JAZZ SPOTLIGHT

SARAH VAUGHAN

“I Love Brazil”

Pablo

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This masterful collection, recorded in Rio in 1977, brings together the timeless beauty of Vaughan’s sound with some of the most durable writers and musicians in the Brazilian pantheon.

Milton Nascimento plays and joins voices with her on three tunes; the Caymmis, father Dorival and son Dori, are similarly represented in original works; and Antonio Carlos Jobim plays piano on his own “Triste” and “Someone to Light Up My Life,” the latter with lyrics by Gene Lees.

Edson Federico’s orchestrations and the rhythm backing (usually drums and two percussionists) contribute to the beauty and authenticity of these modern classics, taped at the high point of Vaughan’s magnificent career.

Aside from Dorival’s Portuguese verse on “Roses and Roses,” the vocals are in English (but Vaughan did allow herself a couple of brief scat interludes).

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent), and five stars for classic reissues.