A Freshening Up of the Unique Sounds of Brazil

Just as it was in the days of the film “Black Orpheus,” Brazilian popular music remains clearly recognizable as a first cousin of North American jazz. On Saturday at the Jazz Bakery, six musicians directed by pianist-composer Guilherme Vergueiro offered a bracing demonstration of what has changed and what has remained the same in this unique, Rio-borne idiom.

Where the bossa nova of the early ‘60s gave a major role to the guitar and often relegated percussion to a supporting part, today’s group is more likely to dispense with the guitar and augment the drums with a second percussionist.

What has remained essentially unchanged is the singular melodic charm of the themes. Each set opened with a couple of duo numbers by Vergueiro and Teco Cardoso, who outlined the graceful compositions on alto flute or soprano saxophone. For the rest of the time four men were added: trumpeter Jeff Kaye, the only non-Brazilian; Antonio Santana on electric bass; Andrea Marcelli on drums; and Meia Noite on congas, bongos, cuica and the like.

With Vergueiro often doubling the lines on piano, there was a consistent accent on lyricism, though Cardoso from time to time moved away from the melodies to display passionate improvisational creativity.

Except for occasional excesses in the percussion department, this group offered delightful evidence of a fresher, younger approach to a music that first found its way to this country almost three decades ago.