Nascimento Has Off Night in Front of Sparse Crowd

Whenever Milton Nascimento strolls on stage, garbed in his customary white outfit, he is also accompanied by powerful historical resonance. As one of the architects of Brazil’s MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) movement of the late ‘60s, and a primary voice in virtually every succeeding stylistic era, he is one of the country’s most vital living musical artists.

So it was both disturbing and surprising on Saturday to see such a sparse crowd at the Hollywood Bowl for Nascimento. Many, as it turned out, were Brazilians, well-versed in his music, and more than willing to sing along on such familiar items as the powerful resistance song “Coracao de Estudante” and the classic “Maria, Maria.” By the time Nascimento arrived on stage, in fact, most of the crowd from the upper reaches had moved down into the boxes, creating the illusion--from the stage, at least--that there was ample attendance.

Nascimento, at 58, has been around far too long to deliver a lackluster performance, but he did not appear to be in top form for this one. The ease with which his creamy voice moves from chesty baritone to high falsetto often became a trial, sometimes resulting in no falsetto at all. Equally important--and perhaps because he really could see all those empty seats--his singing lacked the spirited drive and enthusiasm that have always made his dynamic live performances so superior to his recordings.

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Those caveats aside, there was still the music, all of it first rate, occasionally simmering with references to his Minas Gerais roots, lush with his unusual harmonies and complex cross-rhythms, and constantly maintaining connections with jazz and rock. In fact, his keyboardist, Lincoln Continentino), delivered solo after solo with first-rate jazz content. But it still would have been nice to hear Nascimento perform an entire program with the strength and intimacy that only surfaced on one or two numbers.