JOYCE: Just a Little Bit Crazy

Joyce

Just a Little Bit Crazy

© 2004 Far Out Recordings

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Joyce's vocals sit beautifully with the surrounding moods supplied by the keys of Bugge Wesseltoft

notes

Far Out Recordings release the anticipated new album from legendary Brazilian singer, composer and guitarist Joyce on June 23rd 2003. A fusion of Bossa Nova, Samba, rare Brazilian rhythms and European jazz (courtesy of guest Scandinavian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft), ‘Just A Little Bit Crazy’ sees Joyce once again pushing both herself and Brazilian music to its limits.

A respected musician as well as novelist, newspaper columnist and arts TV presenter, Joyce has never been one to tow the party line. During the 1960s Joyce, alongside the Tropicalists, infused conservative Brazilian music with the spirit of 60s counter-culture, creating Bossa Nova with a feminist edge that gave Brazilian women the voice they had longed for. Forward to 2004 and Joyce wants to make music that’s ‘gender-free’. Now focused on widening her musical influences rather than tackling gender issues, ‘Just A Little Bit Crazy’ is Joyce’s most experimental album to date.

Joyce explains the vibe: "I wanted to try something different, different grooves, different subjects, and different sounds. I spoke as a woman for more than 3 decades – now I want to be more involved in the musical aspects of my craft and rather than write about my own feelings talk about the world around me. I also wanted to have the band interacting all the time, to create an album of real live, organic music”. Alongside Joyce and Bugge Wesseltoft, Tutty Moreno (drums), Robertinho Silva (percussion), Teco Cardoso (flutes, sax), Nailor Proveta (clarinet, sax) and producer Rodolfo Stroeter (bass), all contributed to the albums make-up.

The classic sambas and Bossa novas that Joyce is known for are present, but with the Banda Maluca in tow Joyce is at her most innovative and playful adding wonderful new twists to her classic style. “Of course, samba is a must in my music, but on this album I also wanted to incorporate other less well known Brazilian styles, for example, 'Chuvisco' is based on a 'Xote', a rhythm from the Northeast, and 'For Hall' is a mix of 'Maracatu' and 'Forro'; North Eastern Brazilian dances." But how much truth is in the 'crazy' title? "It started as a joke", recounts Joyce, "I was introducing the band in Japan on tour last year and they immediately took the name to heart. But I suppose we actually ARE a little bit crazy - crazy because all we care for is the music."

And what about Bugge's involvement in the album? "I wanted to try and make this album more multicultural than previous albums. My producer Rodolfo Stroeter suggested Bugge because he was a versatile musician who despite coming from Norway, shares the same Brazilian musical idioms as the Banda Maluca and myself. He can understand and work with different styles from jazz through to Brazilian and electronic, and helped us show that it's a great thing to share the world with other cultures."


“No Bossa Nova clichés here. Joyce’s new album sees her in terrific form” Gilles Peterson, Worldwide, Radio 1
"Joyce is one of the greatest stars of Brazilian music… inventive and soulful" The Guardian
"One of the greatest singers of all time" Antonio Carlos Jobim

reviews

Please log in to review this album.

email

Please log in to email this artist.