'You can take the man out of Brazil but you can't take Brazil out of the man!'by Anonymous

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February 13, 2007: Marco Figueria is simply one of the finest musical exports from the land of Bossa Nova. Born in Carangola, Brazil, Figueroa moved to the jazz oriented community of New York in 1988 and since that time he has become a staple on the scene. His musical compositions and singing and guitar artistry fill this very satisfying CD, a fine collection of twelve songs which in addition to the five written by Figueria also share space with works by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Rosa Passos, Joao Bosco, Lenine and others. Figueria's singing style is sultry and he sings in his native Portuguese, able to allow the American jazz version of scat singing resound in his warmly sensuous Portuguese syllables. The ensemble that backs him includes Hello Alves, a very fine pianist, the usual percussion, strings, brass and woodwinds in as acute a balance as a group can attain. On some of the works he invites Kerry Linder and Luiz Simas to join him on vocals. This is a winsome mix of jazz and Brazilian sounds and sensibilities and is one of the more consistently 'listenable' albums to appear in a long time. Definitely recommended for those with an affinity for Brazilian moods. Grady Harp