In 1972, around the time that Eumir Deodato was recording Prelude, an album for CTI that would become a massive hit, the Brazilian arranger and keyboardist also was recording Os Catedráticos 73 in Rio de Janeiro and New York. The album was a gentler and more lyrical ride than the fusion-y Prelude and has just been remastered and reissued by the U.K.'s Far Out Recordings.
By the time these two albums were released in 1973, Deodato had already made a mark for himself in Brazil, where he had been pioneering a robust and jaunty form of samba since 1964. But it wasn't until Prelude's releasethat Deodato became a household name worldwide. Packaged in a famously glossy emerald-green gatefold cover with the photo of a tree in shadow by Pete Turner, the album featured Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001). The song won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and went to #2 in the pop charts in the U.S.
Os Catedráticos 73 is a charming album with a passing gear. In all likelihood, the album was recorded and released in Brazil to hedge Deodato's bets if Prelude fell flat with older Brazilian record buyers. In addition to hook-laced tracks, Deodato recorded slower versions of Carly & Carole from Prelude and Skyscrapers from Deodato 2. He also played the organ instead of the Fender Rhodes on a bunch of tracks , such as Down the Hill, Soccer Game and Flap, giving these songs a lemony Walter Wanderley feel. The bossa ballads—The White Puma and The Bird—also are fragrantly arranged and played.
Os Catedráticos 73 is one of Deodato's least known in the U.S. and among his finest. The reissue has been remastered and pressed to 180g vinyl along with CD and digital versions. If you dig this album, jump back in time to Deodat's Impulso! from 1964. It's a killer hard-samba organ recording.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Eumir Deodato's Os Catedraticos 73 here.
JazzWax clip: Here's the entire Os Catedraticos 73 album from Far Out Recordings...
Bonus: Here's Deodato's entire Impulso! from 1964...
By the time these two albums were released in 1973, Deodato had already made a mark for himself in Brazil, where he had been pioneering a robust and jaunty form of samba since 1964. But it wasn't until Prelude's releasethat Deodato became a household name worldwide. Packaged in a famously glossy emerald-green gatefold cover with the photo of a tree in shadow by Pete Turner, the album featured Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001). The song won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and went to #2 in the pop charts in the U.S.
Os Catedráticos 73 is a charming album with a passing gear. In all likelihood, the album was recorded and released in Brazil to hedge Deodato's bets if Prelude fell flat with older Brazilian record buyers. In addition to hook-laced tracks, Deodato recorded slower versions of Carly & Carole from Prelude and Skyscrapers from Deodato 2. He also played the organ instead of the Fender Rhodes on a bunch of tracks , such as Down the Hill, Soccer Game and Flap, giving these songs a lemony Walter Wanderley feel. The bossa ballads—The White Puma and The Bird—also are fragrantly arranged and played.
Os Catedráticos 73 is one of Deodato's least known in the U.S. and among his finest. The reissue has been remastered and pressed to 180g vinyl along with CD and digital versions. If you dig this album, jump back in time to Deodat's Impulso! from 1964. It's a killer hard-samba organ recording.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Eumir Deodato's Os Catedraticos 73 here.
JazzWax clip: Here's the entire Os Catedraticos 73 album from Far Out Recordings...
Bonus: Here's Deodato's entire Impulso! from 1964...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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