Brasuka: A Vida Com Paixão

The big lockdown buried a lot of music that was ready to roll when Covid struck in 2020. Tours and gigs were canceled, album launches fizzled. Some of us are still discovering good sounds we missed out on. These include Brasuka's debut album, which arrived several years post lockdown in a large packet of CDs sent by the group's publicist, stamped with an October 8 street date. Who knew that meant October of 2021? Nevertheless...

The name Brasuka ("Brazilian," informally) belies the cultural backgrounds of the Texas-based musicians in the group, while pointing to the thread that drew them together. Rosana Eckert (vocals and keyboards) is Mexican American, from the Rio Grande Valley, Ricardo Bozas (percussion and vocals) was born in Uruguay, Denny Robinson (piano and vocals) grew up in Cuba, Tom Burchill (acoustic and electric guitars and vocals) is from South Dakota, Brian Warthen (bass and percussion) is a Dallas native, Jose Aponte (drums and vocals) was raised in Puerto Rico. Guest artists include Colombian musician-producer Daniel Pardo on flutes and melodica, Drew Zaremba on flute and tenor sax and Jeff Robbins on tenor saxophone. What do they have in common? Experience, expertise and affection for the music of Brazil.

Eckert and Bozas first conceived Brasuka as a Sergio Mendes tribute band. It is easy to imagine Eckert stepping into the shoes of Lani Hall, whose voice helped to define the sound of Brasil '66, drawing US listeners into the world of Brazilian popular music. Like Hall, Eckert's voice is clear, her pitch immaculate, her rhythmic inflections dead-on and her phrasing effortless, qualities she has honed over decades of studio work, live performing and teaching at University of North Texas in Denton. And one can see—even from a distance—that Bozas, who had toured with "Poetinha" Vinicius De Moraes, spent four years in Spain with Samba Trio and played his way through the Sambadromo with Boi da Ilha do Governador, would slide easily into the percussion chair. Eckert's "Samba Jiji," the lead cut on A Vida Com Paixao, captures that Mendes vibe perfectly.

The ensemble and its repertoire have developed over time. One can still hear Mendes and Ivan Lins (Eckert's wistful "Reina's Song" is reminiscent of Lins' "Lembra de Mim"), but there are other influences, and—in A Vida Com Paixao—the focus is on new compositions by members of the group. "The biggest challenge has been finding the time to rehearse and write, given that we all have so many other musical jobs and groups," Eckert remarked. "Rehearsals are often day-long events when we eat together, write, arrange, eat some more." The first tune they wrote all together was "Road to Hermeto," a charming homage to Hermeto Pascoal that channels some of his sophisticated naivete, the flute and quirky small-percussion timbres he favors, along with a bit of his melodic-harmonic insouciance. (Check the YouTube, bottom of this page.)

Penned by Eckert and Bozas, "Maracandombe" mixes Brazilian marakatu and Uruguayan candombe rhythms into an easygoing danceable groove, drawing attention to the diversity of Brasuka's roots and sources. Bozas, a busy live and studio percussionist based in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, was born and raised in Uruguay and specializes in a wide array of Latin American musics. Eckert's superbly fluid and relaxed scat solo is a highlight of the track.

Robinson's "La Higuera" is a surprise program standout, having little to do with the Brazilian focus of the rest of the album. It begins simply, with Robinson's voice alone over the 3-2 clave of a candombe beat. His piano and Pardo's flute enter, Eckert joining in to harmonize on the refrain. An attractive bass solo from Warthen leads to a montuno section, where Pardo steps in to solo as the full ensemble supports a short but effective coro-pregón, closing with a pitch-perfect choral harmony.

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