Antonio Adolfo: Hybrido

Kudos to Antonio Adolfo, who just received a Grammy nomination for the best Latin Jazz album for Hybrido – From Rio To Wayne Shorter. On it, Adolfo interprets standards by Shorter, including "Speak No Evil" and "E.S.P." Antonio is backed by the likes of Lula Galvão (electric guitar) and Jorge Helder (double bass). Shorter is a legendary composer and saxophonist who played with Art Blakey and Miles Davis before co-founding the fusion group Weather Report. He has also collaborated with Milton Nascimento and other Brazilian musicians for decades. Adolfo is a master of fusing jazz and Brazilian styles, has composed MPB standards such as "Sá Marina" (Pretty World), and has been an important figure in Brazilian music since the 1960s. Here, he adds his usual deft touch to some great material. Highly recommended. The album was also nominated for a "Latin Grammy" award in 2017 in the Best Latin Jazz/Jazz category. Available from: AAM Records, 2017.

Carol Saboya: Belezas

Brazilian vocalist Carol Saboya, known for her clear, sweet, pitch-perfect voice, often brings a jazz interpretation to a bossa nova and MPB repertoire. Along those lines, she has just released Belezas, devoted to songs by Ivan Lins and Milton Nascimento, MPB icons who are two of Brazil's greatest composers. Nascimento's "Bola de Meia, Bola de Gude," "Tristesse," "Anima," and "Tarde," and Lins's "Velas Içadas," "Doce Presença," and "Abre Alas" are among the twelve selections, five of which include English-language lyrics. Hendrik Meurkens, a German harmonica player who has collaborated with many Brazilian musicians, is featured on "Doce Presença." Saboya's father, the keyboardist-composer Antonio Adolfo, produced and arranged the album. The backing lineup consists of Adolfo (piano), Jorge Helder (bass), Claudio Spiewak (guitar), Rafael Barata (drums and percussion) and Dave Liebman (saxophone on two tracks). While Carol has released eight albums in Brazil and Japan to date, this is her first U.S. release.

Carol Saboya, Belezas (CD at Amazon.com)

Carol Saboya, Belezas (MP3 download at Amazon.com)