MAFALDA MINNOZZI

RIOFONIC

Musica Populare Italiana

Mafalda Minnozzi, vocals/composer; Paul Ricci, guitar/producer/arranger/composer; Roberto Meniscal, guitar/vocals/Special Guest; Kassin, electric bass; Jorge Helder, acoustic bass; Joao Cortez, drums/percussion; Jaques Morelenbaum, cello; Rafael Rocha, trombone; Marcelo Martins, tenor & alto saxophone/flute/alto flute; Jesse Sadoc, trumpet/flugelhorn.

I love the sound of an acoustic guitar.  The very first song rolls off the strings of Paul Ricci’s guitar and sets the stage for Mafalda Minnozzi’s sweet second soprano vocals to enter, sprinkled on top of the guitar licks like a rare treat.  This is Minnozzi’s fourth jazz album for the USA market. It is produced by Ricci, her New York arranger and Musical Director.  Minnozzi has a ‘little girl voice’ full of joy and spontaneity.  On Jobim’s “So Danҫo Samba” (I Only Dance Samba) she offers her unusual approach to scat singing that has made her so popular over her three-decade entertainment career. She hits the scat tones in a percussive way, sometimes tapping them out of her throat like staccato notes.

Minnozzi is a touring artist with three home bases including NYC, her native Italy and Brazil. She has enjoyed a long and illustrious career in both Brazil and Italy.  Now, she hopes to make an impression on American music.

Minnozzi has recorded over twenty albums, collaborating with some of the stellar talents of the Brazilian jazz scene including Milton Nascimento, Joao Bosco and Leny Andrade.  On stage, she is the consummate entertainer, dancing, making eye contact with her musicians and with her audience. She is as playful and as free of inhibitions as a child.

I enjoy the Minnozzi/Ricci collaboration called “Café South American Style.”  This original song has a very Latin/Pop flavor with strong lyrics and lovely chord changes.  With the right promotion, it sounds like a hit record to my ears.

Minnozzi sings in both English, Portuguese and Italian  on this project.  On the tune  “Voce” (that translates simply to ‘You’) she duets with the composer, Menescal.  Roberto Menescal is her special guest on this album. He is singing background on his composition in a very complimentary way.

There are many prominent Brazilian musicians on this project including Roberto Menescal (a vocalist, composer and guitarist), celebrated arranger Jaques Morelenbaum, who adds cello to the production, world renowned producer Kassin plays electric bass, and Jorge Helder plays acoustic bass.  Joao Cortez is a respected drummer and percussionist. Rafael Rocha adds his trombone magic, along with Jesse Sadoc who plays trumpet and flugelhorn. His horn solo sparkles on the “Postcard From Rio” arrangement. To complete the horn section is Marcelo Martins on tenor and alto saxophone (sometimes on flute).

When Mafalda Minnozzi sings, I hear her heart in each lyrical story she interprets.  I love her music, even when I don’t understand the languages she’s singing, she connects emotionally.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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