(Brazilian Jazz, Trombone Jazz) Raul de Souza - Colors - 1999, APE (image+.cue), lossless

by Alex Henderson
Boasting a distinctive and highly appealing tone, Raul de Souza was a Brazilian trombonist who kept busy in the '70s but faded into obscurity in the '80s. De Souza, although essentially a jazz artist, was quite versatile -- he played his share of fusion, pop-jazz, and Brazilian jazz, but could also handle funk and disco. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 23, 1934, de Souza was employed as a sideman by some of Brazil's musical heavyweights in the '70s, including Sergio Mendez, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, and Milton Nascimento. The trombonist, who also appeared on '70s albums by Sonny Rollins and Cal Tjader, signed with Capitol in 1976, and his first Capitol session, Sweet Lucy, was released the following year. Both Sweet Lucy and de Souza's second Capitol date, Don't Ask My Neighbors, were produced by George Duke. But de Souza changed producers on his next album, 'Til Tomorrow Comes, which was produced by Arthur Wright and found the Rio native jumping on the disco bandwagon. Devoid of jazz, the 1979 release is pure disco. 'Til Tomorrow Comes was his last album for Capitol -- after that, he faded into obscurity. All three of de Souza's Capitol albums are out of print, although his 1974 recording, Colors, is available on CD as part of Fantasy's Original Jazz Classics series.

by Richard S. Ginell
This nearly forgotten Brazilian trombonist -- a protégé of Airto Moreira and Flora Purim who made a moderate impact in the U.S. in the '70s only to mysteriously give it up and return to Brazil and subsequent obscurity -- resurfaces on a CD reissue of a star-studded session from 1974. Producer Airto, who appears frequently on percussion (never mind the camouflaged percussion credits "Kenneth Nash and others; " one shake and you know it's Airto), succeeded in enlisting J.J. Johnson to make the horn arrangements and getting the polyrhythmic drums of Jack DeJohnette to drive the session. Cannonball Adderley makes one of his last appearances on record (he died nine months later), his alto sax burning in an otherwise cluttered stab at Baden Powell's "Canto de Ossanha," and venturing on the outside on "Chants to Burn." The most noteworthy track is Joe Zawinul's "Dr. Honoris Causa," which gets a fascinating Brazilian/jazz/rock arrangement straight out of the mid-'70s. Although the occasionally overloaded arrangements sometimes get in the way of the rhythm section, Raul turns in some capable, swinging, breathlessly phrased performances, perhaps excited by the non-playing presence of the great Johnson.

Raul De Souza - trombone;
Ted Lo - keyboards;
Richard Davis - bass;
Jack DeJohnette - drums;
Kenneth Nash, Airto Moreira - percussion;
horns (expt #3):
Snooky Young, Oscar Brashear - trumpets;
George Bohanon, Don Waldrop - trombones, baritone horns;
Jerome Richardson, Sahib Shihab - reeds;
J.J. Johnson - horns arranger & conductor;
Cannonball Adderley - guest solo appearance (#2,7)