Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo has to be one of the undiscovered treasures of six stringed fans. He’s released a ton of albums in solo format, also teaming with clarinetist Ken Peplowski or vocalist Cyrille Aimee to wonderous results.
This time out, Figueiredo teams up with a lithe string team of Samuel Lima-Danielle Lessa/vi, Jose Elinar Arauujo/va, Daniel Pinto Lessa/cel and Virgilina De Almeidi/b for a combination of vintage Brazilian moods as well as local flavors added to classic jazz. Of the latter, Figueiredo and company is festive on a stretched out read of “Imagination” while he is bel canto with the strings on a contemplative “Misty”. Vintage bossa nova pulses permeate the album, gliding through “Jobim Forever”, “Delicate Samba” and the clever “Samba In New Orleans”. The title tune is a joyful bouncing delight, while the mixture of strings picked and bowed give glorious agonies during “Infinite”. Personal pieces, such as “Dear John” and “My Home” are cozy and intimate parlor pieces, casual and yet penetrating the viscera. This guy has yet to release anything that is less than essential.