Jazz pianist, composer and singer, Sarah McKenzie has just released her brand new sixth album, Without You. A Brazilian jazz project that conveys her love for Brazilian music and culture, Without You includes a generous amount of Antonio Carlos Jobim songs along with four of McKenzie’s originals and a few other selections, all played tastefully, and in her own inventive way.

“I’ve always loved the music of Brazil, Tom Jobim, Elis Regina, and of course Astrud Gilberto,” says Sarah McKenzie. “What I especially love about Jobim is the simplicity and clarity of his melodies, songs that one can remember and sing.”

Featuring star Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo (a regular on Astrud Gilberto’s tours) and the legendary Jaques Morelenbaum (the original cellist with Antônio Carlos Jobim), Without You is so much more than a simple tribute album: it’s a celebration of the essence of Brazilian jazz, a musical encounter at the deepest level, reinvigorating the timeless music with fresh ideas and subtle surprises, adding to its legacy.

1. The Gentle Rain (4:25)
2. Corcovado (Quiet Nights) (5:04)
3. The Voice of Rio (2:59)
4. Mean What You Say (2:11)
5. Fotografia (3:53)
6. Quoi, Quoi, Quoi (3:38)
7. Once I Loved (4:22)
8. Without You (4:20)
9. Wave (5:03)
10. Dindi (4:32)
11. The Girl From Ipanema (4:29)
12. Chega de Saudade (4:27)
13. Bonita (4:08)
14. Modinha (2:33)

This soulfully ambient new recording opens on the aptly-titled smoothness of The Gentle Rain and the lush Corcovado (Quiet Nights) and they are followed by the ornately sculptured The Voice of Rio, the gently rambunctious Mean What You Say, the lovely hipsway found within Fotografia, and then we get the joyful, playful Quoi, Quoi, Quoi and the tranquil Once I Loved.

Up next is one of my own personal favorites, the genuine love of melody found within Without You and that is in turn backed seamlessly by the gloriously perky Wave, the earnest Dindi, the delightful Brazilian bossa nova of The Girl From Ipanema, the album rounding out on the luxuriant Chega de Saudade, the sumptuous Bonita, coming to a close on the opulent Modinha.

Musicians:
Sarah McKenzie (vocals, piano)
Jaques Morelenbaum (cello)
Romero Lubambo (guitar)
Peter Erskine (drums)
Geoff Gascoyne (bass)
Rogerio Boccato (percussion)
Bob Sheppard (flute, sax)

www.sarahmckenzie.info

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