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Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz: Lado B Brazilian Project 2

By Katchie Cartwright
August 17, 2025
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Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz: Lado B Brazilian Project 2

In a time of disembodied digital-only releases, luxuriously well-crafted albums like

Catina DeLuna

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Catina DeLuna and

" data-original-title="" title="">Otmaro Ruiz's Lado B Brazilian Project 2, with physical disk, album notes, lyric translations and evocative graphics, can really be the balm.

The project was born in 2015 with the release of Lado B Brazilian Project (Self Produced), which received a Grammy nomination in 2016. The idea was to interpret what we might call Great Brazilian Songbook—classics by

Antonio Carlos Jobim

piano
1927 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Antonio Carlos Jobim,

Chico Buarque

guitar and vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Chico Buarque,

Dorival Caymmi

guitar and vocals
1914 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Dorival Caymmi,

Ivan Lins

piano and vocals
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Ivan Lins,

Ary Barroso

" data-original-title="" title="">Ary Barroso and their ilk—but focusing mainly on B-sides rather than greatest-hits and giving them an infusion of LA jazz.

Raised in São Paulo, DeLuna was gigging as a solo pianist at age 16 and went on to become a busy jingle pianist and singer. She received her undergraduate music degree at UNICAMP University, then moved on to Northern Illinois University for her master's, finally relocating to Los Angeles, where she has remained.

Ruíz grew up in Caracas, also studying music from an early age. In a household where both parents were medical doctors, he tried biology first, but gigs overwhelmed studies and he changed paths, moving to LA, earning a masters in jazz performance from CalArts and touring with headline artists in a range of genres, from rock and pop to jazz and Latin Jazz, including Brazilian mixtures with

Hubert Laws

woodwinds
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Hubert Laws,

Dianne Reeves

vocals
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Dianne Reeves,

Nana Caymmi

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Nana Caymmi and

Dori Caymmi

guitar
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Dori Caymmi.

Apropos of Nana and Dori, Lado B Brazilian Project 2 contains two playful pieces by their father

Dorival Caymmi

guitar and vocals
1914 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Dorival Caymmi, with "Vatapá," given as an elegant miniature for voice and piano, a chorinho of sorts to close the program. "Vatapá" is an ode to the essential Bahían dish of African origin, with lyrics that describe how to cook it. Like dancers, DeLuna and Ruiz are closely attuned to one another in a mercurial arrangement that flutters, swinging lightly and freely changing tempos, feels and harmonies. Ruiz' solo is a perfectly unfettered little piano fantasy.

The set presents two by Jobim as well, opening with Ruíz's verdant setting of "Passarim," his orchestrations resonating with Jobim's mid-'80s Banda Nova: lots of women's voices, piano, flute and the distinctively Brazilian sound of berimbau lightly popping out of the percussion section. He raises Jobim's tempo slightly and inserts jazzy soli sections with

Bob Sheppard

saxophone, tenor
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Sheppard's sensuous flute doubling DeLuna's pitch-perfect wordless vocals to create a particular flute-voice hybrid that washes alluringly into the second piece in the program, Ruiz's dreamy arrangement of Buarque's "Lua e Mar."

Bruno Mangueira

guitar, acoustic
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Bruno Mangueira's acoustic guitar comes in with an engaging solo and

Carol Robbins

harp

" data-original-title="" title="">Carol Robbins' harp dances in virtuosic flourishes, like a dolphin or the spirit of Hollywood swimmer Esther Williams—bringing a splash of Tinseltown glitter to the mix.

The "Lado B" idea includes not only B-sides but also works by composers deserving of wider recognition, including

Delia Fischer

piano
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Delia Fischer, whose 2024 project Beyond Bossa (Origin Records, 2024) was a collaboration with jazz journalist and lyricist Allen Morrison. Fischer's "Aluvi?o" (Floodwaters) is a standout track, with Ruíz shining as both arranger and soloist. The percussion-forward orchestration captivates with unexpected touches of marimba and flashes of flute, while DeLuna's solo voice, in conversation with a full mixed choir, floats over running piano figures supported by

Edwin Livingston

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Edwin Livingston's mobile bass and

Edu Ribeiro

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Edu Ribeiro's energizing drumming, which drive the flow throughout.

Ruíz and DeLuna's treatment of Lins and Vitor Martins' agonizing "Choro das Aguas" (Cry of the Waters) is another highlight, with Pedro Cadore's voice responding to and entwining with DeLuna's, Sheppard's saxophone crying above and merging with the flute, the piano running relentlessly beneath in increasingly polyphonic textures that are rich and emotional. And with a final coup de saudade, the album's penultimate tune,

Claudio Nucci

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Claudio Nucci and Luiz Fernando Gon?alves' haunting "Meu Silencio (Velho Companheiro)," expresses the profound sadness of losing an old friend.

From artful packaging to graceful arrangements and emotionally nuanced performances, there is much for fans of Brazilian jazz to savor in Lado B Brazilian Project 2.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Passarim; Mar E Lua; Na Volta Que O Mundo Dá; Requebre Que Eu Dou Um Doce; Choro Das ?guas; ?guas de Mar?o; ? Luxo Só; Aluvi?o; Meu Silêncio (Velho Companheiro); Vatapá.

Personnel

Otmaro Ruiz

keyboards

Catina DeLuna

vocals

Larry Koonse

guitar, electric

Edwin Livingston

bass

Derek Oles

bass

Edu Ribeiro

drums

Bruno Mangueira

guitar, acoustic

Bob Sheppard

saxophone, tenor

Gregory Beyer

percussion

Carol Robbins

harp

Additional Instrumentation

Bob Sheppard: flute, clarinet; Jimmy Branly: Udu clay pot; Fabio Cadore: voice; Melanie Jackson: voice; Adrianne Duncan: voice: Naomi Taniguchi: voice; Susan Marder: voice; Roberto Montero: voice; JP Rogers: voice; Mon David; voice. Trio Manacá (Catina DeLuna, Natália Spadini and Marcele Berger): voices; Felipe Fraga: voice; Angelo Metz: voice; Carlos Murguia: voice.

Album information

Title: Lado B Brazilian Project 2 | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records

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