Although based in Rio De Janerio, Latin vocalist Fernanda Cunha has been a regular performer in Canada since 2005. Appearances at jazz festivals in Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary have helped her to carve out a whole new fan base and now she is repaying the complement with her brand new CD ‘Brasil – Canada’. Recorded in Canada, the project uses musicians from both countries to engender a unique fusion of Canadian and Brazilian music and culture. The niece of Sueli Costa and daughter of singer Telma Costa, Fernanda’s song choices for ‘Brasil – Canada’ tap into the work of notable songwriters such as Joni Mitchell , Alex Kramer, Shelton Brooks, Bruce Cockburn, Sueli Costa, Noel Rosa, Marcio Hallack and Ricardo Rito. It’s a combination that reflects the musical affinities between Brazil and Canada and this link is further forged by Canadian bassist Mike Lent who provides one original composition to which Fernanda adds Portuguese lyrics.
In fact Smooth Jazz Therapy has been a huge fan of Fernanda Cunha since 2002 and the release of her debut CD ‘O Tempo E O Lugar’. The early promise that it showed was compounded in 2005 by ‘Dois Coracoes’ (‘Two Hearts’) which served as her tribute to the compositions of Sueli Costa and Johnny Alf. It was a moody late night collection for lovers that found Cunha weaving her vocal magic in the most stunning of ways and with her third recording ‘Zíngaro’ she followed the same enticing formula. With featured music from the songbooks of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Chico Buarque the album confirmed Fernanda as a worthy contemporary of Brazilian music notables Astrud Gilberto and, indeed, Jobim himself.
For more news on Fernanda Cunha go to www.fernandacunha.com.br
