LUCIANA SOUZA
The New Bossa Nova
Verve
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Jazzitude's profile of Luciana Souza
“Everything comes and goes/marked by
lovers and styles of clothes” goes the first line
of Joni Mitchell’s “Down to You,” the
opening track on Luciana Souza’s newest CD. That might
be said of the venerable musical form known as bosa nova,
which originated in Brazil some fifty years ago. Souza’s
parents were part of the original wave of bossa nova composers
and performers, and this album is both a tribute to that
original bossa explosion as well as a meditiation on the
emotional twists and turns of matters of the heart.
“Down to You” makes it apparent
that Souza is serious about creating a real bossa nova experience,
not just tacking on some bossa rhythms beneath pop songs.
The song unfolds slowly and languidly, and Chris Potter’s
tenor solo at around two minutes in is light, but uses the
upper register of the instrument much more than Stan Getz
on his landmark recordings with Joao Gilberto. For her part,
Souza mimics some of Mitchell’s phrasing (it’s
very hard not to on Mitchell’s songs, so much of a
piece are her compositions and her renditions of them),
but manages to put her own stamp on the piece.
Luciana is joined by James Taylor on his
song “Never Die Young.” “When I was growing
up I listened to a lot of American music” Souza has
said. “I’ve always wanted to do a record of
the music I grew up singing that wasn’t Brazilian.”
Despite the eclectic repertoire, Souza and her excellent
group of musicians keep it real with regard to the bossa
nova sound. There is a great deal of restraint in these
performances, which might read as flat to listeners who
don’t cozy up to their speakers or listen in the intimate
format of stereo or iPod headphones. To those willing to
listen to Souza’s intimate performance, there is much
to treasure here, both vocally and musically. There are
no lengthy solos, most being taken by pianist Edward Simon
or Potter; guitarist Romero Lumbabo, who has also recorded
with Chilean singer Claudia Acuna, doesn’t solo at
all. Yet within these constraints, the group demonstrates
that small, subtle gestures can be as effective as more
dramatic statements.
Standout performances include Elliott Smith’s
“Satelitte,” a song whose unusual structure
makes it even more of a challenge to fit into a bossa format,
and Brian Wilson’s hymn-like “God Only Knows,”
which loses its air of desperation and takes on a sense
of tranquility in Souza’s hands.
Souza concludes with a performance of Jobim’s
bossa nova zen sermon “Waters of March,” a song
with poetic lyrics that depends on the performer’s
ability to phrase the lyrics in such a way as to illustrate
their meaning, a test that Souza passes with flying colors.
The New Bossa Nova may well help Luciana Souza
to break through to a more mainstream American audience.
If so, it will be well deserved as she’ll have done
so without significantly altering her approach to music.
