Far Out Recordings has recently pulled a modern, Brazilian jazz gem from Sabrina Malheiros out of its vault and made it available on vinyl for the first time.
Equilibria — Malheiros’ 2005 debut album — is a subtle update on the time-honored sambas and bossa novas of Brazilian music, where you might hear a hip-hop beat slipped in here and there and other 21st century production touches from the record’s producer Daniel Maunick, but they never intrude on the old school vibe. There’s — of course — name for this subgenre, “nu bossa,” and Sabrina Malheiros has since become one of the leading singer-songwriters of this sensation.
Sabrina Malheiros is the daughter of Azymuth co-founder and bassist Alex Malheiros, one of the architects of the band’s self-described “Samba Doido” (crazy samba) music. The Azymuth legacy runs deeper than just blood: Dad’s on board to lend his supple electric bass as well as a few background vocals (Alex’s soothing voice is heard on Azymuth’s records) and the late Azymuth drummer Ivan Conti was on hand, too. Continuing the familial thread, Daniel Maunick’s father Jean-Paul is also on hand to provide rhythm guitar. You might know him as Bluey, the leader and linchpin of British acid-jazz powerhouse Incognito.
This strong collection of contributors helped to get Malheiros’ career off to a healthy start; they are no rookie mistakes here. What I find appealing is that the balance between ‘old school’ and ‘new school’ changes to fit each song’s vibe. “Terra de Ninguém,” for instance, hints of contemporary touches, just enough to amp up that chugging rhythm. “Estação Verão” is a carefree samba in the vintage style and “Capoeira Vai” is a brisker samba with a jazzy saxophone break.
“Maracuteira” is imbued with traditional Brazilian percussion and anchored by acoustic guitar and a warm Fender Rhodes, keeping the music earthbound. A crisp, bossa nova beat with acoustic piano and guitar gives “Love Sorte” a vintage vibe and the 70s styled synth does intrude at all.
On the other hand, the hip-hop influence is explicit for “Vibrasom,” but with guitars and flutes floating around that soften the edges. “Passa” also leans into hip-hop but with unfussy production with adept vocal phrasing and a catchy chorus. Maunick was keen to let the swaying melodies rule over all else.
Fans of Incognito and the elder Maunick will recognize his rich, George Benson-styled guitar all over “Saudade Rio” which boasts an Incognito groove with a more modern rhythm track …yet the melody is all Brazilian.
Sabrina Malheiros is a gifted vocalist but ultimately, Equilibria succeeds because she submitted a robust set of songs that honors the great Brazilian pop-jazz tradition and Daniel Maunick gave these songs an attractively contemporary flair. It’s a record that’s built to appeal across all generations.
Get Equilibria in various formats from Bandcamp.
*** Sabrina Malheiros CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
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