Richly infused with joyful bustling exotica and sultry, seductive and balmy romance, Amber Light caps famed Peruvian vocalist Corina Bartra’s two decades as a recording artist – yet for those yet initiated to her unique vibe and dynamic phrasing, it’s a good place to start embracing her and the colorful way she represents the eclectic musical styles of her native Peru.
She’s credited as the first singer to blend jazz with Afro Peruvian and criolla music, the later being a varied genre of Peruvian music that exhibits influences of European, African and Andean music and includes the Peruvian waltz and polka.
Though she works here with numerous American and Brazilian musicians – most prominently, veteran Boston based saxophonist George Garzone - the emotional heart and soul of the project are the great Peruvian masters she vibes with on everything from the festive, playfully rolling and intensely percussive “Ebano Sky” and the sly, breezy and vocal harmony filled “Samba Que Le Da” (both magnificent originals) to a dreamy, intimate take on Jobim’s legendary “Wave” (one of the many showcases for Bartra’s wide range and supple voice), the stripped down, uber-romantic “Puente De Los Suspiros” and a unique, wildly offbeat version of “Send in the Clowns,” whose otherworldly vocal runs quick tempo shifts are a pretty intense thing to behold.