Biography
Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto trio (also spelled: MS2/Sakamoto • Morelenbaum Squared/Sakamoto • Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto) was a project consisting of cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, vocalist Paula Morelenbaum, and pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto 坂本龍一.
The project was mainly a tribute to Brazilian musician and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim (also known as Tom Jobim). Jobim had died in New York on 8 December 1994 at age 67. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists internationally since the early 1960s.
Although Jobim was the driving force behind the reunion, the trio also included songs by other bossa nova artists such as João Gilberto and even a previously unpublished song by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Background
The project, initially an idea by Paula Morelenbaum, was dreamed up by the cellist Jacques Morelenbaum (who has played on and produced several albums of Caetano Veloso); his wife, Paula; and the Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto, all of them Antonio Carlos Jobim devotees.
Paula Morelenbaum, once a vocalist in Antônio Carlos Jobim's "Nova Banda," wife of Nova Banda member, Jobim producer, and frequent Sakamoto collaborator Jaques Morelenbaum, and mother of recent Sakamoto collaborator Dora, has had an idea for a new project for about five years.
Paula then brought Jaques and Ryuichi into the new group known as Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto. With the recording plans set, M2S first had an opportunity to take the stage together informally at the end of Sakamoto's European tour for an unannounced jam session in the lobby of London's Great Eastern Hotel.
Recordings
• “Casa” - 2001 Casa
M2S got together on January 2001 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to record a collection of some of the lesser-known beautiful pieces written by Antônio Carlos "Tom" Jobim.
Thanks to the generosity of Jobim's family, the group had the honor to record in the most inspiring setting imaginable, the study of Tom Jobim. As if that wasn't enough, the setting provided the ultimate perk: it enabled Sakamoto to record the album on Jobim's grand piano.
"The whole experience was spiritual, as if Tom's spirit came into me through the fingerprints on the keys of his piano. During one of the recordings at his house a bird suddenly sang in the middle of the song. We all thought that was Tom." — Sakamoto
They managed to boil down a list of Jobim songs to their essence, recording in Jobim's house on his old grand piano. The recordings would result in the studio album named “Casa” (House in Portuguese).
“Casa” featured the first recording ever of Jobim's composition entitled "Tema para Ana." The album was released in the United States by Sony Classics.
• “Live In Tokyo” - 2001 - Live In Tokyo 2001
Recorded and DVD recorded live at Akasaka Act Theater in Tokyo in 2001, it features 13 classic tunes by Jobim and an original, bossa-nova like tune, "Tango", by Sakamoto. It featured guest star Luiz Brasil on guitar. The album was recorded by Naoto Shibuya, mastered by Yuka Koizumi, and produced by Morelenbaum²-Sakamoto. It also consisted of a DVD/audio disc, by WEA.
•“A Day In New York” - 2003 - A Day In New York
Album recorded at the end of a U.S. tour the group made in 2002 in support of the 2002 “Casa” release. The album consists of Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto live set performed in a New York studio.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_(Morelenbaum²/Sakamoto_album)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Day_in_New_York
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/08/arts/the-new-season-music-live-horns-english-punk-and-jobim-s-old-piano.html
https://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000032897
https://www.discogs.com/release/6213279-Morelenbaum²-Sakamoto-Live-In-Tokyo-2001
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