The beauty of Brazilian Jazz

The beauty of Brazilian and Latin Jazz is that it combines the exotic polyrhythmic bossa, salsa and samba beats with sophisticated jazz harmonies and melodies, resulting in a fusion that is a delight to the ears. The band Bossa Loca celebrates this beautiful music with an ensemble comprised of Jenna Flor on acoustic guitar and vocals, Marty Howe on chromatic harmonica and flute, and a rhythm section comprised of the top latin style players on Vancouver Island.

Authentic Brazilian Sound

Bossa Nova tunes are a standard staple of jazz groups, but what makes Bossa Loca unique is that their instrumentation and style of playing is based on what many of the tunes from the Bossa Nova repertoire were originally performed on, making their sound very authentic. Jobim, Gilberto, Almedia, all had groups with the acoustic nylon string guitar as a basis. Jenna Flor is a virtuoso in this genre, and has evolved her own unique style of playing, blending cool Brazilian acoustic finger picking with the fire of Latin montunos. Augmenting this, is her beautifully natural, soft and airy singing, performed in several languages including Portuguese.

Unique Ensemble

The ensemble of acoustic guitar and vocals, plus chromatic harmonica and flute, also make this sound unique. Think of Astrud and Joan Gilberto meets Toots Thielemans and Herbie Mann, all in one package.

The warm timbres of the nylon string guitar provide a perfect complement for the subtle tonal richness of the flute and chromatic harmonica. While the flute has emerged as a serious jazz instrument, especially in latin jazz, the chromatic harmonica is a rare bird indeed. There are very few accomplished players in the world today, and Marty Howe’s playing will convince you that the chromatic harmonica is a beautifully expressive jazz instrument, especially in this Brazilian and Latin setting.

Bossa Loca's tune list is comprised of a jazzy blend of Bossa, Samba, and Latin rhythms, including some original compositions.

Members of the band also give workshops in the different styles of Brazilian and Latin Jazz.

Contact us for booking info!