Spheres
July/August 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
The Jobim Songbook
Kind of Blue
Vocalist Maucha Adnet is no stranger to Antonio Carlos Jobim and his legacy of sambas and bossa novas, having accompanied the maestro for a decade in the Banda Nova project. Here she is joined by a stellar cast to deliver a sensitive and dynamic collection...
July/August 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Sete Capelas
Seven Chapels
Guitarist Marcos Amorim follows up his 2003 release, Cris on the Farm, with this offering of original pieces, featuring Brazilian flutist Nivaldo Ornelas on several tracks. For the most part, this album feels like pretty wallpaper: nice to put on in the...
July/August 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Bambu Sun
Blue Spiral
While the album notes credit vocalist-percussionist Corina Bartra as exploring her “Afro-Peruvian jazz roots,” there is not much in this CD that conjures those textures in this unfocused but well-intended effort. Bartra’s uneven, bilingual vocal performance...
July/August 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Le Roi de la Bossa Nova
Sunnyside
When Luiz Bonfá’s “Manha de Carnaval” and “Samba de Orfeo” (with lyrics by Antonio Maria) joined the legacy of bossa nova songs in the film Orfeu Negro, it was clear that the genre had found yet another “king.” This reissue of two of his recordings proves...
July/August 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Jobim, etc.
Bossa Nova
New York City is home to this Rio-born vocalist, who professes a great love for Brazilian music along with her eclectic group of accompanying musicians on this tribute to Jobim, among other songwriters. The stark recording is markedly flat and comes across...
July/August 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Barclay Sesssions
Sunnyside
Adopting her American-sounding stage name in 1935, vocal diva Leny Eversong was the epitome of South American glitz and glamour of 1940s and ’50s Brazil, known for her booming and semioperatic renditions of campy American show tunes mostly on radio and the...
July/August 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Samba do Aviao
Kind of Blue
Mandolin virtuoso and composer Hamilton de Holanda proves the limitless capabilities of the Brazilian bandolim as a solo instrument on his newest release Samba do Avião, and is joined on the last three tracks by accordionist-composer Richard Galliano for...
July/August 2006 By Rebeca Mauleón
Via Brasil
Sunnyside
Pianist and vocalist Tania Maria first got my attention in the ’80s with her live album recorded in San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall; this Brazilian dynamo effortlessly blended powerhouse piano chops with melodically rich scatting and whistling...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
Piazzolla Forever
Dreyfus Records
Consider Piazzolla Forever (Dreyfus) by Richard Galliano's Septet as a late addition to my top releases of last year. With string quartet, piano and double bass, Galliano is featured live-with a masterful acoustic reproduction and mix-at the 2002 Jazz Festival...
April 2004 By Javier Quinones
Tudo de Bom
String Jazz
Tudo de Bom: Music From Hermeto Pascoal's Calendario do Som (LKC) is based on the book of daily compositions that Pascoal wrote in 1996. The publication is only available in Portuguese, with limited distribution, and it doesn't include a recording of the...
