Subject: RE: 'Brazilian Mancini' article text

Received: 5/4/00 6:31 AM

Hello BJ,

This is highly interesting and absorbing. Yes, Jobim was a very warm guy who did everything he could for the others. He never assumed his importance as our greatest ever popular composer and helped everyone. He stayed the same wonderful guy from the first days, friend of his friends and making new friends with his disarming smile. Always ready to tell a joke, he loved to laugh, drink, talk about women and music, smoking his cigar and listen [to] the birds singing in the trees of his garden.

So, no wonder he played the three sessions of "Brazilian Mancini" for $210.

Later,

José Domingos Raffaelli
Rio DeJaneiro, Brazil

Subject: Remembering Tom

Received:  6/12/03 8:27 AM

. . .Touched by his music, I have come to think of Jobim not just as one of the world's greatest composers, but also as a friend.

Dave Prentice
British Columbia, Canada

Subject: Your website about Claus Ogerman

Received: 5/24/03 7:32 PM

Whoever you are,

My name is Marcos Molina.

I am a Spaniard of 37 years living in Mallorca Island, Mediterranean.

It may seem weird but I only discovered the Bossa Nova two years ago, thanks to a friend who lend me a compilation of Brasilian songs from different artists, where "Vivo Sonhando" (taken out from "The Composer Plays" album) just happened to cause a huge magical effect on me...

My goodness me, how beautiful can music be! It's just one of those best songs for all lifetime.

Since then I've been learning, seaching, exploring, buying and enjoying all of Mr. Jobim's albums I can find in Spain, which are quite a lot.

As time passed, I learned that there was a very important man called Claus Ogerman, that was behind the most beautiful tracks of Diana Krall and Tom Jobim. People today don't care at who's composed or arranged a song, they just want to be seduced by the music and the face of the singer, if you know what I mean.

[. . .]

From my little musical formation, I learned that an incredibly talented Mr. Ogerman helped to create the most refined, sophisticated and untemporal music to keep during all generations. It's one of those artists that deserve to be on the throne of best artist forever.

Warmest regards from Spain.

Yours sincerely,

Marcos Molina.

August 18, 2005 4:01:29 PM EDT

Hi BJ,

First of I want to say how interesting I have found your website. Since first hearing Wanderley's "Summer Samba" and the radio version of "Girl from Ipanema" in the early '60s in my later teens, I have been fascinated by Brazilian musing and anything related to the Samba, and its musicians. In face, just the other night I dredged out my old "Rain Forest" and Jazz Samba (Getz, and Joao + Astrud Gilberto) album and listened to them with a big smile on my face! It seems that I was affected by much the same music that "got to" you way back when!

[...]

Regards and thanks for a terrific site.

Bob Wilson

Vancouver