Rosa Passos - Sings and Plays Amorosa - A Tribute to Joao Gilberto

In most Latin languages, Amorosa is a term of endearment. And in this case, it's a Brazilian thing. You see, Portuguese lends itself so easily to wordplay and in the hands of a typically creative Brazilian wordplay can become an art form. So Rosa Passos' eyes must have positively sparkled at the thought of doing a tribute to João Gilberto - the man known worldwide as the Father of Bossa Nova - and naming it after one his most enduring albums, albeit with a feminine twist.

You'll understand when you take it in its parts: First, Amo, from the verb meaning "love." And then… you have to smile at the second part… rosa, which, as a result of your decision to read these notes, requires no translation at all. A trick and a wink. Brincalhão- as they might say back home on the beaches in Rio…

The stars just seemed to align when João's Amoroso came to us in 1977. The collaboration of talent from both sides of the microphone brought breathtaking results: Gilberto was in rare form, at the height of his singing career and Claus Ogerman's orchestral magic set a new standard. For young Rosa Passos, those same stars, anchored around João's own ascendancy, had aligned much earlier.

The story began in Salvador, Bahia with a piano and a father's strong desire to bring music to each of his six children. At age 3, he had discovered that Rosa was blessed with perfect pitch. Eight years later, she and music had become fast friends and once again, the heavens shifted when father introduced her to a collection of early recordings from a local idol by the name of João Gilberto. And thereafter, not unlike the Iberian explorers who journeyed east to west, Rosa Passos charted her course by setting her sights on a single point of light.

You'll appreciate the resemblance to Gilberto. His music was a strong influence on her early years and it made a lasting impression. In fact, with the exception of 'Essa é pro João' (an original penned in his honor), each of these songs has been recorded by João Gilberto at some point in his nearly 50-year career.

And now, also by Rosa Passos as she rises to her zenith. Amorosa is a labor of love from one of the warmest Brazilian voices you'll ever hear.

It's not just her voice, though that's an essential part of it. Passos' soulful warmth works easily with the notion that these songs are more than a retrospective of a master. Her unique vocal quality ranges from wistfully soft to persuasively passionate, and always with a charming, gentle and unmistakable presence. Where others might recreate, clearly Rosa's artistry is an invitation to redefine each song. And this is where the comparisons end.

Consider that she's included four of the eight songs that originally comprised the namesake Gilberto album. Quite a composer's bouquet: Antonio Carlos Jobim (with and without lyricist Chico Buarque), New York's George and Ira Gershwin, Consuelo Velasquez of Mexico. And Passos gives each song free reign to bond with her own pan-American personality.

For instance, the Velasquez perennial 'Besame Mucho' is compelling in Rosa's Spanish with the passion of the bolero as seen though Brazilian eyes to convey another aspect of her musical personality- the ability to draw vistas of emotion from each phrase.

As an arranger, Passos can be disarmingly intuitive. For 'Wave,' she prefers the subtle interaction of acoustic bass, piano and percussion to present a fresh approach to the oft-recorded Jobim classic. The result is both open and intimate, allowing us to more fully appreciate the elegance of Helio Alves' piano play, bassist Paulo Paulelli's intricate 'lay down' solo and the rhythmic tandem of drummer Paulo Braga and percussionist Cyro Baptista. You'll find that this musicality runs throughout Amorosa: Rodrigo Ursaia's tenor sax and clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera guest, as does French chanson and bossa nova singer, Henri Salvador.

'Retrato Em Branco e Preto' (or Zingaro) brings a pensive interpretation from the singer, sustained in counterpoint by a superb orchestral arrangement while 'S'Wonderful' swings softly romantic with Rosa's charismatic English - a jazzy set that is enhanced by Jorge Calandrelli's strings, partnered in simpatico with the rhythm section.

Each of Amorosa's songs reflects a part of João Gilberto's living legacy. 'Voce Vai Ver' (You've Gone) tells its story with knowing intimacy- Rosa's mood echoing Ursaia's opening sax phrase over brushed cymbals and snares. Her arrangement even allows for a hopeful reprise from Alves' piano. She finds her trademark style with 'Pra Que Discutir Com Madame', lightly scatting her introduction before her harmonic finesse with the guitar begins to steal your attention. It was this innovative style of play that mesmerized her in youth and transfixes us today. Interestingly, this late 40's song predates even Gilberto's development of the guitar rhythms that would come to define bossa nova.

'O Pato', with D'Rivera's swinging clarinet and 'Eu Sambo Mesmo' are similarly bright with the later showcasing her sense of phrasing and meter on this wonderful song from João, circa 1991, which began life as a lively samba in pre-50's Brazil. And Carlos Lyra's 'Lobo Bobo' from 1959 is transformed into a relaxed and reflective read.

Producer Calandrelli is Argentinean by birth, and his scoring and arranging credits include an Oscar nomination for The Color Purple and another for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. His work with Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Tony Bennett and Al Jarreau compliments the pop culture catalyst that Ogerman brought to Gilberto's Amoroso those many years ago. And Al Schmitt, the engineer who recorded and mixed that 1977 album has returned to help create the lush, elegant sound of this 2004 homage.

These days, Rosa Passos calls her country's capitol city of Brasilia her home, and while it's said that the stars stitched into the Brazilian flags that fly above the city portray the night sky over Brazil, they could just as easily represent the works of a bossa master from the Brazilian northeast. As the years pass, João's constellation remains heavenly and those early João Gilberto songs that inspired Rosa's life in music have become timeless in their magnitude.

And now, Amorosa adds to that brilliance. Rosa Passos' own star shines brightly.