Then I met him. They took that phenomenon to my house, and the least I can say is that no one had lied. The guy was good. Very good. Amazingly good!

– Okay, I will produce it, but my business is sheet music!
– No, none of it, you’re going to put your ear to work.
– I’m going to mess up …

From the visit came others, from others came lunches, dinners, cafes, cigars, music reunions, concerts, recitals… And the guy always impressed me, he was never satisfied, a search not for formal perfection, usually a boring thing: but the search for a ideal of sound, to spend hours with the music already mastered for a phrasing, clearing a passage with imperfections that only he heard, an incessant and almost insane search.

I did not get in the way. In the studio, the presence of his friend and partner, João Lyra, was almost scary: the man understood EVERYTHING about recording. In the soundcheck a loose, relaxed thing; the warning light would turn on and the man would play beautifully, practically all at first. The other guest, Lucas Arantes, came from São Paulo for this recording. He arrived, opened the case, took out his cavaquinho, tuned it, made a perfect take, and left. In the engineering, Gil Costa, a virtuoso. That way I could not even get in the way!

And the record was ready. Very proud to hear it, but pride without vanity: I did nothing, my interference was minimal. But I am proud to have witnessed a serious, honest, dedicated work of love and especially respect for music. To have my name associated with a wonderful CD, a virtuoso, an exceptional guitarist, an exceptional musician, but especially a dear friend, a good guy. An ace!

Ricardo Dias