Renee Rosnes | Crossing Paths: Brazilian grace

Star power isn’t in short supply

Artemis pianist Renee Rosnes does not disappoint on this conceptually strong and involving Brazil themed album. It features the Canadian’s own arrangements.

Star power is not in short supply.

But it’s not because of that fact that it works.

Title track ‘Crossing Paths’ is an A. C. Jobim piece – in Portuguese ‘Caminhos Cruzados.’

Rather it’s more to do with the affecting quality of the vocal performances of Edu Lobo and Joyce Moreno accompanied very empathetically in a knowing sound canopy gauged for the instrumentalists.

Chris Potter, on so many great records this year, trombonist Steve Davis, who impressed on We See, a record that Crossing Paths co-producer Paul Stache also sprinkled his magic over, are both here.

As are bassist’s bassist John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez drummer Adam Cruz, guitarist Chico Pinheiro, percussionist Rogério Boccato, vocalist Maucha Adnet and the classical flautist Shelley Brown.

Renee Rosnes as ever proves a deeply percussive and fluent presence at the piano.

Veloso, Jobim, Gismonti material

Selections includes versions of Caetano Veloso’s home town homage ‘Trilhos Urbanos’ and the lesser known Jobim piece ‘Canta, Canta Mais’ (‘Sing, Sing More’) that goes back two decades further right to the 1950s.

Recorded in New York

Sear Sound Studio in New York was the scene of the recording laid down in June this year.

Made of shadow and so much light

For us Joyce steals the show entirely with the singer’s version of her own Feminina classic of the 1980s, ‘Essa Mulher’ “made of shadow and so much light” to borrow from the lyrics.

Renee Rosnes introduces the musicians in the above YouTube video.

Again many end of year best-ofs will have been compiled before the release recently of this album. Pity. As ever such deadlines indicate a flaw in such rushed and incomplete collations as this is every bit as good as the top selections that media outlets have been promoting recently.

Crossing Paths also includes a nimble version and slowed down serpentine flourish in the intro of Edu Lobo’s ‘Casa Forte’ that Sérgio Mendes who passed away this year interpreted with Brasil ’66 on Fool on the Hill

An album you will probably want to be selfish about having found it. That’s natural given its intimacy. It also rewards frequent return listens.

This year on a Brazilian theme we have also warmed to singer Karryn Allison’s’ A Kiss for Brazil, the collaboration between Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding entitled Milton + Esperanza and pianist-singer Amaro Freitas’ remarkable Y’Y.