If your idea of heaven is vintage bossa nova stirred and mixed like Jobim and Gilberto, then Bianca Rossini is the chef of your choice. She delivered a 75 minute set at Vitellos of samba sounds that mixed sensuality and style.
Dressed and giving an aura akin to a Brazilian version of late night chanteuse Julie London, Ms. Rossini and her band of Yuko Tamura/key, Capital/g, Ahmet/b, Aaron Serfaty/dr and Simon Carrol/perc created a mood to be woo-ed with romantic themes, sounds and rhythms. And while one of the selling parts of Rossini’s overtures is that she evoked late night themes akin to London, she also displays a capacity of songwriting like Bobby Troup, as all of the 22 songs that she delivered with verve and feeling were also the product of her pen.
Celebrative in attitude and delivery, material like the opening “Apaixonada” featured Rossini’s rich voice slithering over the incessantly luscious and delicate rhythms, while soft and flowing guitar sounds were mixed with Rossini’s creamy enunciation like ice cream flavors on “O Tempo Vai Contar.” Emphasizing material from her delightful recent release Kiss of Brazil, she turned the upscale LA club into a night at Ipanema. Over the gently hypnotic roves of the percussively playful “Tarde em Copacabana” or the galloping percussive “Verdadeiro Amor” Rossini rode over the frothy waves like a California surfer, riding with alluring enunciation of the lyrics. The songs themselves? Well, almost all were in Portuguese, and with her breathy voice told stories ranging from cleaning ladies to death to…what else? LOVE! A duet with Capital on the warm and embracing “Why I Smile” was as enticing as anything done by Jobim and Regina, and while the genre of bossa nova prevailed, Rossini was able to serve it on a platter as a pop piece such as the catchy “Passo a Passo,” as a dance festival piece during Mardi Gras on “Faxineira” or a reason to celebrate life at a bar as on the closing “Meu Sertao.”
More than the moods and sounds and stylings delivered by the lovely Ms. Rossini, what may be her grandest contribution to the rapt audience was to prove to them that the “new thing” of bossa nova did not end with Jobim, as she seems to have taken the baton as she also carries a torch.
Upcoming shows at the intimate and acoustically adroit Vitellos include Allison Adams with Josh Nelson June 13 and guitarist Frank Stallone every Saturday.
www.vitellosjazz.com
