WENDY LUCK — See You In Rio (review)

WENDY LUCK — See You In Rio album cover Album · 2006 · Bossa Nova Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Matti P
American flautist, vocalist and composer Wendy Luck started her discography in the late 1990's in a meditative New Age direction: The Ancient Key and The Ancient Journey were basically instrumental, flute-centred albums recorded on ancient Egyptian locations -- the Great Pyramid and temples along the Nile. [Another flute-playing New Age artist, Paul Horn, had done the same.]

Already earlier Wendy Luck had sung and played flute in a Latin Jazz ensemble, so it didn't come out of the blue that she would do a more vocal oriented album in the Bossa Nova style. This was done at the suggestion of pianist, arranger and producer Cliff Korman. See You in Rio is a light-hearted, elegant and sensual set of songs, recorded mostly in Rio de Janeiro with Brazilian musicians.

Some tracks were written by Luck and Korman themselves, such as the romantic Bossa songs 'After the Dance' and 'A Man Who Loves'. 'Only Trust Your Heart' (Sammy Cahn) is also arranged into a sensual Bossa Nova ballad. More vivant Brazilian rhythms are heard in the instrumentals 'London Samba' and 'Apanhei-Te, Cavaquinho' (Ernesto Nazareth), both starring flute in the lead.

Not a Bossa Nova album would be credible without some Antonio Carlos Jobim pieces. 'Fotografia' and 'Bonita' are sung in English -- some Portuguese on the album would have added genuine Brazilian flavour, but maybe Wendy Luck didn't feel competent enough with the foreign language. Astor Piazzola's instrumental 'Cafe 1930' is prefaced by Luck's own brief and NewAgey prelude.

The well-known tune from Heitor Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5 is interpreted here as a gentle instrumental for flute and piano, followed by the album-ending joyous song 'Rio After Dark'(David Chesky / Steve Sacks). All in all this is a very well done self-release, easy to enjoy by anyone who likes the sensual approach and Bossa Nova. Wendy Luck is pretty nice both as a flautist and a vocalist, too bad she remains so unknown (at least from the European point of view).
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