Leave it to a New Zealander to bring out the best in Brazilian jazz!
Kiwi vocalist Maggie Gould joined forces with guitarist/percussionist/vocalist Nanny Assis for an evening of soulful and sensuous samba, using the genre as a puree for material ranging from classic bossa nova to modern pop sounds.
Gould has a vocal delivery that is both calm and calming, relaxed and behind the beat, floating like a cirrus cloud, supported by Assis and a simpatico rhythm section of KevinO’Neal/b, Aaron Serfaty/dr and Wayne Wilentz/p. Over the percolating percussive groove, Gould glided over Wilentz’s glassy chords on “The More I See You”, delivered a nocturne of “Some Other Time” and was conversant along with quiet chords from Assis’ guitar on a genteel “Time After Time”.
The team was also able to get into funky and frisky moves, taking Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird” and giving it a snappy street feel coaxed by Assis’ tambourine tappings, and Stevie Wonder’s “I Can’t Help It” had O’Neal and Serfaty dig in deep for a Afro Cuban fest.
While Gould floated over the grooves, Assis’ voice seared through his selection of songs like a taxi in Sao Paolo. With his guitar, he sizzled around O’Neal’s bass solo on a varooming “Capim” hitting his tambourine like a table dancer and even whistling with Gould on the energetic “Flor De Lis” and seductively intimate during the lithe “Este Olhar”, mixing congas and guitar on the impressionistic and dreamy “E Preciso Pedor”.
The two vocalists at time volleyed back and forth as on the suave “Little Boat” and getting fun and funky with guest Nick Atkinson for a cozy repartee on “One Note Samba”. Closing the evening in bel canto form, Assis took “Vera Cruz” from a rich meditative rubato and popped it into overdrive with Ms. Gould for a conga line of celebration.
The contrast of Gould’s sweet mint julep and Assis’ ghost pepper presentations made for an exquisite mix of tasty treats from Brazil. Sonny Rollins once said that albums are an invitation to a show; this time around Gould used the gig for an inviting invitation to her recent Todo Amor release. The enthusiastic audience was glad to RSVP.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Peter CIncotti 04/27, Samvel Yervinyan 04/29-30, Louis Beltran 05/05, Poncho Sanchez 05/27-29