When the legendary Brazilian Singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento celebrated a lifetime in music with his farewell tour in 2022, and it was safe to assume he would also retire from the recording studio.
Throughout his career, Nascimento single-handedly changed the course of Latin music with a nostalgic, ever-mysterious sound, freely inspired by Afro-Brazilian traditions, Beatles-like psychedelia, and the purity of South American folk music. Esquina Club It is one of many masterpieces he released between the late 1960s and the 1990s (for Milton neophytes, the 1979 session was in English). Journey to Dawn (It also provides a great entry point.)
But before the final tour was over, Nascimento’s son asked jazz prodigy Esperanza Spaulding to produce the icon’s next album. Spaulding had discovered his music while studying at Berklee College of Music, and it had a profound influence on her compositions. She seized the opportunity, moved to Rio and installed recording equipment in Nascimento’s favorite room, where the artist, now 81, spends hours watching Brazilian soap operas.
The result of their cooperation is Milton + EsperanzaA fragmented, strikingly impressionistic album that combines reworked Nascimento classics with new Spalding originals, warm acoustics, and a number of interesting songs: The Beatles' “A Day in the Life” and Michael Jackson's “Earth Song.” They are joined by Spalding's core band, and guest stars such as Paul Simon and Dianne Reeves.
“No one can fully understand what someone else’s world is about,” Spaulding says via Zoom when asked about her instinctive connection to Nascimento’s world. “Maybe the point is that your soul is aware of a truth in this world that resonates with you.”
“My music comes from my childhood, my travels and my friendships,” Nascimento adds, as Spalding looks on admiringly. “My heart beats strong, and the songs flow from me.”
There are no plans for a Nascimento and Spalding tour to promote the album, but the vibrancy with which he adds new shades to classic compositions like “Cais” and “Outubro” should revive interest in his work outside Brazil, where Nascimento is already celebrated as a national hero.
“I was just trying to make a good album with my friend and muse,” Spaulding says. “I've had a lot of songs over the last 15 years that were inspired by Milton, so it was easy to find some that I hadn't recorded yet.”
