Carol Saboya/Antonio Adolfo/Hendrik Muerkens Copa Village (Antonio Adolfo Music AAM 0707)
Very well known in Brazil, her homeland, Carol Saboya brings a wholly delightful atmosphere to this album on which she is teamed with her father, pianist Antonio Adolfo, and Hendrik Muerkens, who here plays harmonica and vibraphone. Antonio is a veteran of the Brazilian and New York jazz scenes and blends the two dissimilar yet matching forms expertly as performer and composer, the latter musical skill shown here with Visão (Vision) and Pretty World, with lyricist Tiberio Gaspar (the latter song also with English lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman).
He also co-composed Copa Village, with Hendrik, who himself composed Como Se Fosse (As If It Was) and Nosso Mundo (Our World), both with lyricist Ana Terra, and Show De Bola (Awesome), with lyrics by Paulo Sergio Valle. The other songs, perhaps rather better known to the wider audience, are compositions by Antonio Carlos Jobim with lyricists Vinicíus De Moraes, Norman Gimbel, Jararaco, and Chico Buarque; these include The Girl From Ipanema, Agua De Beber, and Two Kites. Both Antonio and Hendrik support the singer superbly and take several good solos throughout this set. The Brazilian atmosphere is ably evoked through lilting rhythms underpinned by guitarist Claudio Spiewak, bassist Itaiguara Brandão, drummer Adriano Santos, and percussionist André Siqueira. All instrumentalists provide an ideal backdrop for Carol’s singing and the album is a thoroughly entertaining collection of evocative music.