JAZZ REVIEW : High Energy From Ivan Lins

Ivan Lins’ supercharged appearance at At My Place Tuesday night was a potent reminder of the Brazilian songwriter’s exceptional skills as a performer.

Highly visible for the last few years as a composer whose works have been interpreted by everyone from George Benson and Quincy Jones to Ella Fitzgerald and Manhattan Transfer, Lins has been less well-known, certainly in this country, as a remarkably charismatic singer-keyboardist.

Accompanied by a Brazilian rhythm section (with guest appearances by Brenda Russell and the Perri Sisters) Lins covered the full range of his work, from his earliest songs with lyricist Vitor Martins to several new, dance-styled numbers written with Russell. Keeping the intensity level on high for much of his two-hour set, Lins--whose Clark Kent-style horn-rim glasses and Beatlesque mop-top of dark hair created the image of a perennial collegian--contrasted samba and choro with funk, swing and a taste of bossa nova.

Lins clearly deserves greater exposure. The most gifted Brazilian songwriter since Antonio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento, his harmonically rich, melodically compelling songs easily reach across cultural and national boundaries. But to have an impact that extends beyond the heavily Brazilian-populated audience present for his opening set, Lins needs to add more English material to his program. His version of “Comecar de Novo,” known to American listeners as “The Island,” was a good example of a piece that might have had greater impact in, at the very least, a dual-language reading.