Werther - Werther LP

Werther - Werther LP (Altercat/Germany)

Standard edition on black vinyl. Comes in the original Gatefold cover, and with a free Digital Download Card and a 4 Page info sheet with Werther's story in English and Portuguese.

Listening Notes: Bossa nova best kept secrets from the seventies, young adults with a masters in heartache, soothing samba that missed the peak of the genre wave whose effortless and breezy songs lost public attention when Brazil when they win the world cup against Italy, an abstracted lust for freedom because the political tension of the country made it difficult to speak openly the truth, and albums now reissued at an affordable cost.

Mood: One man's sorrow is another man's joy

They Say:

Despite Werther and his friends being only in their teens, without any previous experience recording music, those working behind the scenes were not equally amateur. Producer Peter Keller had already worked with Aloysio De Oliveira in the quintessential Bossa Nova label Elenco, and was also an initial partner in Roberto Quartin’s cult label Forma. Studio owner Bill Horne was a very loved character in the Rio jazz scene who had regularly taken part in the legendary meetings in Nara Leão’s apartment and befriended some of Brazil’s most respected musicians. Some of these musicians were, for example, Naná Vasconcelos and Edison Machado, who provided small contributions to Werther’s album.

It was only in the 1990’s that Werther’s album was rediscovered by a handful of collectors and Brazilian music enthusiasts, who recognised in it a purity that had already vanished from the mainstream Bossa Nova recordings. But due to the haziness around the original release and the relative anonymity of its instigators, many questions surrounding these recordings were left unanswered. It is only today that we are able to disclose the full story behind Werther’s short-lived contribution to Brazilian music.