With his thick, engaging sound and elegant romanticism, it only made sense for
Ike Quebec to try his hand at the
bossa nova boom
Stan Getz kick-started in 1962, and that's what he did with
Soul Samba. However,
Quebec makes the session much more than mere bandwagon-jumping. He takes some chances with the repertoire and consciously adds a heavy
blues inflection that makes
Soul Samba one of the more unique interpretations of the
bossa nova style. It's also one of the more sensuous, thanks in part to the combination of
Quebec's natural tendencies and the soft, light style itself, but even more so with the extra bit of meat added via the
blues. The music is warm and danceable, yet with a late-evening hush that's more suggestive of winding down and getting cozy with someone.
Quebec's choices of material are never obvious -- the Brazilian selections do not include any
Jobim standards, for one thing, and both
Quebec and guitarist
Kenny Burrell (absolutely stellar in support) contribute original material that ranks among the album's best performances (particularly
Quebec's
"Blue Samba" and
Burrell's
"Loie"). What's more,
Quebec adapts some unlikely sources -- the
traditional standard "Liebestraum" and the
Dvorak theme
"Goin' Home" -- into surprisingly effective
samba pieces. The whole project is thoughtfully conceived and beautifully executed, treating
bossa nova as a new means of personal expression, not just a fad to be cashed in on. Sadly,
Soul Samba was
Quebec's final album, but at least his career ended on a high note. ~ Steve Huey
