From Paris To Rio

EDITORIAL REVIEWS
On this release, Kansas City-based vocalist Karrin Allyson embraces romantic classics from both French and Brazilian perspectives. While this is not the first time Allyson has recorded in Portuguese or French, this disc showcases her multicultural impulses with a cozy elegance. Using talented backing musicians, including keyboard players Gil Goldstein and Paul Smith, Allyson covers splendid compositions by the likes of Jacques Brel, Brazil's Caetano Veloso, and America's most notorious jazz expatriate, Bud Powell. On "Plasir d'Amour (The Pleasure of Love)," Allyson's lilting vocals are flawlessly embellished by Rod Fleeman's acoustic guitar and Bob Bowman's bass, as well as an understated string quartet. A wholly mature effort from one of our brightest young voices, From Paris to Rio is a swinging travelogue in song. --Mitch Myers REVIEW
"Since I've already recorded five albums of more or less standard material, I felt it was time to venture out into something a little different," says vocalist Karrin Allyson. So for her new record, From Paris to Rio, Allyson decided to sing songs in French and Portuguese. "I've studied French for years," says Allyson. "It was my minor in college, so I have some fluency. Portuguese, on the other hand, I started learning phonetically just to be able to sing the Brazilian repertoire." "Samba Sarava" is from the movie A Man and a Woman, and its lyrics speak of the obsession the French have for Brazilian samba.--- JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc. -- From Jazziz.