BADEN POWELL GUITAR VISITS THE MPS STUDIO

20.03.2025

Volker Schäfer with the historic Hopf guitar in the MPS studio (Photo © Hubert Baumann)

Guitarist Volker Schäfer from Ettlingen near Karlsruhe brought along an extraordinary instrument for a recording in the MPS studio: a guitar that once belonged to the Brazilian guitarist and bossa nova pioneer Baden Powell de Aquino – Baden Powell for short. The historic instrument was made by the renowned traditional company Hopf, whose origins date back to 1669. This precious loan was made available especially for the recording. It stood in the shop window for 20 years before being overhauled.

” Vai minha guitarra amada
Depois de 18 anos vou sentir muita saudade de você
Agradeço ao amigo Hopf e que saiba cuidar da velhice.
25/4/94
Baden Powell
_____________________

“Go my beloved guitar
After 18 years I will miss you very much.
I thank my friend Hopf and hope that he can take good care of you in your old age.”
25/4/94
Baden Powell

Baden Powell already played with Antonio Carlos Jobim and the guitarists Luiz Bonfá and Joao Gilberto in the 1950s. He has composed numerous Bossa Nova and Afro-Samba classics and recorded important albums for SABA/MPS under the direction of Joachim-Ernst Berendt.

It is a strange irony of fate that in Brazil in the 1950s and 1960s some innovative artists created music that they themselves saw merely as a logical continuation and renewal of the Brazilian musical tradition, but which was celebrated in the USA and Europe by jazz musicians and critics as a kind of revolution in jazz (Michael Neuhauser)

An absolute photo rarity and special find from our archive: Astrud Gilberto “the girl from Ipanema” with Baden Powell on 8.12.1970 at a WDR TV show in Cologne (© Archive MPS-Studio)

His 1966 album Tristeza on Guitar, which was produced in Rio de Janeiro at the time and released on SABA Records, gained international recognition. Other outstanding LPs such as Poema on Guitar (1967) with Eberhard Weber and Charly Antolini and Canto on Guitar (1971) were produced in Villingen. Powell recorded the album Images on Guitar with Janine De Waleyne in 1971, also at the MPS studio.

Joachim Ernst Berendt and Baden Powell in the MPS studio in 1971 (Photo © Archive MPS-Studio)

Through his long-standing contacts in the guitar scene, in particular with Dieter Hopf’s renowned guitar atelier, Volker Schäfer learned that Baden Powell had favored Hopf guitars for many years. In 1983, Baden Powell moved to Baden-Baden in the Black Forest. He was close friends with Joachim Ernst Berendt, who also lived there.

Volker Schäfer contacted Gitarrenatelier Hopf after visiting the MPS studio as part of one of our guided tours and deciding to make recordings in the MPS studio. In fact, the model “Virtuoso” preferred by Baden Powell was still in their possession, where Baden Powell’s personal dedication can also be found on the guitar.

MPS Studio: For me, it’s a kind of Abbey Road in the Black Forest (Volker Schäfer)

This special instrument was made ready for Schäfer to play and given to him on loan for the recording. A recording has now been made in the MPS studio under the direction of sound engineer Peter Ettwein. Schäfer, who has already recorded Beatles adaptations in the Abbey Road Studio, has now recorded a complete album in Villingen, including 5 compositions by Baden Powell.

Sound engineer Peter Ettwein and Volker Schäfer 2024 in the MPS studio (Photo © Hubert Baumann)

In addition, a concert with this venerable guitar is planned for fall/winter 2025 in the MPS studio. An accompanying album is also to be released. To find out when the studio concert with Volker Schäfer takes place – and to get one of the rare seats, we recommend subscribing to our newsletter: here.

Baden Powell discography on SABA/MPS:

1966 Baden Powell – Tristeza On Guitar (Saba)

1967 Baden Powell – Poema On Guitar (Saba)

1971 Baden Powell – Canto On Guitar (MPS)

1972 Baden Powell. & Janine – Images On Guitar (MPS)

1974 Baden Powell – Estudos (MPS)

1975 Baden Powell – Apaixonado (MPS)

Website Volker Schäfer: here

Website Hopf guitars: here