Manfredo Fest Trio — Os Sambeatles 1966 (Brazil, Bossa Nova/Latin/Jazz)

Reissue of rare 1966 Brazilian album with a jazz/bossa nova take on songs by the Beatles, all served up with plenty of great keyboard work from the legendary Manfredo Fest (well known for his combo sides of the 60s). Although this album is an obscure effort by Fest, it’s in a similar vein to his better-known albums: all instrumental, strongly jazz-based, with piano or organ as the main solo instrument, soaring over the top of some tight, crackling rhythms! The tunes are all played with inventive touches that really take them from their roots as rock songs, and open them up as groovers filled with keyboard improvisation. A nice slice of how the bossa nova sound was evolving in its homeland as well as the international impact the Beatles were having on countries outside of the U.S., England, Japan, and Germany.

Manfredo Irmin Fest (May 13, 1936 — October 8, 1999) was a legally blind bossa nova and jazz pianist and keyboardist from Brazil. He was also a famous bandleader. He was born in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and he died at 63 years old in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. He was husband of the composer Lili Fest and father of the guitarist Phil Fest.

Manfredo Fest was of German descent: his father was a concert pianist from Germany who taught at University in Porto Alegre. Although he was blind, Fest learned to read music in Braille. His initial musical training had been classical, but at 17 years old, he became interested in the jazz works of George Shearing and Bill Evans. At college he gained steady work playing bossa nova in Sao Paulo.

In 1961, Fest graduated in piano from the University of Rio Grande do Sul. He also learned to play keyboards and saxophone. One year later, he started his musical career playing in bars, clubs and pubs. In 1963, he recorded his first LP, called Bossa nova, nova bossa. In this album, he counted with Humberto Clayber (bass), Antonio Pinheiro (drums) and Hector Costita (saxophone and flute). In the 1970s he traveled to the United States where he worked with Sergio Mendes. His American debut album Jungle Cat was released in 1978. He was relatively obscure, but worked with noteworthy groups including Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Fest was a semi-regular at Fandango’s on Siesta Key, near Sarasota, Florida.