Relicário: João Gilberto (ao vivo no Sesc 1998)

Caetano Veloso famously recorded a heartfelt song, ‘Pra Ninguém’, in tribute to his Brazilian music heroes. The song names these heroes, claiming that only silence can surpass their voices, and concludes with Veloso saying, ‘Better than silence there's only João.’ He obviously refers to João Gilberto, the man who, alongside Tom Jobim, was the inventor of bossa nova. And there is a good reason to compare Gilberto to silence, because his elegant and gentle way of caressing his guitar and singing softened words are just a step away from absolute quiet.

Relicário, a previously unreleased live recording of João Gilberto in 1998 at Sesc Vila Mariana in São Paulo, is a marvellous addition to a discography that always feels too short. And it's João Gilberto in a two-hour long concert the way he is most precious: just voice and guitar, and his moving renditions of bossa nova and samba tunes, with a handful of songs by Tom Jobim and Dorival Caymmi among others.

This is a true masterclass in the sweet melancholy of bossa nova, spread over 36 marvellous tunes, where Gilberto confides in his guitar (‘Violão Amigo’), dreams of a renewed love (‘Nova Ilusão’), narrates a man losing his mind after losing his lover (‘Louco’), sings a love letter to the region of Bahia (‘Saudade da Bahia’) and describes the happiness of a simple life in the slum (‘Ave Maria no Morro’). As usual with Gilberto, any song that he took as his own received his gracious touch of delicacy, as if he were whispering it to us – turning any concert into a blissful moment of intimacy. And that is what we hear on Relicário, in an immaculate way.