Marco Figueira is a guitarist and vocalist who knows how to keep good company. On his debut CD, Brazilliance (Blue Toucan), Figueira is accompanied by trumpeter Claudio Roditi, pianist Helio Alves, legendary bassist Sergio Brandao and Tom Jobim’s longtime drummer Paulo Braga. The music draws from jazz as much as it does from Brazil. While the instrumentation is mostly contemporary and electric, the musicians play with acoustic sensibilities. The melodically percussive “Olho de Peixe” is the one cut that seems to tie it all together, the old and the new, in an eloquent display of tasty guitar and earnest vocals. On the rest of the CD Figueira’s guitar is supported with lush string arrangements, subtle percussive colors and jazz piano. “Dunas,” composed by vocalist Rosa Passos, is an old school bossa nova that best illustrates Figueira’s strength: taking the bossa to new places while never forgetting its classic form.
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