by David R. Adler
Trio da Paz's fourth record offers an alluring mix of originals, Brazilian classics, and jazz material seldom heard in a Latin context (Clifford Brown's "Blues Walk," for instance). Guitarist Romero Lubambo, one of Brazilian jazz's premier fingerstylists, is the main attraction, but he shares equal billing with bassist Nilson Matta and drummer Duduka Da Fonseca. Not for a moment do the trio's three special guests -- Joe Lovano, Dianne Reeves, and Hammond organist César Camargo Mariano -- come across as mere celebrity walk-ons; their contributions are genuine and substantial. Highlights include Reeves' haunting chromaticism on the very slow "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise," Lubambo's fretless guitar work on the Egberto Gismonti-penned title track, and the closing romp on Chick Corea's "Humpty Dumpty." Lubambo's lively original, "48th Street Baião," provides the strongest example of his brilliant, rhythmically inventive single-note playing.