A Kiss for Brazil

Karrin Allyson has long been a fan of singer-composer Rosa Passos (and vice versa), so when Passos was passing through New York in March 2023, Allyson took the opportunity to record with the Bahian legend. The two tracks they laid down then became the launching pad for A Kiss for Brazil (Origin), an album that encapsulates Allyson's decades-long appreciation for Brazilian music.

Of the album's ten songs, Allyson and Passos sing in duet on two: a Brazilian standard and one original. On the former, Antônio Carlos Jobim's ballad "O Grande Amor", Passos, singing in Portuguese, establishes the tune's gentle mood, while Allyson, in English, delivers its rueful message. Of special note, however, is their co-written "Month of March in Salvador (Dunas)", a joy-filled bossa full of bright imagery across the two languages. Beyond this gem, Allyson pulls out Brazilian standards including Jobim's "Antigua" and Djavan Caetano Viana's "Flor de Lis", her textured voice and breezy scatting perfectly suited to this hopefully romantic material. Allyson celebrates the new album at Birdland (Oct. 29-Nov. 2).