Joyce & Tutty Moreno

Of Brazil’s few original bossa novas stars still carrying the genre’s eternal flame internationally, no one continues to represent their craft as consistently as Joyce. Her latest set — a collection of largely original tunes descriptively called Samba-Jazz & Outras Bossas — is a testament to the singer/guitarist’s incredibly well worked, impeccable vocal style and proficient songwriting skills. Assisted here by her husband/drummer Tutty Moreno, Joyce shows her voice is still in tip-top form, skipping her way through lyric-less tunes like the bubbly samba melodies of "Penalty” and the vibrant groove of "Feijão Com Arroz,” and demonstrating her classic jazz pedigree in the effortless slides of "Sabe Quem?” Moreno fills in the gaps with an endless combination of slick fills and precise rhythmic mutations, lending his distinct percussive style to each cut, while rich horns and warm piano touches secure the rest of the groove. Although you sometimes get the feeling that these two have tread these waters many, many times before, the end result should be no less satisfying for samba-jazz enthusiasts.