Vocalist, guitarist and flutist Ana Caram can be seen as the personification of a musical link between Brazil and the USA. Born in São Paulo (1958), she graduated in composition and conducting at the University of São Paulo. A modest career in Brazil came to a change when Ana met Paquito D'Rivera at a festival in Finland. He invited the singer to perform with him at New York's Carnegie Hall. And there Ana was spotted by a talent hunter for Chesky Records. For that label some well received albums were recorded, among which the album Rio After Dark (1989) with AC Jobim as a special guest. Jobim was charmed by the singer's talent when they met in Rio and happily accepted the invitation to participate on that album. An album that was recently re-released as a SACD (Super Audio cd).

On her ninth album Ana Caram enjoys the participation of keyboardist, arranger and composer Michel Freidenson. The repertoire, as the album's title suggests, consists of glamorous international known songs, along with a few of Ana's own compositions. The album's opener "Estate" is given an unmistakable Hollywoodish arrangement, complete with a little wink to the kitschy fusion that featured the music scene in Los Angeles during the late 1980s. The soprano sax of Lawrence Feldman hovers playfully above the arrangement. "The Summer Knows" balances between a jazz ballad and a bossa. The bossa character of the song is emphasized by the Portuguese lyrics. The same can be said about the surprising rendition of the Beatles's "Here, There and Everywhere," partly sung in English and Portuguese.  Ana's decision to sing in both languages, works perfect on this album. Mostly the Portuguese language is used, and that seems to make it easier for Ana to create her preferred bossa atmosphere. Even in such standards as "The Shadow of Your Smile." This Mandel/Webster composition sounds a if it was composed as a bossa nova. Also the worn out classic "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" sounds fresh again, as a jazzy bossa. It's funny how Brazilian all the songs on this album sound, although you never related some of them to Brazil before. It proves how true standards can be moulded to the likes of its interpreters. In this case a musician who always wandered along the line between the music of Brazil and the USA, just like her mentor, Jobim. Her soprano voice is a grateful instrument for arranger Michel Freidenson. With his keyboards and synthesizers, he creates a solid, yet a sometimes too smooth accompaniment for the singer. And as always on albums from Chesky, the recordings are superb. The cd is also available in the SACD format.

K.S.