I remember when these two great musicians played Carnegie Hall 8 (eight!) years ago. I don't remember any comments at the time about the session being recorded for a CD. So when I first heard about this release, I was a little cynical, thinking "OK, they were both on the Nonesuch label about that time, now neither is, so they're just fulfilling some contractual obligations; maybe I won't buy it just on principle.".
Fast forward, and it was time to complete another amazon order, and I decided to add it. After all, I have been following both artists for several decades now, and after giving the CD just one spin, any cynicism I may have had got wiped away. Instead, I found myself at several points with goosebumps on my arms, something that has happened with each of them individually over the years.
Some might comment that this isn't a very likely collaboration, but it is. Byrne began his exploration of world and African diaspora music way back in the late 70s. Veloso, for his part, is one of the principal architects behind the Tropicalia movement, which, of course, started from the African diaspora perspective, but looked to American and British rock and roll, and blended it all together in a wonderful and thoroughly addictive (or as David Byrne says in the liner notes, "down the rabbit hole of Brazilian music") psychedelic mix.
If you have some familiarity with either or both of these musicians, but may not be aware that they've collaborated together or played each other's songs live over the years, the record will give you new insight into how they complement one another. For those of us who are more than familiar with both, it's another gem to add to the collection.