Femke Smit & Mike del Ferro - Sintonia - Songs from Brazil
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"It is difficult to distinguish where the feminine ends and nature begins"
- Antônio Carlos Jobim
Femke Smit - vocal
Mike del Ferro – piano
Total runtime: 41:07
| DXD 352kHz-24bit recording | PCM 768kHz-32bit Master |
The original high-resolution recording (DXD 352kHz-24bit) was analog mixed and mastered through an HQ analog stereo chain to a PCM768kHz master.
All other formats are high-quality conversions of this master.
Sintonia - Songs from Brazil
Sintonia means tuning - two musicians carefully adjusting voice and piano, rhythm and phrasing, becoming one.
Sintonia means harmony - like minds and new insights blending effortlessly.
Sintonia means agreement - the silent understanding that makes music breathe, the alignment of personal experiences distilled into song.
Sintonia means theme music - a feeling, a moment in time, a spirit, each song, a chapter in the story.
Thus, the Portuguese word sintonia carries many meanings. Here, Sintonia is more than a title. It is the thread connecting Jorge Amado and Dorival Caymmi’s storytelling with the lesser-known treasures of Jobim, Buarque, and Nascimento, and the dialogue between Mike del Ferro’s piano and Femke Smit’s voice, giving these songs new life.
“The handsome fisherman was taken
by the mermaid of the sea.
He made his bed as a bridegroom
in the lap of Iemanjá.”
The haunting poetry of Dorival Caymmi’s 'É doce morrer no mar' sets the tone for this album. Written in 1941 with novelist Jorge Amado, the song belongs to the canções praieiras tradition of Bahia—music steeped in the lives of fishermen, the power of the ocean, and the presence of Iemanjá, the Afro-Brazilian sea goddess. Caymmi’s imagery captures both devotion and danger: love, longing, and loss flowing together in one eternal tide.
In the hands of Femke Smit and Mike del Ferro, “É doce morrer no mar” becomes a guiding metaphor. Their interpretation, while honoring the song’s original spirit, saudade, loss and devotion, opens a new dialogue between voice and piano. Even for listeners unfamiliar with Portuguese, their emotional performance draws you into Caymmi’s timeless sense of longing.
Femke Smit is from the Netherlands, but her musical homeland is unmistakably Brazil. She shares that passion with jazz pianist Mike del Ferro. When they met for the first time in Rio de Janeiro in April 2023, the spark was immediate. Their shared background in classical music, both are children of opera singers, combined with a deep grounding in jazz and rhythm-based music, formed fertile ground for this meeting of hearts.
From that encounter grew Sintonia - Songs from Brazil. At its heart lies a love for the lesser-known corners of the Brazilian repertoire. Femke and Mike are drawn to musical deep cuts, the B-sides and overlooked gems of composers like Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chico Buarque, and Milton Nascimento. These intimate treasures reveal some of the most poetic and touching songs in the Brazilian songbook.
Mike’s lyrical, expressive piano and Femke’s warm, nuanced phrasing create a dialogue that transcends language. The listener is drawn into the saudade, the poetry, and the luminous melancholy that define Brazilian song.
Their sintonia is more than a shared love of Brazilian music, it is a heartfelt connection: between two musicians, between tradition and innovation. At its core lies the same poetic truth sung by Caymmi: the sea, like music, can carry us away, leaving behind beauty, longing and the quiet recognition of life’s fragile sweetness.
Original Recording Format
- Recorded in: DXD
- Mastered to: 768kHz-32bit via high-end analog chain
- All other formats: Derived directly from the original master
Recording Details
- Recording date: July 3, 2024
- Recording location: Studio 2, Heuvellaan Hilversum
- Recording, mixing, and mastering: Frans de Rond
- Producers: Peter Bjørnild & Frans de Rond
- Digital mastering: Tom Caulfield
- Cover design: Feike Santbergen
- Studio photography: Chris Blokhuis
High-End Audio Equipment Used
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Microphones:
Femke: Josephson C700S
Piano: C700S and Audix SCX25 (2x)
Speakers: Linkwitz LX521.4 & TAD Compact Evolution - Power Amplifier: Moon 760A
- AD/DA converter: Merging Horus
- Mastering Headphones: Hifiman HE1000se, Sennheiser HD800S
- Cables & Power Conditioners: AudioQuest
-
Network Switch: SOtM
Available Now – Exclusive High-Resolution Download
Sintonia - Songs from Brazil is available on Sound Liaison in ultra-high-resolution audio formats.
Discover the subtle brilliance of Europe’s finest acoustic jazz musicians.
Catalog Number: SL-1080A