Walter Wanderley - Moondreams (1969) [2006]

Wanderley's second album during Creed Taylor's A&M residency opens with a bang, a fantastic rendition of the old Northern Brazilian standard "Asa Branca" that evokes the exhilaration of a street carnival. Midway through, the tempo kicks up, the band settles into a two-chord vamp, and the performance lifts into orbit; even the normally mild-mannered Wanderley dances wildly on organ and electric harpsichord. Nothing else here, even the provocatively titled "Proton, Electron, Neutron," approaches "Asa Branca"'s energy. Yet on the whole, this is a somewhat better album than its predecessor on A&M; the sound is more open and less confined. The selection remains predominantly Brazilian, with an occasional American ringer like "Soulful Strut" and another Jimmy Webb tune, "5:30 Plane." The female voices (one of whom is Flora Purim) return on a few tracks; so do Hubert Laws and Romeo Penque on flutes. Eumir Deodato is in charge of the mauve-colored charts for flutes, trumpets and violas, and Airto Moreira makes an early impression pumping up the percussion section.

Tracks:

01. Asa Branca (Gonzaga) - 4:31
02. L'Amore Dice Ciao (Guardagassi-Greenaway) - 2:40
03. Penha (Paiva) - 2:45
04. One of the Nicer Things (Webb) - 3:09
05. Proton, Electron, Neutron (Valle-Valle) - 2:45
06. 5:30 Plane (Webb) - 3:41
07. Soulful Strut (Record-Sanders) - 3:06
08. Moondreams (Gismonti) - 2:30
09. Jackie, All (Deodato) - 3:32
10. Mirror of Love (Deodato) - 2:46

Personnel:

Walter Wanderley - organ, electric harpsichord
Jose Marino, Richard Davis, George Duvivier - bass
Joao Palma - drums
Lulu Ferreira, Airto Moreira - percussion
Bernie Glow - trumpet, flugelhorn
Marvin Stamm - flugelhorn
Danny Bank, Hubert Laws, Romeo Penque, Jerome Richardson, Joe Soldo - flute
Harold Coletta, Richard Dickler, Theodore Israel, Archie Levin, David Mankovitz, Warren Tekula, Emanuel Vardi, Harry Zaratzian - viola
Flora Purim, Linda November, Stella Stevens, Susan Manchester - vocals