Mishka Adams (vocals); Beto Caletti (vocals, guitars, bass, keys, arr.); Diego Alejandro (drums); Nuria Martinez (flutes on Mil Vezes); Pedro Carneiro Silva (piano on Puso Mo).
(Review by Lance).
Given the South American music contained here I mistakingly, albeit understandably, assumed this would be a tribute to the late Tito Puentes. I was wrong, that Puentes is, indeed, invisible here.
Or is he?
Very little South American music hasn't been influenced by Tito and vice-versa. However, here, puentes translates to bridges and the bridges are invisible as the duo journey through South America - different countries, different languages, different rhythms all blending beautifully and, even though the foreign tongues sing words that I no entiendo the charming sound of the voices more than compensate for my multilingual shortcomings.
As I've said before, you don't need fluent Italian to enjoy Grand Opera or a Summa Cum Laude in scat-singing to appreciate Ella Fitzgerald and nor do you need to have been on speaking terms with that Ipanema girl to get pleasure from this album.
Debatable as to whether it should be classed as jazz. HMV would probably rack it under Easy Listening or World Music. Maybe it's World Jazz.
Mix a Cuba Libre or a Piña Colada, close your eyes and relax. You've missed the launch at Pizza Express which was a couple of days ago but there are a few London gigs in July, one in Wales and several in Germany and Slovenia if you've got a current passport.
Pete Churchill had this to say: "She, Mishka Adams, is a songwriter's dream - a great understanding of text, and, quite simply, one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard".
Coming from Pete Churchill, himself Professor of Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music, that is praise indeed. Praise that I'll go along with and also mention that Beto Caletti is no mere second banana but fully deserving of his joint billing.
Lance.
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