Kenney Polson uses a wide variety of paintbrushes with his mix of reeds on this upbeat and sleek interpretation of Brazilia. He plays saxes of soprano, alto, tenor and bari along with clarinet, percussion and keyboards with a core team of Nico Assumpcao/b, Christian Oyens/dr, Cidinho Moreira/perc and a rotating team of guests in various incarnations of band size.
With environmental support of seagulls, Polson’s alto mixes with Leni Stern’s guitar and n’goni for a soulful “Aqurela do Brazil”, while Mariea Antoinette’s harp glistens to the hip horns and backbeat of “Hipnotizado”. Paulinho Trompete gives a swinging solo while drummer Christian Oyens hits hard on a rich take of Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” while Polson melds reeds together for a rich flavor for Dr. Osamu Kitajima’s koto on “For de Lis”. Polson’s soprano is gorgeous on Passeio de Bicicleta” while he creates some thick reeds on a festive take of Ivan Lins’ “Leva e Traz”. The team gets funky to Assumpcao’s basswork on “Mariana” and the team punches like a middleweight to Azur McCall’s scat solo on “Incompativilidade de Genios”. Wonderful sounds of festive streets.