RITENOUR | GRUSIN — Brasil (2024) | FLAC (tracks), 24-48Hz

Pianist Dave Grusin and guitarist Lee Ritenour are longtime collaborators who have worked together, periodically, for 50 years. In 1985, they released Harlequin, a collection inspired by Brazilian popular music, and brought Brazilian musicians to Los Angeles to record it. Brasil is a sequel appearing some 40 years later. This time, after recruiting a cast of players, Grusin and Ritenour traveled to Rio to record with bassist Bruno Migotto, drummer Edú Ribeiro, acoustic guitarist/vocalist Chico Pinheiro, percussionist Marcelo Costa, and vocalists Celso Fonseca, Ivan Lins, and Tatiana Parra. Harmonica maestro Grégoire Maret also appears.

The material melds contemporary jazz with bossa, gentle samba, and MPB. The featured duo contributed three compositions to the set. Opener "Cravo e Canela," composed by Milton Nascimento and Ronaldo Bastos, is led by the glorious acoustic and electric guitar interplay from Pinheiro and Ritenour, before Parra and Maret claim the foreground, guided by Grusin's piano stitching harmonies and rhythms. "For the Palms," by Rit, is a vehicle for Maret that weds mysterious samba and forro to contemporary jazz. The interplay between guitarist, pianist, and harmonicist is canny and tasteful. Nascimento's glorious "Catavento" blends Minas Gerais-style folk (the composer's hometown) with funky modern jazz that includes a killer uncredited flute break and tasty electric piano from Grusin. On "Vitoriosa," Lins (who composed the song with Vitor Martins) and Parra sound dangerously similar to Elis Regina and Antônio Carlos Jobim, guided by Grusin's keys, layered percussion, and a brushed snare. "Meu Samba Torto" ("My Crooked Samba") was written by Fonseca and includes his lithe, sensual vocals. Speaking of Jobim, the band covers the composer's magnificent "Stone Flower" with killer ensemble play from the percussionists, Migotto's rippling bassline, and Grusin's lower-register piano vamps leading the rhythm section as Ritenour lays down elliptical lines. The sultry, bumping samba "Boca de Siri" was composed by Pinheiro and brother Paulo César Pinheiro. The guitarist kicks it off and sings, while Ritenour adds ballast, color, and texture atop Grusin's layered keys, as the bassist guides the rhythm section in delivering slippery, silvery funk à la Azymuth. Ritenour's "Lil' Rock Way" features Maret as its primary soloist, with breezy, wordless backing vocals from Parra. Its bluesy guitar feel meets the band's progressive bossa beats and Grusin's lyrical chord voicings to create what is essentially a new jazz hybrid. Brasil's meld of styles inside such an accessible, continually grooving presentation offers listeners an organic, modern fusion without artifice or production gimmicks. It's one of one the more compelling intersections of music and culture thus far in the 21st century.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1        Cravo E Canela (Clove And Cinnamon) 4:03
Featuring – Grégoire Maret, Tatiana Parra
Written-By – Milton Nascimento, Ronaldo Bastos
2        For The Palms 3:36
Featuring – Grégoire Maret
Written-By – Lee Ritenour
3        Catavento 3:20
Written-By – Milton Nascimento
4        Vitoriosa (Victorious) 4:48
Featuring – Ivan Lins, Tatiana Parra
Written-By – Ivan Lins, Vitor Martins
5        Meu Samba Torto (My Crooked Samba) 5:48
Featuring – Celso Fonseca, Tatiana Parra
Written-By – Celso Fonseca
6        Stone Flower 7:06
Featuring – Chico Pinheiro
Written-By – Antonio Carlos Jobim
7        Boca De Siri (Keep It Quiet) 4:04
Featuring – Chico Pinheiro
Written-By – Chico Pinheiro, Paulo César Pinheiro
8        Lil' Rock Way 5:12
Featuring – Grégoire Maret
Written-By – Lee Ritenour
9        Canto Invierno (Winter Song) 3:53
Written-By – Dave Grusin
Credits :
Bass – Bruno Migotto
Drums – Edu Ribeiro
Guitar,  Producer, Arranged By – Lee Ritenour
Guitar, Vocals – Celso Fonseca, Chico Pinheiro
Harmonica – Grégoire Maret
Other [Music Preparation] – Gary Lee
Percussion – Marcelo Costa
Piano, Keyboards – Dave Grusin
Vocals – Ivan Lins, Tatiana Parra