Matt Finley: Brazilian Wish

Finley plays the flugelhorn and trumpet on nine delicious originals starting with the buoyant "Father's Day," with Jon Werking weaving his magic on keyboards, while guitarist Jeff Ciampa and soprano saxophonist David Mann weigh in with splendid solos of their own. The beautifully bossa-colored title tune features Finley's flugelhorn dishing out warm-toned lines on one of the disc's softer ballads. Drummer Joel Rosenblatt takes a well deserved bow on the percussive burner "There You Are," in support of Finley's steamy flugelhorn passages.

Providing a taste of the Latin jazz sound, "When She's Gone" becomes a showcase for both the leader and guitarist Ciampa. "So Close" sports a hard-driving samba beat, offering Rosenblatt and percussionist Tomas Martin Lopez the floor behind a whirlwind performance from Finley, this time on trumpet, aided by solo shots from guitarist Romero Lubambo on one of the liveliest charts here. In a departure from the album's theme, "Another Year" sounds almost smooth in texture, but is nevertheless quite appealing.

This gem of an album rounds out with the melodic "Calm Waters" and sprawling light jazz closer, "Softly Speaking," where Finley layers the music with breezy trumpet lines. This very special debut from Matt Finley is getting rave reviews from all corners, so hopefully his next project comes much sooner because, if Brazilian Wish is any indication, there's far more stylish Brazilian jazz to come from this master of the horn.

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