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Rich Coffey Instrumentals

Customed-crafted arrangements of Standards, Contemporary Hits, Spirituals, etc.

Studio - Arrangements:

- Brazilian (Bossa Nova, Samba, etc.) -

Estate

- Bossa Nova Ballad (written by Bruno Martino)

João Gilberto

I have always been enamored by the beauty of this tune. Although it was an Italian pop song, Joao Gilberto "put it on the map" with his poignant bossa nova version. My arrangement features low register trombone and a mellow emulation of jazz guitar, Fender Rhodes electric piano and electric bass to keep it soft and sensuous.

Although this was minor hit in Italy when released, it eventually became a worldwide jazz standard largely through its bossa nova re-interpretation by João Gilberto. Chet Baker—in his always understated lyricism—recorded a wonderful version of this as well.

Update September 2024
The trombone part was rerecorded and the tune remixed because the previous version sounded like crap!

Pra Dizer Adeus (To Say Goodbye)

- Bossa Nova Ballad written by Edu Lobo, Torquato Neto and Lani Hall (English Lyrics)

Bonnie Bowden

OMG... What can anyone say about this gorgeous tune other than its a privilege to play it on the trombone. The lyric for the vocal version both in Portuguese AND English are so perfect you want to just melt. Be sure to check out Bonnie Bowden singing with Sergio Mendes (and keep a handkerchief nearby...)

Note: (Sept. 2024)
I arranged and recorded this way back in 2017 and truth be told—in retrospect, the audio sounded like crap (the mix was terrible and the trombone was way too "blatty"). I finally got around to fixing it and although its not perfect - it sounds a heck of a lot better :-)

Secret Love

composed by Sammy Fain

Secret Love

"Secret Love" is a song composed by Sammy Fain (music) and Paul Francis Webster (lyrics) for Calamity Jane, a 1953 musical film in which it was introduced by Doris Day in the title role. Although it's a show tune, Secret Love is located here in the Brazilian section because the arrangement features Batucada drums and the Cavaquinho.

What is Batucada?
Batucada is a substyle of samba and refers to a percussive style, performed by a drum and percussion ensemble, known as a bateria. Batucada is characterized by its repetitive style and fast pace. Further Info

Did You Know?

  • The melody of Secret Love bears a slight resemblance to the opening theme of Schubert's A-major piano sonata.
  • In the 1972 Billy Paul version of "Me and Mrs. Jones" a saxophone is heard playing the first seven notes of "Secret Love", in the intro and outro of the song. That led to a lawsuit by the composers (Fain and Webster), claiming the melody was used without approval. It was settled out of court, with Fain and Webster each receiving half of the proceeds for the Billy Paul version of the song.

Hey - what/s the story behind "What so special about this tune?"

  • Ages ago I traveled the world playing trombone in a band on a cruise ship. We backed up a lot of acts (some of them good some of them long past their prime!) One of my favorite acts was a puppeteer who used the Spike Jones version of this song for his puppet act. It was hilarious and ever since, I fell in love with "Secret Love". Decades later I've finally got around to doing it with this unusual version!

Black Orpheus

- originally a Bossa Nova Ballad (written by Luiz Bonfá)

Black Orpheus

This is a remake of the classic bossa nova tune by Luiz Bonfá (in Portuguese titled "Manhã de Carnaval"). As corny as it may sound, I saw the movie "Black Orpheus" back in high school and it deeply inspired me and set my life in motion to learn about the Brazilian culture and its incredible music.

If any of you are unfamiliar with the movie - SEE IT! Its a poignant retelling of the classic Orpheus and Eurydice myth, this time occurring during the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Set in the favelas (slums) of Rio, it starred predominantly local actors and became a worldwide sensation. It was the first of only four films ever to win both the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film! The film’s colorful vistas depicted Rio as a paradise of beautiful people but fittingly, a tragic place as well...

The lovely electric piano sound is a Casio Patch called Dyno E.Piano. Dyno-My-Piano was a customized Fender Rhodes where the pickups were moved closer to the tines to emphasize the overtones more than the fundamental. The "Dyno Rhodes" modification by Chuck Monte was immensely popular in the late 70s and 80s. Details »

Sá Marina (Pretty World)

- Bossa Nova
(composed by Antonio Adolfo and Tiberio Gasper.)

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

This is such a lovely song! The original Bossa Nova was called "Sa Marina" and composed by Antonio Adolfo and Tiberio Gasper. Marilyn and Alan Bergman wrote the English lyrics which was a huge hit for Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 back in 1969. Wilson Simonal had a hit with this tune a few years earlier in Brazil.

My arrangement features the acoustic piano and the trombone on the melody. [ Maybe its sacrilege (!!) but I did NOT include the distinctive 2 bar piano riff- Hah! ]

Although my arrangement is an instrumental, you may want to check out the wonderful lyrics before listening to the vocal versions below. Lyrics » (opens in a new tab/window)

Ligia

written by Antonio Carlos Jobim

Antonio Carlos Jobim

Unrequited love or just a longing for someone that can never be, Ligia is another achingly beautiful tune by Tom Jobim.

Tom Jobim's genius for harmony is the focus of this stripped down arrangement featuring the trombone accompanied by only a jazz guitar, an acoustic bass and the subdued addition of a string quartet. There's no improv solo, just the tune once through and a short tag/coda. This was re-recorded in November of 2022.

 

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