An On-Going Romance with Brazil
A Kiss for Brazil is not Karrin Allyson’s first incursion into Brazilian music. I would not need to list her previous albums here to convince you she truly has an affinity for the Brazilian songbook.
Karrin Allyson (1962, Great Bend, Kansas) does not shy away from singing in Portuguese or choosing a less obvious repertoire from the Brazilian songbook. Her 1999 From Paris to Rio album first caught my attention. The CD had several Bossa Nova classics in her inimitable renditions. At that time, I began following her career and buying all her older releases and future albums. Even when singing a non-Brazilian repertoire, one can hear a certain Brazilian influence in her music. For example, in her 1993 debut album, I Didn’t Know About You, she had a medley of Chopin’s “Prelude Op. 28 No. 4” and Jobim‘s “Insensatez.” How is that for creativity? That was simply wonderful! A few years later, in 2008, she released Imagina: Songs of Brazil, an album relying strongly on Jobim‘s music. The rest is history. My Allyson library now contains seventeen albums of beautiful music and stellar performances. This latest, all-Brazilian music release (except for the closing track), A Kiss for Brazil, will hit the stores and streaming platforms on May 17, 2024. However, there is already a single out, “O Grande Amor.” If Brazilian music is something you like, you will not want to miss this release.
What should you expect to hear in A Kiss from Brazil? First, the quartet she assembled for this project is amazing. The musicians are Vitor Gonçalves (all keys), Yotam Silberstein (guitar), Harvie S (bass), and Rafael Barata (drums). All vocals are, obviously, by Karrin Allyson, and she also plays the piano and shakers on three tracks. She does add a very special guest in two tracks: Rosa Passos! Together, they raise the bar in musical beauty. Their voices are so well-matched.
As Allyson explains in the liner notes, this project started “with a desire to simply record a few tracks with Rosa Passos while she was visiting New York City.” The idea then bloomed into this beautiful album. Allyson produced the ten songs penned by Djavan, Rosa Passos, Tom Jobim, Ivan Lins, Luiz Bonfá, Sergio Mendes, and others. Naturally, she sings in Portuguese and English with admirable fluidity. From the swinging beat of Djavan‘s “Flor de Lis” to the jazzy vocalise of Jobim‘s “Antigua,” Allyson is comfortable with the repertoire. One of my all-time favorite Rosa Passos‘ songs, “Dunas,” features Passos herself sharing vocals with Allyson. Passos also returns in “O Grande Amor” (currently available on streaming platforms).
Track after track, A Kiss for Brazil is a joy to listen to over and over. This greatly adds to Allyson’s Brazilian songbook and her amazing discography.
Before you read the album information, I thought you might be interested in this video with Karrin Allyson talking about the project and singing with Rosa Passos. Enjoy!
ALBUM INFORMATION
Karrin Allyson
A Kiss for Brazil
Origin Records 82895 (2024)
Time: 47’00”
Tracks:
- Flor de Lis (Djavan)
- Month of March in Salvador (Dunas) – w/ Rosa Passos (Rosa Passos – Fernando Oliveira; English lyrics by Karrin Allyson – Rafael Barata)
- The Gift (Recado Bossa Nova) (Antônio Pádua Vieira da Costa – Djalma Ferreira – Paul Francis Webster)
- O Grande Amor – w/ Rosa Passos (Antônio Carlos Jobim – Vinícius de Moraes)
- Antigua (Antônio Carlos Jobim)
- The Island (Ivan Lins – Vitor Martins – Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
- Manhã de Carnaval (Luiz Bonfá – Antônio Maria – Luigi Creatore – Hugo Peretti – George David Weiss)
- So Many Stars (Alan & Marilyn Bergman – Sergio Mendes)
- Wave (Antônio Carlos Jobim)
- Only Trust Your Heart (Benny Carter – Sammy Cahn)
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