I confess I am a novice regarding Latin influenced jazz. This
doesn’t mean I haven’t heard bands and musicians engaging this style – just
that my knowledge of the form is undoubtedly shallow compared to others more
engrossed by its sound. This isn’t a slight; there are only so many hours in a
given day. Having said that, I am impressed by what Washington D.C. based
Integriti Reeves has managed to do with this recording. The single “Eu Vim Da
Bahia” from her first recording Stairway to the Stars is
possibly the marquee attraction included on her debut EP and its genre and
culture crossing appeal is evident from the beginning. Great care, among other
factors, distinguishes this performance from weaker run of the mill or cookie
cutter efforts – the production captures every nuance of the instrumental and
vocal presentation.
The guitar and violin playing are musical high points in the recording.
“Eu Vim Da Bahia” includes some of the best and cleanest guitar playing I’ve
heard in recent memory – it sounds like it is cut live rather than overly
rehearsed and there isn’t a single detectable misstep through the song’s three
minutes. The violin work only takes up a small amount of space in the song,
particularly when compared to the guitar presence, but its effect on the song
cannot be denied. It is akin to including contributions from a second voice
that, nevertheless, never obscures Reeves’ effect on the performance.
PRIMARY URL: https://www.integritireevesmusic.com/
Her effect is pronounced. She does not enter the song with an
assertive or physical tone – instead, she almost slides into the arrangement
and brings her voice in lockstep with the instruments. She weaves and wraps her
singing around the soft percussion and guitar while knowing to cede ground to
the violin during its spotlighted turn in the arrangement.
Concision is an important part of the song’s appeal as well.
Like the Gilberto Gil original, Reeves never belabors listeners’ attention and
studious avoidance of any self-indulgence reinforces the song’s core strengths.
Integriti Reeves maintains an even vocal stance through the song, raising the
emotion when needed, and creating a performance her audience will enjoy while
it illuminates their mood and spirit. Keeping the focus narrow and on point
helps this happen from the first.
It all adds up to one of the best performances in this musical
vein I’ve heard in some time. Integriti Reeves’ “Eu Vim Da Bahia” is such a
good performance it can headline a full length release as ably as shorter forms
and doesn’t take any shortcuts or pander to any low common denominators. Shorn
of gimmicks or production tricks, we are treated instead to music as pure as
driven snow that lights us up and sticks in your consciousness. It is far from
the last thing we will hear from this vocalist; Reeves is possessed with the
spirit of song, obvious intelligence, and one gets the feeling she would never
stop singing even if she never recorded another note. Her passion is seductive
and real.
Troy Johnson
