Wayne Krantz

Bossa Nova is often thought of as a dying genre. Like bebop, some see it as a past stage of evolution. Anders successfully challenges this with her debut album on some classic Jobim tunes among others. While the first Bossa recordings in the 60s gave a sense of innocence with non-virtuoso vocalists such as Jobim and Gilberto, Anders gives the genre a new sensual side that fits in well as an evolution of the genre as a whole. She remains faithful to the melodies, and her prominent vocals are able to be heard through the modern arrangement with a much more uptempo rhythm.

On his second solo album (following his first by nine years), bass player Victor Bailey is quick to acknowledge his heroes: "Graham Cracker," with its funky, plucked bass notes, is a tribute to Larry Graham, while "Continuum," a tune by Jaco Pastorius, Bailey's predecessor in Weather Report, is given a vocalese lyric written and sung by Bailey and turned into "Do You Know Who," which contains lines like "Boy when I first heard Jaco play/I've got to admit I was blown away."