Jazz veterans and long-time friends and collaborators Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin return to the music of Brazil, half a century after it first inspired them. Recorded in São Paulo, Ritenour and Grusin are accompanied by some of Brazil’s finest young musicians.
Swiss-born harmonica player Grégoire Maret also performs on the album, adding a tinge of melancholy to the gently swinging rhythms and harmonies. In addition, vocalist and composer Ivan Lins, who worked with Ritenour and Grusin on their 1986 Grammy-winning album Harlequin, also joins the list of colleagues involved.
Although the music of Brazil can be pulsating and explosive, it’s fair to say that Ritenour and Grusin take an altogether gentler approach on these nine tracks. Guest vocals on five tracks add some variation to things, but the occasional wash of electronic keyboards often places the sound back in the 80s.
Ritenour is an inventive and nimble as ever as he picks out gentle melodies on guitar; Grusin seems more content to be a little more in the background. Jobim’s Stone Flower is given a seven-minute workout which is fun and engaging. Grusin’s Canto Invierno provides a bluesy, reflective closer, fading out over a cushion of synthesised strings with Ritenour highlighting the melody of the song.
There are polished performances from all concerned, but the album is tinged with a sense of autumn rather than the summer setting one may associate with Brazil.
Discography
Cravo E Canela; For The Palms; Catavento; Vitoriosa; Meu Samba Torto; Stone Flower; Boca De Siri; Lil’Rock Way; Canto Invierno (41.51)
Ritenour (g); Grusin (p, kyb); Grégoire Maret (hca); Ivan Lins, Tatiana Parra (v); Bruno Migotto (b); Edu Ribeiro (d); Marcelo Costa (pc). São Paulo, Brazil, 2023.
Candid Records CAN33432
