Narrowly Dodging Predictable Brazilian Fare

The first few numbers in the performance by Brazilian singers Ana Gazzola and Sonia Santos Saturday night at La Ve Lee verged dangerously close to dull predictability. By the time the duo had sung its way through “Aquarela do Brasil,” “The Girl From Ipanema” and “Tico Tico,” its show--”Brasil Brazil”--was beginning to seem like yet another of the sort of musically lightweight presentations that many local Brazilian artists seem to feel is the limit to what Los Angeles audiences want to hear.

To their credit, there was no denying the slick efficiency with which Gazzola and Santos-- backed by a high voltage, rhythmically energetic band--delivered the numbers, often with jazz-tinged references. The visual contrast between the pair--Gazzola is tall, blond and graceful; Santos is small, dark and compact--was enhanced by their vocal styles. Gazzola sings with a smooth-toned elegance, Santos with a lush, rhythmic approach; yet in the many vocal harmonies, they blended together with surprising ease.

Fortunately, as it turned out, the opening of their set was a bit misleading--an opportunity, perhaps, to grab the attention of audience members unfamiliar with the breadth of Brazilian music. As the program continued, the songs and the rhythms became more diverse. Not quite as ethnic, perhaps, as “Oba Oba,” the show that brought Santos to the U.S., but with a real desire to do more than the familiar collection of bossa novas and sambas.

There were times when the performance seemed a bit prepackaged (during an audience sing-along, for example, on the duo’s original “Go Back to Brazil”), the dialogue too scripted. But, for the most part, once past the Brazil 101 numbers, it was a set sparked by numerous enjoyable moments. Gazzola and Santos may have the look of an odd couple, but in performance they functioned with the ease of a well-conditioned musical team. Nonetheless, “Brasil Brazil” would be a far more effective show if it eliminated a few of the predictable numbers and established a more direct connection with the many fascinating sounds coursing through contemporary Brazilian music.