Obridgado Brazil is a great album. I highly recommend it along with the brazilian music of Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.

As liner notes declare, "many musicians, from Arthur Rubinstein to MIles Davis, to fas under the spell of Brazil's seductive sounds." YoYo brings his cello to a group of talented Brazilian artists for this collection of ecclectic snapshots of this blended music of jazz, ragtime, samba, etc.

Love the clarinet sounds of D'Rivera and the great guitar and who can not like the percussion of this vibrant culture.

Ma continues to explore and venture out musically, ala Appalachian recordings, Silk Road journeys, baroque, etc.
He is so talented and his intoxicating cello adds much here, yet never overpowering or smothering his talented musicians which surround him.

This is joyous, celebrative music!

Let me say first that I really wanted to like this cd. When I saw the title "Obrigado Brazil" I believed that I would adore this album since I'm a huge fan of Brazilian music, but after my first listen I was highly disappointed.

Usually, Brazilian music is inviting - the performances are emotionally honest, open, and warm. But, I can't find that vitality on many of Obrigado Brazil's songs. The artists' performances are mechanical. Although they are technically sound because they play all the correct notes, they are unconvincing because emotionally they are dry, inhibited, and uninspired. Even renown Brazilian singer Rosa Passos's voice failed to inspire on Jobim's classic "Chega de Saudade."

I'm surprised -- and then not surprised - - at the four or five star ratings for this bland album. I realize there are many who are not well aquainted with the Brazilian standards - - or other artists' interpretations of these classics. For me, the classics never get old as long as the artist's interpretation is well-done and done with vitality.

I've heard much better interpretations. If you're a fan of Yo Yo Ma or Rossa Passos, then I probably would add this to complete my collection. Bu if you're looking for emotionally honest "classical" performances - - I'd try Morelenbaum(squared) and Ryuichi Sakamoto's tribute to Composer Antonio Carlos Jobim's "A Day in New York" which is much, much better than Obrigado Brazil. They perform the standards not only with precision, but with alegria(happiness).

Yo-yo Ma is one of the most interesting musicians working today. His eclectic tastes bring us fascinating music from around the globe, and his astonishing musicianship guarantees excellence in every new adventure. Recent CDs have seen him venturing to China via the Silk Road and to the Belle Epoque of France. His attention has also been focused on Latin America with Soul of the Tango and this first, studio version of Obrigado Brazil. He has even followed up these recordings with Obrigado Brazil Live in Concert, which repeats some pieces from the earlier studio recordings but is primarily new work in the same vein.

Ma is joined by a septet of mostly Latin American performers, two of whom also double as composers: composer/clarinettist Paquito d'Rivera, singer/guitarist Rosa Passos, guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad, Ma's long time accompanist at the piano Kathryn Stott, and a bassist and percussionist.

Listen to one of my favorite tracks, the lovely Menino, and you wil hear that Ma brings real sensibility to this music. Occasionally his performance reveals that he isn't as familiar with the style as d'Rivera or the others--he tends, for example, not to bend pitches but approach them as his Classical training would have--but this is no significant flaw, as the qualities of line and rhythm he does bring to the music compensate. Those who complain that Obrigado Brazil isn't truly Brazilian music, that it's perhaps over-refined miss the point entirely, and are advised to look elsewhere for their entertainment. Certainly if "authentic" folk music is what listeners are after, they won't find it here. But they will find wonderful music, played with love and dedication by superb musicians, and well worth hearing.

Now, to compare the studio version with the live concert recording. The liner notes of Obrigado Brazil Live in Concert claim that the energy of a live performance makes the works the two CDs share sound totally different, with the implication that live is better, but I can't agree. There are subtle variations, to be sure-for example one of the pieces has much more percussion in the studio version, and even the ambience of the studio recording is audibly different from the live concert-but these aren't wild distinctions and certainly not necessarily improvements. The energy of a live concert may well be counterbalanced by the control of a studio version. It's surely a matter of taste. Personally I usually prefer studio recordings to live. Here, though, the biggest difference is not in the comparisons of the pieces that are on both CDs, but on the contrasting approaches of the overall programme. The studio version of Obgriado Brazil is more introspective and melancholy; the concert recording has more fast, joyful works and moves beyond Brazil for its sources. In this particular case, I prefer the live concert material for the most part. The two final pieces of the studio recording are glorious, though, and I wouldn't want to miss them by only purchasing the live recording. I'm totally taken by the joyous exhuberance of the penultimate track, Brasileirinho, and the crazed final track, Salvador, with its wild improvisation. Admittedly, what I prize many listeners may despise--so much so that the marketers label this last a "bonus track". And I'm not so much a Bossa Nova fan, but if you are, I think the studio CD leans more in that general direction. Whether to buy one or the other, or even both, will surely be a matter of personal taste. But certainly, do buy one--you're almost guaranteed to enjoy it!

I was blessed to spend almost 2 years in the beautiful country of Brazil. I learned the language and loved the people. I'm a musician myself and have been recently discovering the beautiful sounds of Heitor Villa-Lobos. This CD has 2 of his pieces as well as a fantastic selection, ranging from the smooth jazz of A. Jobim to the more traditionals sounds of Paxinguinha with the samba. There's nothing like jazz sung by a native of Rio and there's nothing so wonderful as the samba.

I admire the selection of music on this CD as it covers a wide variety of genres and a large chunk of Brazilian history. Several of the newer pieces were also quite enjoyable, especially because they were performed by the composers themselves.

Of course, Yo-Yo Ma outdoes himself again. His playing is impeccable as is his ability to become part of the larger ensemble. I'm so glad he's willing to blend in and let us hear all the different and beautiful aspects of this music. He's truly a class act as well as an astonishingly accurate and polished musician!