Jazz, Bossa and Beyond--by Arnaldo DeSouteiro, JSR Brazil VOCAL CD OF THE MONTH! HAVANA CARBO:"Phantoms of Love" Featuring: Dario Eskenazi, Oriente Lopez, Vince Cherico, Oscar Feldman, Sean Smith, Leo Traversa, Pablo Aslan, John Pezanelli, Helio Alves, Nilson Matta, Lino Fernandez, Gabriel Machado. Rating: ***** (5 stars) Actually, the whole album is a highlight. Our latin-tinged Helen Merrill, Gladys "Havana" Carbo delivers another love letter in form of a CD. Her warm and seductive voice, gifted with exceptional phrasing and impeccable enunciation, fits perfectly with the sumptuous repertoire. The unexpected opener, Maysa's "Tarde Triste," would be enough to make it one of the top CDs of the year. But the emotions don't stop there. Havana's renditions of Percy Faith's "Maybe September" (the best one since Tony Bennett's take on his masterpiece album from 1965, "The Movie Song Album"), Michel Legrand's "La Valse des Lilas" (aka "Once Upon A Summertime", Legrand's first song, dating 1954), Johnny Mandel/Peggy Lee's "The Shining Sea," Nat Simon/Buddy Bernier's "Poinciana" made a hit by Ahmad Jamal, and Osvaldo Farr?s' bolero anthem "Tres Palabras" are beyond words. Besides "Tarde Triste," her affinity for Brazilian music is showcased through magnificent interpretations of Edu Lobo/Vinicius de Moraes' "Canto Triste" (a song included in the first album I ever produced, the debut LP of Yana Purim for RCA in 1980) and Antonio Carlos Jobim/Chico Buarque's "Retrato Em Branco e Preto," all sung in Portuguese. Not to mention Havana's French adventure on Charles Trenet's standard "Que Reste-t-il de Nos Amours," one of Joao Gilberto's personal favorite songs, having been recorded by the Bossa Nova Pope on his "Joao" album orchestrated by Clare Fischer in 1991. Essential. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •"...what a beautiful start for this New Year ! Your singing is truly exquisite ! Congratulations to you and to your skilled and moving musicians who accompany you with such musicality and good taste. Bravo !!! " Gabriel Yared •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • “I Love it. Thank you for the work you do. The band is tight yet soothing and your voice is full & melodic. I am enchanted!” Howard Sharper, Program Manager WUCX-FM 90.1 *************************************************************************** • A languid, sensual delight that won me over as I listened to it. Her sexy, breathless vocal style perfectly matches the sparse arrangements, creating the perfect late-night, bachelor-pad music for any hiking of the Appalachian Trail. I loved the orchestration, the bass part sets the scene perfectly for "Que reste-t-il de nos amours" which reminds me of something, "let there be love"? Obviously a heart-felt CD, both from the singer and the ensemble, so much love is poured in to this that it glows, one to keep close, just don't play it in the car in the daytime. My only regret is "Maybe September," somehow her voice sounds much sexier when you have to concentrate to understand what she's singing. Mick Freeman: WQUB / Quincy IL