Stacey Kent A Zeneakadémia saját szervezésű programja

A singer aiming to recite classical bossa nova is not in an easy position. The Getz/Gilberto album set the bar very high: the acerbic, dispassionately erotic female vocals are in strict contrast to the hot South American music, thus causing a quite unique jazz-like dissonance, which has become the core of the genre. Stacey Kent, who over recent years has increasingly oriented herself towards Brazilian music, earlier gained fame with recordings of standards. Although she is American, her career took off in London’s Soho district and she rapidly became a regular at the Ronnie Scott jazz club. She released her first album in 1997 and barely two years later she was nominated for a Grammy. Brazilian-themed albums began to appear from 2013, as a consequence of which famous Brazilian composer Marcos Valle invited her to Rio. This also shows that Kent’s trained, silky-smooth voice and pleasant personality could cope with the challenges of bossa nova. Her repertoire includes classics from the Great American Songbook, works by Antonio Carlos Jobim, French chansons and own compositions (as well as those written by her saxophonist husband).