I ran into a pile of Brazilian 78s at a house-sale in Ravenswood Manor last summer. This one is

Narcisos, a ritmo de samba side, by Waldir Calmon, on the Star label out of Rio de Janeiro, 1952. He

made many recordings in his long career as a musician and innovator. Mr. Calmon (1919-1982) was the

first performer in Brazil to use the solovox, a small keyboard instrument that was the forerunner to the

synthesizer. His plaintive single note runs were widely imitated by the next generation of Bossa Nova

and Samba : and particularly by the iconic Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Nerd note: this take is doubly-so great because the shellac is in pristine condition and there is the

most minimal of hiss/surface noise.

Waldir Calmon – Narcisos <<<PLAY

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