CD Review: Anne-Florence Schneider - Donaflor

Featured Artist: Anne Florence Schneider

CD Title: Donaflor

Year: 2010

Record Label: Independent

Style: Jazz Vocals

Musicians: Anne-Florence Schneider (vocals), Dudu Penz (bass, guitar, percussion, vocals), Chris Wiesendanger (piano), Floriano Inácio (piano), Claude Schneider (guitar), Ademir Candido (guitar), Eduardo Costa (drums), Mauro Martins (drums), Alejandro Panetta (percussion), Rodrigo Botter Maio (flutes), Thomas Silvestri (piano), Daniel Pezzotti (cellos), Jonathan Allen (violin)

Review: Anne is a singer from Switzerland but listening to songs like Em frente ao mar from her new CD Donaflor is hard to believe she is not brazilian. There is even a little bit of the great singers from Brasil on her phrasing and tone. Donaflor starts with the delicious samba, Sambou tá novo. Her scats harmonies with the bass are fabulous. Floriano Inácio and Claude Schneider play elegant solos on piano and guitar.

The cellos on the lovely French ballad, Voyelles & Noits D’amour gets you in a romantic mood. Jazz and samba music blends perfectly on Amor Platonico with some more great scats by Anne-Florence.

Boa Noite is an enchanting ballad that feels almost like a waltz. Inacio piano on this one is superb. Sabía is one of the most beautiful songs from the father of bossa, Tom Jobim. This excellent arrangement is a little bit faster, more like a slow samba.

A rainha dos mares has kind of a nostalgic feel on the music and Schneider vocals with nice arrangements of cellos and violins. Ann soft and sensual vocals on Pegaso has a classy bossa feel that takes you to the beaches of Rio.

Canto Triste is another brazilian classic, this time from the legend Vinicius de Moraes, beautifully interpreted by Anne. The album ends up with the jazz tune Frevo de quarto folhas and more nice scats and vocals by Anne-Florence.

Anne is another one of those multi-talented singers that not only sings in more than one language, in this case, Portuguese, French and English. She is also a good songwriter and wrote the beautiful lyrics on L’Inespere and the jazzy tune My Boulevard.



Tracks: Sambou tá novo, Voyelles & Nuits D’Amour, Amor Platónico, Boa Noite, Sabiá, A Rainha dos Mares, Em frente ao mar, L’Inespere, My Boulevard, Pegaso, Canto Triste, Frevo de quarto folhas

Artist's Website: http://www.myspace.com/donaflormusic

Reviewed by: Wilbert Sostre