O Trio 3D Convida

When people think of Brazilian jazz in the '60s, the first thing that comes to mind is bossa nova — a caressing, subtle, laidback blend of cool jazz and samba. But not all of the Brazilian jazz from that decade is bossa nova. Some Brazilian improvisers were influenced by the more aggressive and extroverted sounds of hard bop. They respected Stan Getz' legendary work with João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, but they preferred a tougher, more hard-swinging style of Brazilian jazz. They identified with the forcefulness of Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Horace Silver, and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, rather than the subtle introspection of Chet Baker and Lee Konitz. In the '60s, Brazil's hard boppers included trombonist Raul DeSouza and 3-D, which consisted of pianist Antonio Adolfo, bassist Carlos Monjardin, and drummer Nelson Serra DeCastro. DeSouza isn't actually the leader on Convida; this is really a 3-D album, and DeSouza is among the guest soloists (who also include tenor saxman Pascoal Meirelles, and alto saxman Paolo Russo). But because the underexposed DeSouza hasn't recorded nearly as often as he should have, his admirers will want to hear Convida, which has never been released in the United States. Convida originally came out on LP in Brazil in 1965, and in 2002, RCA's Brazilian division finally reissued it on CD. Although DeSouza has some inspired guest spots, the main soloist is Adolfo — a lyrical yet exuberant pianist with a strong Red Garland influence. Adolfo also inspires comparisons to Wynton Kelly and Tommy Flanagan, and he favors a passionate hard bop/samba blend on Brazilian songs as well as a few American standards. Jazz enthusiasts who don't live in Brazil would do well to search for import copies of this excellent CD.