Luciana Souza: Cometa

Luciana Souza and Trio Corrente inhabit the deep intersections of Brazilian and jazz practices, a realm Souza's double-take Yemanjá-Lady Liberty garb suggests lies somewhere in the Atlantic (see the album cover). They share rarified air as Grammy winners, as composers and as performers. It seems inevitable that they would eventually collaborate. A fan of Trio Corrente since its inception (2001), Souza met drummer Edu Ribeiro on a teaching gig, then reconnected with him and pianist Fabio Torres on a record date in 2008, where they were side musicians. Torres invited her to join Trio Corrente for a Brazilian tour in 2022, deepening the relationship and leading her to propose a recording. Cometa is the happy result.

The album was recorded in São Paulo with producer Larry Klein in the control room in Los Angeles. With just one rehearsal and two days of recording, they drew inspiration from Elis Regina and Zimbo Trio in the mid 1960s, who frequently collaborated on new material for the Brazilian TV show No Fino da Bossa (including such songs as "Vem Balançar," written by Souza's parents, Walter Santos and Tereza Souza). For Regina and Zimbo Trio, time constraints resulted in a freewheeling air, rehearsal deficits compensated for by the fact that the four worked together regularly, sharpening their ability to create exceptional arrangements in the moment. Trio Corrente projects a similar quasi-telepathic communication thanks to their long association. Souza's work with the Yellowjackets (Raising Our Voice, 2018) prepared her well for this encounter; she knew how to "come into a situation that's fully formed already and not disturb what works," as she put it.

The lead cut, Dorival Caymmi's "Você Já Foi à Bahia" (Have You Been to Bahia Yet?), a perfect three-minute track, sets the tone. Souza's adroit arrangement, which opens with a series of call-and-response hits culminating in a rhythmic release into a samba groove in the second section, fits right into the trio's vibe, sounding very much of a piece with bassist Paulo Paulelli's arrangement of "Requebre Que Eu Dou um Doce," another Caymmi composition on the program. The Caymmi tunes also highlight Souza's virtuosity with a tongue-teasing text. The head is followed by a concise round of playful solos, beginning with her scat. The mood matches the musicians' desire to project "lightness and celebration." (See YouTube teaser, below.)

While the program features pieces by great Brazilian songwriters—Caymmi, Ary Barroso, Djavan, Paulinho DaViola, Antonio Carlos Jobim—Souza wanted the ensemble to "meet as composers, too," each bringing in originals and arrangements. Along with the Caymmi arrangement, her contributions include an excellent arrangement of Barroso's "Pra Machucar Meu Coração" co-created with Torres, a poignant lyric for Ribeiro's lovely "Cometa," and her own "Bem Que Te Avisei" (Well I Warned You), a terrific tune with a wily lyric and a thirty-two bar AABA form, which seems destined to become a Brazilian jazz standard.

One hopes that Cometa becomes the first of many collaborations by Luciana Souza and Trio Corrente, with many opportunities—in Brazil, the US, and elsewhere—to hear these extraordinary musicians together live.