\"In the summer of 2010, I was invited by the city of Rio to present a solo show on Ipanema beach. It was intended as a sort of luau for people leaving the beach, with just voice and guitar. I threw a sundress over my swimsuit, flip-flops on my feet, coconut water within easy reach, and there I was. The sea of people, both locals and tourists, on the sand; the presence of friends who, like me, grew up on that stretch of beach; giving joy to so many made the show one of the happiest I'd ever given. Seeing all those people singing with me the city's anthem, \"Cidade Maravilhosa,\" was priceless. This CD was born when the sun sank behind the Dois Irmãos hill, and the crowd applauded as we had done so many years ago. A crowd that applauds a simple sunset must be very good folk. Rio—the mountain, the sun and the sea—where I make my samba simply.\" JOYCE, 2011
Joyce's seventh original recording for Far Out -- 'Rio' -- combines Joyce's Brazilian rhythms (partido alto to samba), jazz and bossa harmonies and intelligent lyrics through her beautifully expressive voice on special original compositions -- new and old -- alongside unique versions of classic Brazilian songs from greats including Tom Jobim, Caetano Veloso. A wonderful mood floats through fifteen tracks to recreate the special atmosphere of the 'Rio' show.
Joyce is one of Brazil's most internationally acclaimed artists recording her debut album in 1968 as the first Brazilian female voice to speak from a feminist perspective. She has since gone on to issue more than 20 solo albums and hear more than 300 recordings of her songs by Brazil's most respected artists. Singer, composer and guitarist, Joyce nurtured her sound in Rio's fertile jazz and samba scenes and in the movement against the Brazilian military government dictatorship: 1964 -- 85. Joyce's international popularity grew with her 1980 recording 'Feminina' and 1989 when a re-discovered Joyce cut 'Aldeia de Ogum' became a rare-groove hit in London. In 1996 Joyce shared the stage with James Brown and other legends at 'Songwriters Hall of Fame' ceremonies in New York and has toured again internationally since Giles Peterson brought Joyce to Brixton's Fridge in 1993. Following four successful albums for the label, Far Out's re-issue of Joyce's 1976 acid-folk classic 'Vision's of Dawn' in 2009 presented Joyce to a new generation of fans before 2010's recording with Joao Donato -- 'Aquarius' -- was released to much acclaim.
