Obrigado Brazil

1	Cristal 2:50
2	Chega de Saudade 4:16
3	A Lenda Do Caboclo 3:10
4	Doce de Coco 5:12
5	Dansa Brasileira 2:18
6	Apelo 4:58
7	Dansa Negra 3:31
8	I X 0 (Um a Zero) 2:41
9	Menino 5:36
10	Samambaia 5:19
11	Carinhoso 4:49
12	Alma Brasileira 5:05
13	O Amor Em Paz 3:52
14	Bodas de Prata/Quatro Cantos 9:49
15	Brasileirinho 3:31
16	Salvador Bonus Track 4:53

Barnes & Noble

Can the peripatetic cellist Yo-Yo Ma create a popular work that's anything less than charming? Not when he stacks the deck with music such as that on Obrigado, Brazil. Although it follows Ma's sojourn in the French repertoire, Paris: La Belle Epoque, this tropical treat is really of a piece with Ma's homage to tango legend Astor Piazzolla. Sharing many of the same players -- notably arranger Jorge Calendrelli, guitarists Oscar Castro-Neves and the duo of Sérgio and Odair Assad, and pianist Kathryn Stott -- it's another immersion in similarly sophisticated South American pop (and light-classical) music. That's choro, the Brazilian parlor music of the early 20th century. Typically powered by the bandolim (a mandolin), flute, saxophone, and piano, choro has more bounce than bossa nova, sporting an almost-Dixieland swing. Ma's limpid cello takes solos that might traditionally go to either clarinets or flutes, infusing material from Pixinguinha and Jacob do Bandolim with an easygoing grace. Darker tones are struck on bossa-era material from Tom Jobim ("Chega de Saudade" and "Amor Em Paz") and Baden Powell ("Apelo"), where Ma's ensemble acts more like a band, including the brilliant Brazilian traps drummer Paulo Braga and percussive genius Cyro Baptista. Fittingly, Ma also takes on some engaging classical works from Heitor Villa-Lobos, producing haunting duets between cello and piano and cello and guitar, as well as the lush "Bodas de Prata & Quatro Cantos," featuring composer and pianist Egberto Gismonti. Ending his tour with the plucky samba "Brasileirinho," Ma gives Paquito D'Rivera plenty of room to stretch out on clarinet (!), underscoring the verve and generosity that's characterized the cellist's ever-evolving career. Saravá! Mark Schwartz

Entertainment Weekly

An appealingly diverse program.... Reliably enchanting. (A-) Scott Paulin

Gramophone

The performances, recording quality and annotation are of the highest quality. Listen and enjoy! John Duarte

Minneapolis Star-Tribune

[Ma] surrounds himself with native musicians and conjures an amazingly wide range of musical styles from this richly endowed culture.... The album's only downside is that it makes you want to hear more. Michael Anthony