Live albums with friends

While Escape doesn't come out, Marcos Valle is mixing a live CD, yet to be named, for the Canadian market. "I was in Montreal, last year, and played a show in a very beautiful theater with guitarist Victor Biglione and local saxophonist Jean Pierre Zanella. We recorded the set just for the sake of it, but I liked the result. As opposed to Escape, this is a hit-only album, with some different versions and arrangements that I wrote to play with these musicians", he describes.

The CD features a solo part by Victor Biglione playing Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo and Egeberto Gismonti's songs. Next, Valle performs his standards, such as Preciso Aprender a Ser Só, Samba de Verão, Viola Enluarada and three instrumental numbers, Azymuth, Campina Grande and Minha Voz Virá do Sol da América.

There will be plenty of hits in the album that Valle is recording in March with Wanda Sá and Roberto Menescal. The project emerged from a showcase that Marcos played for a private company. "I had played a number of shows there, and someone suggested that I bring in a guest. I thought of Menescal, we've been friends for ages. He introduced me to everybody in the business, but we had never worked together", Marcos recalls. The idea couldn't have been better. The three presented the concert in different theaters and decided to put it on record.

The trio has signed up a deal to release the live album along with 26 shows around Brazil. "We are officially releasing it by April, when I return from Europe. We also have invitations to present this concert abroad". That's how Marcos Valle's bossa survives in times of pagode and axé.