Claudio Roditi

The terms bossa nova and Brazilian jazz have often been used interchangeably, but while the bossa nova is part of Brazilian jazz, not all Brazilian jazz is bossa nova. In fact, Brazilian jazz also includes everything from the fusion of Flora Purim, Airto Moreira and Azymuth to the hard bop of Claudio Roditi. Like Charlie Byrd and the late Stan Getz, Roditi is an expert when it comes to combining jazz with Brazilian rhythms, but unlike them, he isn't coming from a Cool School perspective -- Samba Manhattan Style is heavily influenced by the Blue Note school of big-toned, hard-swinging exuberance. Combining his Brazilian heritage with a healthy appreciation of Clifford Brown, Kenny Dorham and Lee Morgan, among others, the trumpeter/flugelhornist is lyrical yet hard-swinging on Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" as well as originals that include the lively "Gemini Man" and the thoughtful "The Distance Between You and Me" (which shouldn't be confused with Dwight Yoakam's gem). Not surprisingly, this excellent CD was recorded in the Englewood Cliffs, NJ studio of Rudy Van Gelder, where so many great jazz sessions for Blue Note and other labels have been recorded. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide