Mario Adnet: More Jobim Jazz

With More Jobim Jazz, Brazilian guitarist Mario Adnet continues his tribute to fellow countryman and songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim. The second volume of music from the legend's songbook, this installment includes some familiar songs like "Wave," and "Bonita," among thirteen superb selections, and follows the same recipe used on Jobim Jazz (Adventure Music, 2007), originally inspired by what would have been Jobim's 80th birthday in January, 2007. Adnet transforms Jobim's compositions, infusing the rich Brazilian style with strong elements of contemporary jazz by employing heavy brass arrangements featuring reeds, French horn, trombone and trumpets.

Though this session represents the latest Adnet tribute to the icon, the guitarist's love for the music actually began much earlier when, in 2002, he recorded a definitive compilation of Jobim's lesser-known songs on the orchestral Jobim Sinfonico (Biscoito Fino Br, 2003). Recorded in Rio de Janeiro in early 2011, More Jobim Jazz may well be the best of the series, with Adnet's ensemble of between 9 to11 players drawn from an all-Brazilian cast of seventeen musicians.

The light, bossa-tinged "Takatanga" makes a strong opening statement with horns of plenty in play, featuring solos from alto saxophonist Ze Cantu, tenor Marcelo Martins and trumpeter Jesse Sadoc, accompanied well by trombone, French horn and baritone. The brassy sounds continue throughout the rest of an album that also include accordionist Marcos Nimrichter on "Boto" and electric guitarist Ricardo Silveira on the classic "Bonita." "Antigua" offers one of the most recognizable Brazilian rhythms on the disc, and stands as one of its most exceptional pieces.

Not every song on this project is overly brassy; baritone saxophonist Joao Henrique and flugelhornist Sadoc are the only horns gracing the beautiful "Ai Quem Me Dera (I Wish)." Some lesser-known Jobim pieces include "O Barbinha Branca (The Little White Bearded Man)," "Samba de Maria Luiza" and the dark "Deus e o Diablo Na Terra Do Sol (God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun)."

But what would any Jobim tribute be without "Wave"—aside from "The Girl from Ipanema," his most recognizable work. This rendition is no less enthralling, as it rides into the sunset on a wave of horns. "Marina Del Rey" rounds out the album as a true ballad that, though brief, offers a glimpse of the master's penchant for the gentler side of the genre.

There is little argument about Jobim's music it was groundbreaking when first introduced and has remained special ever since. Master guitarist Adnet reinvents the music with creative arrangements that paint Jobim's compositions on a new canvas, turning More Jobim Jazz into a musical masterwork.

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