Vocalist, pianist, and composer Karrin Allyson writes the long-awaited next chapter in her series of love letters to Brazil in the aptly titled “A Kiss for Brazil,” set to be released on May 17 by Origin Records. The sequel to “From Paris to Rio,” from 1999, and “Imagina: Songs of Brasil,” from 2008, adds a bold twist to the mix: Brazilian singer, guitarist, and national treasure Rosa Passos appears on two tracks alongside Allyson and the stellar backing musicians Vitor Gonçalves (piano, Rhodes, accordion), Yotam Silberstein (guitar), Harvie S (bass), and Rafael Barata (drums).
The collaboration with Passos was the seed from which the album blossomed. Brazilian music is one of the guiding threads in Allyson’s distinctive career, dating back to her rendition of “Insensatez” by Antônio Carlos Jobim on her 1993 debut, “I Didn’t Know About You.” The two singers are friends and mutual admirers, and when Allyson learned that Passos would be visiting New York in March 2023, she arranged a recording session for the two.
What was originally planned for just two songs expanded into a full album when the band — all except Allyson and S, Brazilian musicians — sounded too good to be dismissed so quickly. Allyson led them through eight more tracks, including works by titans like Djavan, Ivan Lins, and Luiz Bonfá, in addition to Jobim.
The daughter of the heart of America, Karrin Allyson was born on July 27, 1962, in Great Bend, Kansas; grew up in Omaha, Nebraska; and began her career in Minneapolis and Kansas City. Her father was a Lutheran minister, her mother a classical music teacher, and Karrin, consequently, began her musical journey playing classical piano and singing in church.
She graduated in classical piano from the University of Nebraska Omaha, but by then her sonic universe had already expanded: she fronted an all-girls rock band called Tomboy, played in a local piano bar, and sang in a swing jazz choir. It was jazz that ultimately captured her heart, and she pursued it in Minneapolis and Kansas City. It was in the latter — the jazz mecca that gave the world Count Basie and Charlie Parker — that she recorded her first self-produced album, “I Didn’t Know About You,” in 1992 and, when it was picked up by Concord Records, saw it become a surprising smash hit.
A long-time devotee of Brazilian music, Allyson recorded “From Paris to Rio,” her first album of Brazilian and French songs, while still living in Kansas City, in 1999. Nearly a decade later, she released “Imagina: Songs of Brasil.” “A Kiss for Brazil” not only continues this tradition but — by collaborating with Rosa Passos — aligns itself with the greats of music.
For more information about the album, visit: www.terrihinte.com