Baden Powell – improbably named by his father after the English Scout Movement founder – was bossa’s nova’s guitar genius. He combined classical artistry with innovation and a well-tuned ear for lush harmonies to create some of the genre’s greatest works. 
 
 This 1973 LP, recorded at Studio Waldorf while on tour in Germany, found the Rio-born composer in contemplative mood. Consumed by loneliness and longing for his absent newly wed wife, Márcia, Powell’s solemnity was reflected in the playing throughout, most explicitly on Márcia Eu Te Amo (Márcia I Love You) and Solitário, both written during the lonely hours preceding the session. A crisp production and minimal accompaniment help showcase the subtle complexity of Powell’s playing, drummer Joaquim Paes Henriques adding a subtle bossa touch to three numbers, while some sterling electric bass work from Eberhard Webber, on Bassamba, bring elements of jazz. But for the most part this album is dominated by the majesty of Baden’s guitar playing. The unaccompanied Brasiliana and Por Causa De Você are particularly bewitching demonstrations of the instrument’s ability to translate emotion in the right hands, each plucked string betraying the mood of its master.