One of the great American composers of the 20th Century, Cole Porter died in October 1964, just months after the release of Getz/Gilberto, long considered the album that popularized bossa nova worldwide. Though Porter didn’t live to see the impact of his songs on young emerging Brazilian musicians in that era, the legacy he left on them is formidable – and worthy of celebrating even six decades later by Antonio Adolfo, one of those 60s upstarts who became a Brazilian jazz legend.
With a series of tribute albums in recent years celebrating Milton Nasimento, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescale, he has artfully and beautifully chronicled the formation and enduring appeal of bossa nova. If you think you’ve heard every possible way to interpret a Porter classic, Adolfo’s glorious, inventive and supremely adventurous homage Love Cole Porter will change that perception. It’ll happen immediately, from the spirited opening chords and exciting ensemble action on the opening track “Easy to Love,” whose horn-fired arrangement playfully channels the 1960’s samba jazz style performed by musicians on the Beco das Garrafas (Bottles’ Alley) heyday in Copacabana.
In mining fresh excitement from one of his own personal favorite composers, he also expands the Brazilian stylistic repertoire of those recent tribute albums. He continues the lush, authentic bossa vibes of those on tunes here like the slyly soulful, uber-romantic “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” and “I Concentrate on You,” which adheres closely to the classic Jobim/Sinatra version and features gorgeous solos by Marcelo Martins (flute) and Rafael Rocha (trombone). Then Adolfo injects some colorful rhythmic variation into the mix, starting with his blend of toada (a romantic baiao) and bossa on “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”; a brisk, percussive, big band-ish romp through “Just One of Those Things” where he fuses Northeastern Brazil originated dance styles frevo and quadrilha; and a charming brass-tinged stroll through “Love For Sale” based on an ijexa groove.
While fans of Brazilian music unfamiliar with those exotic styles can look them up and delve into their rich histories, Adolfo returns to the more familiar energies of a slow tempo bossa on “So In Love” and a festival high energy Carnaval spirit on the closer “You Do Something To Me.” We can tell by the intricate care and imagination Adolfo puts into these arrangement that Love Cole Porter is not just a clever title but a true expression of his musical heart.
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