As Meninas
is Portuguese for "the girls." The name was adopted provisionally when vocalist
Monica Vasconcelos
and saxophonist
Ingrid Laubrock
were auditioning for gigs in London. But the name stuck, even though two men have since joined: guitarist
Ife Tolentino
and drummer/percussionist
Chris Wells
. The four members hail from around the globe, but they live and work in London, where their elegant Brazilian stylings are particularly well received.
Much of the music on
Bom Dia
is strongly reminiscent of the jazz-influenced bossa nova style introduced by
Stan Getz
and
Joao
Astrud Gilberto
on the classic 1963 album
Getz/Gilberto
. But
puts its own stamp on the genre. Although they perform famous
Jobim
songs such as "Insensatez" and "Dindi," they also shed light on lesser-known figures such as
Djavan
,
Jackson Do Pandeiro
, and
Dorival Caymmi
. In addition to samba and bossa nova, they cook with the more exotic South American flavor of the baiao on "Tres Vendas" and the rump-shaking "Procurando Tu." While ballads like "Atras da Porta" come close to easy listening, the spare acoustic format of the group still casts a spell. It might seem like a stretch, but something about their female-fronted, rhythmically seductive sound brings to mind
Pizzicato Five
Stereolab
. ~ David R. Adler