An
exotic selection of bossa novas and latin jazz grooves.
Acoustic bossa songs, electronica, jazz, retro, electro beats, and
fusion. This album earned an International
Jazz Awars nomination for best male vocal performance (Latin/Afro-Cuban
section).
"With such quality ingredients and creative artistry, it would
be all too easy to become a chocaholic." - RocknReel Magazine
top downloads
Chocolate Bossa
Still Believe in the Masterplan
Tiny Sparrow
background
Three
years in the making, chocolate
bossa is Chris Conway's amazing
musical love letter to Brazil.
Featuring guest artists Brazilian jazz diva Ithamara Koorax
and percussion master Thiago DeMello (recorded in Brazil) on
one track, this album has all the remarkable Conway hallmarks
- the lush instrumentation, the cool arrangements and wonderful
varied compositions including influences from his unparalleled
musical experience in many genres.
Latin
music is a thread that can be traced through much of CCs music
over the years, something he puts down to his earliest influence
- "When I was 10, I had hippy older brothers - one was
at Woodstock (though he can't remember much about it!) - I picked
up a lot of music that was floating around the house. My first
4 albums I bought were Santana albums - from there I heard Flora
Purim & Airto, Chick Corea and more recently Marcos Valle
and Ithamara Koorax. Like Celtic music and jazz, Latin music
got in my bloodstream."
Ithamara Koorax
chocolate bossa was conceived
3 years ago when CC wrote a song The Answer for Ithamara
Koorax, and sent it to her in Brazil. She loved it and recorded
her vocal part in Rio bringing percussion master
Thiago de Mello to the recording session. Ithamara says of The
Answer - "Each time I listen to that tune I like it
more. It's very charming, sophisticated, and enchanting. Few
times I like so much my singing in a track the way I do with
The Answer."
Thiago
DeMello
CC chose in his liner notes to chocolate
bossa to dedicate each track to an artist or friend who
influenced some aspect of the track as a thank-you. Whatever
the influence, the tracks are all classic Conway creations.
Well known artists receiving a dedication include Flora &
Airto, sax player Paul Winter, thereminist Barbara Buchholz,
jazz singer Leon Thomas, sax guru Pharaoh Sanders, Carlos Santana,
Ithamara Koorax of course, bossa master Marcos Valle, plus harmony
giants Brian Wilson, Jimmy Webb and the Dedricks from group
The Free Design.
influences
Marcos
Valle, Ithamara Koorax, Paul Winter, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira,
George Duke, Chick Corea, Bebel Gilberto, Sergio Mendes, Leon
Thomas, Pharoah Sanders, Carlos Santana, Barbara Buchholz, The
Free Design, Brian Wilson, Jimmy Webb
technical
recorded
digitally at Oblong Studios and Jazz Station Studios, Rio, Brazil.
CC's
fave track
Still
Believe In The Masterplan
trivia
CC's
performance on this album earned him an International
Jazz Awards nomination for outstanding male vocal performance
(Latin/Afro-Cuban section).
In
sending promotion packs to try and geta deal with various
jazz and bossa labels Chris included a chocolate bar wrapped
in an adapted CD cover art wrapper.
Cactus
Cafe also
appears on a Chris Conway jazz album Think
Blue, Count Two in a guitar duo with Neil "Tiny"
Segrott (who plays bass on it here)
Time
To Talk can be heard in a different arrangement on The Storm
Thieves' Up To The Sun album and Chris
Conway & Dan Britton's Live
album.
The
Answer was recorded in Rio, Brazil and Leicester, UK and the
recordings exchanged by post - Chris never met up with Ithamara
or Thiago when they recorded.
Ithamara
Koorax has expressed an interest in releasing her own mix
of The Answer on a future album of her own.
The
meoldy of The Missing Years is mentioned in the piece You'll
Never Know on the Think
Blue, Count Two album and Breathtaking
albums
if
you like this album
you might also like...
Chris Conway- River of Life
Chris Conway's Happy Landings
Think Blue, Count Two
****
4 stars
Aah … sweet sounds from American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
and theremin-playing sci-fi lover, Chris Conway.
Listening to Chocolate Bossa, I'm reminded of a recent holiday spent
in the far north of Scotland. An exploratory visit to the somewhat
unusual and rather fascinating Balnakeil Craft Village, near Durness,
resulted in my discovery of chocolatiers Cocoa Mountain (www.cocoamountain.co.uk)
and their bliss-inducing hot chocolate. Conway's aural confection offers similar heavenly delights, smooth
and uplifting, as the Brazilian beats and the honeyed tones of Leicester-based
Conway's vocals soothe and stimulate in equal measure. With such
quality ingredients and creative artistry, it would be all too easy
to become a chocaholic.
Dave White
testimonials
Chocolate
Bossa is wonderful! It's like Al Jarrea has gone on holiday to Rio.
- it's VERY GOOD! - Lorraine
Bowen
...charming, sophisticated, and
enchanting. - Ithamatra Koorax
track
by track
1.
Starting Over A funky but smooth electro beat song gets the album off
to a great chillout start. CC dedicated this song to Flora Purim & Airto Moreira
- "I could just imagine Flora singing this - especially the bridge"
CC
- vocals, organ, keyboards, electric 9 string guitar, samples, loops Neil
Segrott - fretless bass
2.
Tiny Sparrow Amazingly this is CCs adaptation of an old folk tune. "I
first heard it sung by Peter Paul & Mary and I thought right away what a good
bossa tune it would make. My jazz group has been playing it like this for quite
a while". CC dedicated this to sax player Paul Winter - a bossa and new age
pioneer.
CC
- vocals, nylon string guitar, piano, keyboards, loops, samples Neil Segrott
- fretless bass Zorpinda Zorpin - percussion
3.
Deep Space Bossa CC had to get space and the theremin into it somehow.
This interlude piece is dedicated to thereminist Barbara Buchholz whose style
influenced his theremin playing on this piece. CC
- theremin, keyboards, loops, samples
4.
Time To Talk This is a new bossa treatment of a song CC sang and recorded
with The Storm Thieves on their Up To The Sun album. It is dedicated to them.
CC
- vocals, nylon string guitar, synthesizer, samples, electronic percussion Neil
Segrott - fretless bass Zorpinda Zorpin - hand percussion
5.
Still Believe In The Masterplan
This track is dedicated to Leon Thomas, Pharoah Sanders & Carlos
Santana. It is CCs response and tribute to LT & PS's classic "The
Creator Has A Masterplan". The Carlos dedication is reflected in
CCs electric guitar playing. CCs first 4 albums he bought as a 10yr
old kid were all Santana albums, and started his love of Latin music.
CC - electric 9 string guitar, electric piano,
organ, tin whistle, bamboo flute, vocals, samples, electronic percussion
Zorpinda Zorpin - wind chimes, percussion, bells
6.
Cactus Cafe
CC has played at Mexican Restaurant The Cactus Cafe for over 15 years.
This tune also appears on a Chris Conway jazz album Think
Blue, Count Two in a guitar duo with Neil "Tiny" Segrott
(who plays bass on it here)
CC - nylon
string guitar, keyboards, samples, loops
Neil Segrott - fretless bass
Zorpinda Zorpin - percussion
7.
The Answer This sumptuous jazz ballad features the stunning guest vocals
of Ithamara Koorax and classic percussion of Thiago DeMello. Ithamara says of
the song " Each time I listen to that tune I like it more. It's very charming,
sophisticated, and enchanting. Few times I like so much my singing in a track
the way I do with The Answer." This song was written especially for and dedicated
to Ithamara.
Ithamara Koorax
- vocals Thiago De Mello - acoustic percussion Neil Segrott - fretless
bass CC - vocals, piano, keyboards, nylon string guitar, electric 9 string
guitar, theremin, electronic percussion
8.
Love At First Light
A big breezy piece that covers a lot of ground, changing from fast to
slow twice. It ends on a cascading canon of voices. CC dedicated it
to great arrangers Brian Wilson & Jimmy Webb, Pat Metheny, and The
Free Design
CC
- nylon string guitar, vocals, lead synthesizer, keyboards, electronic percussion
Neil Segrott - fretless bass Zorpinda Zorpin - electronic & acoustic
percussion
9.
Vanita's Groove
This track is a funky retro reworking of one of CCs tunes he wrote for
Jazz Orient - Vanita's Dance from their Bird Dancer and Live at The
South Bank albums. It is dedicated to his JO colleagues Linda Shanovitch
& Baluji Shrivastav.
CC
- electric piano, organ, electric 9 string guitar, tin whistle, bamboo flute,
samples, electronic percussion Zorpinda Zorpin - electronic percussion
10.
The Missing Years
This track CC has been playing for years. It was on his 1st cassette
album "4am" and gets a mention in 3/4 time in the middle of
"You'll Never Know" from his Think Blue Count Two, and Breathtaking
jazz album. Dedicated to sax player Andy Nicholls who has played this
piece with CC many times and was on that first recording.
CC
- vocals, nylon string guitar, electric piano, low whistle, samples, loops Neil
Segrott - fretless bass
11.
Chocolate Bossa
Another theremin outing. Until the sparkley synth enters in the outro
the whole chordal backing comes from one of CCs solo flights for theremin
and effects. This track CC dedicated to himself - " a treat for
me - as chocolates should be!" .
12.
Samba 66
A fun retro samba dedicated to Marcos Valle, tho Sergio Mendes could
be mentioned too as it feels like a slice out of the classic Brazil
66 era.
CC - nylon string guitar, keyboards, tin whistle, vocals, samples,
percussion
Zorpinda Zorpin - shakers
13.The
End
This lush atmospheric piece wraps the album up. From slow hypnotic beat
the pace picks up for the guitar solo and after the vocals return there
is an almost oriental peace as it closes - "Feel the sound of love
dancing in your heart."
Ithamara Koorax
Thiago
DeMello
