Solo

This young, dazzlingly virtuosic Brazilian guitarist performs entirely solo on this album, even though sometimes she seems to be doing the work of three or more musicians simultaneously. Borrowing sonic ideas from the innovative Brazilian group Uakti, she simulates various percussion instruments and sings and scats in clear, vibrant Portuguese while playing rapid-fire, technically impeccable acoustic guitar. On several tracks she also chooses only to play guitar, in a rhythmically complex or a delicate manner. The material she plays ranges all over her nation's spectrum, including the music of her brother Sergio (half of the famous Assad classical guitar duo), Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Egberto Gismonti, as well as non-Brazilian Ralph Towner. The combination of classical technique, a Brazilian jazz sensibility, and the unique touches of percussion and voice is exquisitely captured by Chesky's audiophile equipment. ~ Richard S. Ginell