Caetano Veloso continues his free-thinking explorations of tropicalismo on this ambitiously arranged, elaborately packaged suite of songs devoted to whatever happens to cross his mind. Veloso says that he was listening a lot to the collaborations of Miles Davis and Gil Evans around this time, and Jaques Morelenbaum's charts often reflect their darkly urbane ethos. Yet for Morelenbaum's yin there is also the yang of the battering Bahian percussion that dominates many of the rhythm tracks. "Livros" in Portuguese means "books," so Veloso gives you a sample of his book Verdade Tropical in the booklet notes and pays eloquent tribute to them on the title track: "Books are transcendental things/But we can love them with our hands." He is alternately awestruck and appalled by the ambiguities of New York City on "Manhata"; here, the arrangement definitely contains haunting echoes of Evans. He can venture into atonality on "Doideca" (12-tone, but pointedly translated in the booklet as "loony"), recite the horrors of a slave ship voyage, tell someone off ("Nao Enche," which means "Piss Off"), or simply sing "How beautiful could a being be" over and over, presumably to a child, in falsetto to a hot groove. One of the most amazing songs is an epic about the life of Alexander the Great; it comes off like a great saga song. Finally, he runs down a long list of all his favorite Brazilian singers, seemingly leaving out no one, only to close with "Better than this there's only silence/And better than silence, only Joao." Can't add anything to that, except don't miss this CD if you love Brazilian music. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide
Carlinhos Brown (Special Participation), Léo Bit Bit (Berimbau), Flávio Melo (Arranger), Walmir Gil (Arranger), Carlinhos Brown (Drums (Steel)), Marcelo Costa (Afoxe), Ubaldo Versolato (Sax (Baritone)), Daniel Jobim (Vocals (Background)), Marcelo Costa (Maculele), Drauzio Chagas (Tuba), Paula Morelenbaum (Vocals (Background)), Carlinhos Brown (Percussion), Caetano Veloso (Liner Notes), Luis Brasil (Orchestral Arrangements), Daniel Garcia (Arranger), Carlos Malta (Arranger), Pedro Sá (Arranger), Pedro Sá (Guitar), Luis Brasil (Agogo), Walmir Gil (Trumpet), Dadi (Arranger), Marcelo Costa (Guiro), Jorge Helder (Arranger), Drauzio Chagas (Arranger), Cristiano Siqueira Alves (Clarinet), Du (Clapping), Jó (Arranger), Giancarlos Spala Pareschi (Arranger), Antônio Augusto (French Horn), Caetano Veloso (Guitar), Phillip Doyle (French Horn), Boghan (Bells), Luis Brasil (Guitar), Jó (Bass), Barrao (Package Design), Léo Bit Bit (Clapping), David Ganc (Arranger), Dari Moraes (Clapping), Gustavo de Dalva (Kettle Drums), June Murakawa (Mixing), Dadi (Clapping), Jó (Kettle Drums), Luiz Carlos Justi (Horn (English)), Nara Gil (Vocals (Background)), Bernie Grundman (Mastering), Vanius L. Marques (Engineer), Jaques Morelenbaum (Direction), Pinduca (Arranger), Gustavo de Dalva (Arranger), Márcio Victor (Conga), Jota Moraes (Vibraphone), Boghan (Kettle Drums), Phillip Doyle (Arranger), Ramiro Mussoto (Arranger), Leonardo Reis (Djembe), Boghan (Arranger), Du (Tambourine), Carlos Malta (Flute), Caetano Veloso (Clapping), Luis Brasil (Drums), Flávio Melo (Trumpet), Zé Canuto (Sax (Alto)), Marcelo Martins (Sax (Tenor)), Léo Bit Bit (?), Sueli Faria (Arranger), Giancarlos Spala Pareschi (Spalla), Carlos Malta (Sax (Baritone)), Gustavo de Dalva (Clapping), Hudson Nogueira (Arranger), Fernanda Villa-Lobos (Graphic Design), Márcio Victor (Drums (Snare)), Vittor Santos (Trombone), Moreno Veloso (Djembe), Ramiro Mussoto (Clapping), Jaques Morelenbaum (Soloist), Carlinhos Brown (Campana), Jorge Ribeiro (Clapping), Mike Aarvoldo (Mixing), David Ganc (Flute), Moreno Veloso (Arranger), Paschoal Perrota (Arranger), Maria Bethânia (Special Participation), Ismael de Oliviera (Arranger), Duda Mello (Assistant Engineer), Luiz Carlos Justi (Oboe), Caetano Veloso (Piano), Victor Santos (Arranger), Proveta (Arranger), Jota Moraes (Arranger), Marcelo Martins (Arranger), Virginia Casé (Production Assistant), Jaques Morelenbaum (Orchestral Arrangements), Boghan (Barrel Drum), Valdir Ferreira (Arranger), Du (Drums (Snare)), Márcio Victor (Drums), Jaques Morelenbaum (Arranger), Belo Veloso (Vocals (Background)), Ismael de Oliviera (French Horn), Márcio Victor (Soloist), Moreno Veloso (Vocals), Márcio Victor (Bacurinhas), Jorge Helder (Clapping), Dadi (Bass), Maurício Carrilho (Guitar), Gustavo de Dalva (Tambourine), Nahor Gomes (Flugelhorn), Belo Veloso (Arranger), William Magalhaes (Arranger), Proveta (Sax (Alto)), Flávio Melo (Flugelhorn), Jaques Morelenbaum (Clapping), Jessé Sadoc (Trumpet), Gê Alves Pinto (Package Design), Beth Araujo (Production Assistant), Barney (Studio Coordinator), Victor Alcantara (Arranger), Isabel de Sena (Translation), Márcio Victor (Arranger), Pinduca (Chimes), Marcelo Costa (Percussion), Jó (Conga), Marcelo Costa (Bacurinhas), Paulo Sérgio Dos Santos (Clarinet), Jota Moraes (Xylophone), Luis Brasil (Clapping), Pedro Sá (Vocals (Background)), Léo Bit Bit (Arranger), Francois de Lima (Arranger), Antonio "Moogie" Canazio (Engineer), Victor Alcantara (Sax (Tenor)), Antônio Augusto (Arranger), Walmir Gil (Flugelhorn), Nelson Oliveira (Arranger), Boghan (Tambourine), Fernanda Villa-Lobos (Package Design), Boghan (Clapping), Luiz Zerbini (Package Design), Paschoal Perrota (Violin), Caetano Veloso (Direction), William Magalhaes (Keyboards), Fernando Nunes (Bass), Valdir Ferreira (Trombone), Jorge Helder (Bass), Luis Brasil (Berimbau), Marcelo Martins (Flute), Hudson Nogueira (Sax (Alto)), Antonio "Moogie" Canazio (Mixing), Zé Canuto (Flute), Jose Carlos Ramos (Sax (Tenor)), Marcelo Martins (Sax (Alto)), Luiz Zerbini (Paintings), Silas Degodoy (Engineer), Marcelo Bernardes (Arranger), Bob Ludwig (Mastering), Fabio Pareto (Photography), Du (Bacurinhas), Victor Santos (Trombone), Luiz Carlos Justi (Arranger), Jó (Drums (Snare)), Moreno Veloso (Guitar (Tenor)), Ulisses DeAbreu (Trombone), Ulisses DeAbreu (Arranger), Carlinhos Brown (Drums), Fernando Nunes (Arranger), Pedro Sá (Maculele), Boghan (Djembe), Márcio Victor (Kettle Drums), Vittor Santos (Arranger), Léo Bit Bit (Caxambu), Ramiro Mussoto (Kalimba), Jaques Morelenbaum (Cello), Fábio Henriques (Engineer), Leonardo Reis (Clapping), Ramiro Mussoto (Berimbau), Walmir Gil (Soloist), Léo Bit Bit (Agogo), Jorge Ribeiro (Arranger), Jaques Morelenbaum (Maculele), Caetano Veloso (Vocals), Eliezer Rodrigues (Tuba), Marcelo Martins (Woodwind Arrangement), Marcelo Costa (Percussion Arrangement), Nara Gil (Arranger), Moreno Veloso (Tambourine), Boghan (Chocalhos), Moreno Veloso (Vocals (Background)), Nahor Gomes (Arranger), Luis Brasil (Bacurinhas), Jó (Bells), Du (Kettle Drums), Marcelo Costa (Drums), Marcelo Costa (Agogo), Carlinhos Brown (Sabar), Marcelo Costa (Arranger), Caetano Veloso (Arranger), Max Pierre (Art Direction), Jó (Djembe), Ramiro Mussoto (Drum Samples), Léo Bit Bit (Bacurinhas), Francois de Lima (Trombone), Moreno Veloso (Clapping), Gustavo de Dalva (Djembe), Zeca Assumpção (Arranger), Jó (Bacurinhas), Du (Arranger), Daniel Garcia (Sax (Tenor)), Moreno Veloso (Maculele), Leonardo Reis (Arranger), Boghan (Drums (Snare)), Sueli Faria (Sax (Baritone)), Marcelo Costa (Tambourine), Jó (Agogo), Pedro Amorim (Arranger), Jó (Tambourine), Luis Brasil (Arranger), Zeca Assumpção (Bass (Acoustic)), Cristiano Siqueira Alves (Arranger), Márcio Victor (Djembe), Léo Bit Bit (Tambourine), Boghan (Agogo), Léo Bit Bit (Djembe), Carlos Malta (Piccolo), Geysa Adnet (Graphic Coordinator), Pedro Amorim (Cavaquinho), Barrao (Graphic Design), Nelson Oliveira (Trumpet), Marcelo Bernardes (Flute), Luiz Zerbini (Graphic Design), Zé Canuto (Arranger)
