Samba Sem Vocé

The highly anticipated album Samba Sem Você from Brazilian bossa nova queen Rosa Passos.

For years, the Brazilian vocalist and guitarist has had a devoted global following, including fans who proclaim she is Brazil’s answer to Ella Fitzgerald or the female João Gilberto. So, expectations were high, when she performed two sets at Copenhagen Jazzhouse on July 7th, 2001. The tracks on Samba Sem Você come from the second set, while the songs of the first set were released as the album Dunas in 2021.

Rosa Passos is a prolific, distinct vocalist with a playful yet sophisticated style marked by perfect pitch, spacious elegance and natural flair. Her musicality is an inspiration to singers all over the world. She is intimate and powerful at the same time, and the tunes she plays, a mixture of her own compositions and bossa nova classics, support her means of expression in the best way possible. On this recording, she has gathered some of the finest musicians in the business of bossa nova, including pianist Fábio Torres, bassist Paulo Paulelli and drummer Celso de Almeida. The three gentlemen provide the pleasing musical backdrop for Passos to spread her wings and seduce the audience with her charming smile, infectious warmth and delicate voice. On stage, Passos had brought a small table with a bouquet of flowers – five red, two yellow, three blue and four orange. As it turned out, the flowers were to be shared with the audience during the course of the concert: red flowers for a love song, yellow for a song about duplicity and jealousy, blue when it was a song about unrequited love, and orange when it was time to party. And what a party it was!

Passos’ eminently skilled trio provided spirited and attentive backing as she sparkled and danced and sang. Passos began playing piano at age thirteen, but after listening to Dorival Caymmi and João Gilberto, she abandoned the instrument to become a singer. She recorded her debut album in 1978, and has since worked with the likes of Ron Carter and performed with master pianist Kenny Barron among many others. Her music speaks to everyone, you don’t need to know anything about bossa nova to appreciate her music as there is something universal about her vocals and approach that instantly makes the listener go along on the journey she sets out for. It’s always soul-soothing and beautiful, and if you press play and close your eyes you can almost feel the Brazilian soul and see the sandy beaches for your inner eye.