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Masha Campagne -
Caminhos Cruzados (Impetus)
Released: June 5, 2007
Moscow-born, Brazilian
vocalist...wait a minute.
Yeah, you heard it correctly. And Ms. Campagne gets it right. This is a
surprisingly smart set of tunes, fashioned around a centerpiece of a Jobim medley of three songs - "So Tinha Ser Com Voce," "Camnihos
Cruzados," and "Samba Do Aviao." Ms. Campagne is ably served by
pianist/arranger Weber Iago, who keeps things moving along at the kind
of pace only a Brazilian veteran could muster.
And he's fashioned lush strings to back up a pair of the tunes - adding
even more pretty gilt to frame Ms. Campagne's pleasant voice.
Ms. Campagne has been working
the San Francisco area for more than fifteen years - and it's clear that
she's made some very good musical friends, who helped her on this
outing.
My favorites are the two standards gussied-up with a Brazilian beat -
Cole Porter's "So In Love," and the Rodgers-Hart classic, "It Might As
Well Be Spring." Ms. Campagne swings nicely to Mr. Iago's tempo, and
Harvey Wainapel on tenor sax has a very nice solo. Very good stuff.
Complex, layered.
"Doralice" is another showcase
for Ms. Campaigne's very light, beguiling touch.
One gets to like Brazilian with a Russian accent surprisingly quickly.
This is highly recommended.
 Three microphones (out of four)
- Doug Boynton
(08/19/07) |
