Taken from the liner notes of Jazz Samba Project - by Ken Avis, Veronneau guitarist. Veronneau's Jazz Samba Project was inspired by the 50th anniversary of the recording of the legendary 'Jazz Samba' album, DC, in our own backyard. Though Lynn Veronneau is French Canadian and I'm from the UK, the soft pulse and gentle vocal sounds of bossa nova have long been favorites of ours. Our drummer, Pete Walby, grew up in California grooving to the sound of Jazz Samba on his parent's reel-to-reel tape deck. Veronneau guitarist, David Rosenblatt, has immersed himself in Brazilian jazz since his early years living in Rio, where he returned to study music in his 20's. Veronneau's first album, Joie de Vivre - Joy of Living, presented a broad range of the world jazz tunes we loved, including songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Ary Barroso. With our acoustic nylon string guitars, vocals and percussion, our band was fertile ground for the enticing sounds of bossa nova. When band mate Pete Walby suggested the idea of the Jazz Samba Project, the fit was clear. Our fascination grew as we plunged into a year of exploration, looking into the history and impact of Jazz Samba. We were fortunate to speak at length with two of the original musicians, Buddy Deppenschmidt and the late Joe Byrd, as we prepared to record this CD with some wonderful guest musicians and collaborators. Veronneau's Jazz Samba Project is a labor of love and pays homage to the 1962 classic. We hope our album brings even more converts to the music and delights those already acquainted with this wonderful music. The Songs Our aim was to first explore the world of bossa nova with Jazz Samba as the starting point. We would also include classics from subsequent years; and, finally, give our own bossa treatments to some contemporary tunes. There were so many songs we could have chosen. These are the ones that captivated us. From the Jazz Samba album, E Luxo S was written by Ary Barroso, who composed the famous song Brazil. It's the one true samba on the album and features the band with our three guest muicians: Brazilian percussionist Alejandro Lucini, Canadian saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk and American trombonist Jim McFalls. The title is roughly translated as So Luxurious and it tells of the hypnotic, seductive dance of a beautiful woman. Lynn sings in Portuguese and her dreamy vocals are set against a background of intertwined horns and layered percussion. In choosing our contemporary tracks, the Bob Marley reggae classic, Waiting in Vain, was an obvious choice. This arrangement has been a favorite with our concert audiences and the mix of musical genres reflects the band's international make up and highlights our cross-cultural approach. We added delay to the backing vocals for that Jamaican dub-reggae touch. As with our previous album, we were delighted to include a composition by David Rosenblatt. September Moon tells the tale of unexpected romance in life's later years - a classically melancholy bossa nova theme. The song underscores David's melodic and harmonic sense and his solo displays his inventiveness and warm tone. Walby adds easy brush strokes and Lucini takes up congas. Mas Que Nada was a hit for Jorge Ben, and later for Sergio Mendes, two musicians who continued to carry the Brazilian music flag beyond the bossa years, modernizing the sound to compete with the Beatles inspired pop of the 60's.
You can almost hear Lynn dancing around the room as she sang this song in the studio. McFalls and Rosenblatt contributed spirited solos and rhythm and lead guitars wove together to great effect. Note the rhythmic accents on the cuca - the familiar percussion sound of Carnival - on this playful tune. Meditation is a haunting Jobim classic. The song was not originally planned for the album, but it seduced us as bossa nova can! Lucini's percussion includes the organic sounds of the udu drum, deep and expressive beneath the longing vocal. The muted trombone adds a languid flavor to this bossa, creating a sense of space, softly sad and distant. Walby frames the tune w
