad ni calidad de audio. Como punto negativo encuentro que en el CD no incluyeron los nombres de los intérpretes de cada canción.

Brand new and shipped fast. Great merchant

I liked very much the film Black Orpheus, but when I bought this record I hoped to listen the music, not the movie. Most of the tracks has sounds of the movie overimposed to the songs, as would be heard in the movie. Then why not buying the movie? When I listen a cd I care about music, that is contaminated in this record.
And doesn't help neither that songs are changed abruptly frequently.
Besides, the art of the cover is very poor, dishonors the movie, and the written comments claim that the sounds of the movie are a plus, recalling the scenes of the movie were the sounds appear, improperly: the "Oh No!" sound of "Frevo" that is commented does not apear in the movie as said.
As a summary, Verve did wonderfull editions of jazz, but this edition falls far behind the standards of both Verve and the film; clearly, Brazilian music doesn't seems to be Verve territory judging buy this edition.

There is nothing like this album. 30-some years after first hearing it, it still lives in my head. A piece of art - up there with La Traviota, Carmen, West Side Story. For art and music lovers, it is a necessary possession.

This "soundtrack recording" is a work of art in its own right. There are many details here that I don't remember from the movie. For instance, Manha de Carnaval begins with a long instrumental with tropical bird songs - very beautiful (like a jungle orchestra), but the birdsong wasn't that noticeable in the movie. Likewise, there is a reprise of it sung by Euridyce, something I certainly don't remember.

No matter, it works very beautifully this way, And it's useful to hear the music presented for its own sake - so you should have both the movie and the soundtrack. Forget about this thing stating the bossa nova fad, it's gorgeous just for itself.

If you enjoy this, you'll probably enjoy Forest of the Amazon (by Villa-Lobos).

The scene in the movie when the village boys sing "Samba de Orfeo" is a transcendently beautiful religious moment. If the boys don't sing, the sun might not rise! Bonfa's samba lives up to the burden of the occasion -- joyous, passionate, unstoppable. The rest of the soundtrack, if you can believe it, lives up to THAT. Bonfa's lovely "Morning of the Carnival"; several of Jobim's lovely, sophisticated compositions in sparkling, minimal arrangements; and the awesome street Carnival percussion and singing.