A pianist from the Bay area, Anne Sajdera delivers an impressive release here, mixing some Brazilian flavored originals with modern standards. Her team of Gary Brown/b and Paul van Wageningen/dr is supplemented with appearances by percussionists Airto Moreira and Michael Spiro as well as drummer Phil Thompson, while as a solo artists, she exudes warmth and depth on “Freno.” Throughout the rest of the disc, she delivers a flexible, crisp and upbeat feel for originals like “Rashid” and “Sambinha” and delivers a spicy South American reading of the bop era “I Should Care.” The interplay of her bright and light touch and the plethora of percussionists make for energetic moments, but without anyone bumping into each other. A pleasant outing for trio and Brazilian fans.
Bijuri Records