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The infectious spirit of Brazilian music in all it's incredible forms is impossible to deny. Musicians from around the world succumb to the elements of samba, forro and bossa nova. For Brazilian musicians, the essence of these sounds and rhythms is tied up in all the music they create. The new collective ensemble Unity Quartet, featuring Hélio Alves, Guilherme Monteiro, Gili Lopes and Alex Kautz, weave their Brazilian influences into their own forward-thinking version of jazz, as can be heard on their new recording, Samba of Sorts.

The members of Unity Quartet hail for different parts of Brazil but have all made New York their home. Pianist Alves and drummer Kautz hailed from Sao Paulo, while guitarist Monteiro moved from Rio de Janeiro and bassist Lopes from the southern town of Porto Alegre via London. All of them met through large and active network of Brazilian musicians in New York City, meeting and playing with one another in various projects.

The four musicians came together in 2021 to play original music and select covers in an open, exploratory fashion, melding their roots in 1970s and 1980s Brazilian popular music with their love for jazz. It was at Brooklyn's Bar LunAtico that the quartet found an incubator for their project, playing the club regularly and developing an esthetic and language all their own.

Unity Quartet takes it's musical cues from many sources. From the samba jazz of the 1960s to the contemporary popular sounds of MPB, the Quartet filters these sounds into a heady New York City jazz style. The Quartet captured these sounds on December 1 and 2, 2022 at Brorby Studios.

The recording begins with an arrangement of the legendary Milton Nascimento's "Viola Violar." Brought in by fellow Mineiro Monterio, the simple, hymn-like tune retains a rock feeling with guitar leading with it's sing-song melody. Monterio's "Lucena" is an expansive folk-like ballad with complicated harmonies that lean into the Quartet's jazz feel. Musical iconoclast Hermeto Pascoal is represented with a take on his "Santo Antonio, " the dancing Baião rhythm from northeastern Brazil is a perfect beat to make listeners move.

Alves presents his own piece, "Frenzy, " a frenetic, straight-ahead piece with unpredictable, tricky rhythmic devices. Kautz's "Samba of Sorts" provides a perfect example of what the Quartet is trying to achieve, as it blends a 9/8-time signature to a traditional samba. Brazilian but not. Made famous by celebrated singer Djavan, "Jogral" is an unusual samba with interesting harmonies and unique cadences.

"Pau de Arara" by famed composer Luiz Gonzaga comes from an earlier generation of Brazilian music. The tune balances between baião and forro, becoming the most traditional song in the Quartet's repertoire. The recording concludes with Lopes's "Paloma Plage, " a gorgeous jazz waltz that floats on a Brazilian ocean breeze.

The sound and spirit of Brazil travels through it's musicians, whether at home or abroad. The tradition of Brazilian music expands as it's practitioners come into contact and absorb new styles, creating something completely unique. Unity Quartet is a perfect example of the expansion of Brazil sound through evolution.