Although one does not think of Kansas City as being a hotbed of Latin jazz, the K.C.-based Musa Nova has the ability to compete favorably with most other groups in the idiom. Musa Nova (which means "new inspiration" in Portuguese) mixes elements of Brazilian jazz, Afro-Cuban music, straight-ahead jazz and touches of pop to form an appealing group sound. For their debut CD, the quintet (which is sometimes augmented by the reeds of Kim Park and trumpeter Stan Kessler) welcome warm singer
Angela Hagenbach to around half of their selections. With keyboardist Joe Cartwright and guitarist Danny Embrey contributing melodic solos and the repertoire ranging from "Night and Day," the fiery groove of "Papa Gato" and "Estate" to "Close Your Eyes" and a pair of Embrey originals, this is a well-rounded, enjoyable program that is recommended to fans of the style. ~ Scott Yanow