CD of the Day - "Raul de Souza: Soul & Creation"

CD of the Day
Raul de Souza: "Soul & Creation" (PAO) 2008
At long last! The delightful album that Brazil's top trombonist ever, Raul de Souza, recorded in Austria this past year has been finally released this week in Europe by Paul Zauner's PAO Records. It's Raul's best funkified album since his best-selling "Sweet Lucy" and "Don't Ask My Neighbors" sessions for Capitol in the late 70s. The new CD brings Raul on trombone (and flugelhorn! in the opening track, "Mr. Bone"), supported by legendary drummer Idris Muhammad (currently a member of Ahmad Jamal's trio), Brazilian guitarist Alegre Correa (of the Vienna Art Orchestra), Cameron Brown on bass, and sax player Harry Sokal (a longtime associate of the late genius Friedrich Gulda).
Among the albums highlists are originals by Raul, Alegre, Djavan and Joao Bosco, plus an excellent remake of Gilberto Gil's "Palco". Gershwin's "Love Is Here To Stay" (from the 1938 movie "The Goldwyn Follies") is the only straight-ahead jazz number.
Trombonist Christian Radovan guests on Raul's own "Funky Man", as does singer Maria Pentschev on Correa's lovely pop ballad "Love Is On Our Way", also heard in an instrumental version used as a bonus track.