Vocalist Catina De Luna shows on this album that, when it comes to jazz, not all Brazilian music is bossa nova and vice versa. Her core team of Otmaro Ruiz/p-acc, Larry Koonse/g, Edwin Livingston/b and Aaron Serfaty are mixed and matched with a slew of percussionists as well as Bob Sheppard’s flute.
There is a folk feel to material like “Lavadeira do Rio” and “Maracatu” that mixes modern with the traditional. She sounds confident and strong as she uses her own body as percussion as the only accompaniment on “O Canto Da Ema” while Sheppard provides floating clouds of flute joy on the upbeat “Cavalo Marinho” and the emotive “Contrato de Separacao” which features rich interplay with Ruiz’s piano. Interplay between De Luna and a choir on “Chovendo Na Roseira” is an exciting trip through villages and city, while she shows her strength on the festive “Quase Frevo” which seques into the thoughtful “Fotografia” which closes with memorable guitar work by Koonse. While Jobim’s hand is on a number of songs here, the feel is definitely part of the 21 st Century.
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