Guitar Crosscurrents

Rosa Passos is a masterful musician, performer, arranger and bandleader. I’ve had two opportunities to see her perform: once at a clinic for guitar students at Berklee College of Music and several nights ago at an opening night performance for a 16-night run in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Here are some notes I jotted down during her clinic:
• “The soul of the bossa is the guitarist’s right hand.”
• “Bossa nova isn’t a samba––bossa nova is much more intimate.”
• When asked about the theory behind her extremely rich vocabulary: “Harmony isn’t theoretical–harmony has to match the melody and the mood of the lyrics.”
• Favorite jazz musicians: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Dave Grusin, McCoy Tyner
• “True bossa nova and jazz are very close…cousins—they both share dynamics, subtlety, style, and delicacy.”
• “Bossa nova is slow, fat and soft- for your lap. It has a silence within itself. Bossa has a secret. The Samba is percussion based.”
• “Joao Gilberto is the source of Bossa Nova.”
• “Bossa Nova is often rushed too much––the beauty of the Bossa is in the (slower) tempo.”

Hearing her sing and play the guitar in such an intimate setting was a gift. Her control of singing while accompanying herself was sonic perfection. There is a recording of Joao Gilberto called ‘Live in Tokyo,’ that I’ve heard since then that would serve as a great introduction to his greatness as a performer and musician.

While attending a conference in São Paulo, Brazil, I was able to hear the opening night of her new project entitled Canta Elis Regina––an extended set of new arrangements dedicated to another of her primary influences, the late Elis Regina. The complex arrangements were masterfully performed by a group of studio musicians. During the course of the night, every member of the 4-horn, 3 rhythm band had a moment to perform a seemingly impossible passage. Due to back problems, she was unable to play the guitar, but her capacity to lead the band, while enchanting the audience at the same time was another gift.

Next time you’re on youtube, key in the name ‘Rosa Passos,’ and sit back and enjoy.