Leila Pinheiro - Isso É Bossa Nova (1994)

When Leila Pinheiro was born in 1960, bossa nova would only have a few years of life. But, taken by the expression of the pure samba, and the harmonic sophistication and the performing standards of that style, she knew how to make it hers, strongly linking her career to it. The cover of this album, for example, is a respectful tribute to João Gilberto's "Chega de Saudade" (1959), but she is fortunately open to new ideas and avoids clichés: The exquisite duo rendition (singer/double bass) for the true samba do morro (samba of the hills) "A primeira vez" (Bide/Marçal), originally recorded by Gilberto, is evidence of that. The rest of the album follows the customarily economic orchestral bossa standard, where the focus is the strong presence of her voice, which is bigger than the usual in bossa. The wonderful "Caminhos Cruzados" is a jazzy rendition that features Jota Moraes' vibraphone. The album has other jazz references, especially in tunes such as "Este Seu Olhar," performed as a ballad.