The popularity of Brazilian song in the United States blossomed during the 1960s as the sounds of bossa nova and samba entered the spheres of jazz and popular music. The classic repertoire of Jobim, Gilberto, etc. Have remained iconic and are routinely revisited in standard arrangements. Vocalist/composer Catina DeLuna and pianist/composer/arranger Otmaro Ruíz have chosen a different path, one highlighting obscure Brazilian gems and offering vastly revised versions of well-known classics in performance and on record. Their new recording, Lado B Brazilian Project 2, provides a perfect example of their achievements.

Originally from São Paulo, DeLuna moved to the States to get her Master's degree, eventually settling in Los Angeles. Her talent and expertise in Brazilian music gained DeLuna a following, including the legendary drummer, Peter Erskine. It was Erskine who introduced DeLuna to Ruíz, a brilliant Venezuelan pianist and composer who had long made Los Angeles his home and established himself in the jazz and world music scenes.

DeLuna knew Ruíz's work and had hoped to work with him and, when he heard DeLuna's work, Ruíz knew that her command and artistic integrity would allow for a musical collaboration that could go anywhere artistically. After they were introduced, the couple's mutual appreciation grew deeper, leading from a musical relationship to a personal one. Their partnership became a marriage in music and in life.

Having long worked with Brazilian artists, Ruíz had an instant connection to DeLuna's deep knowledge of Brazilian song, which came from her absorption of the music from family and friends as a youngster. The two began to perform the Brazilian canon regularly. But rather than stick to the tried-and-true classics of bossa nova and samba, they decided to dig deeper into the lado bB-side cuts from classic Brazilian albums, which may be just as musically beautiful as the celebrated A-sides but just not as well known.

The two approach their project with years of experience, their maturity shows in their choice of material and finding a balance between structure and orchestration. Ruíz's connections in the jazz scene allowed them to assemble a tremendous band to play their new arrangements, including guitarist Larry Koonse and bassist Edwin Livingston. Eventually, they recorded a Grammy nominated first edition, which was released in 2015.

It took a while for the couple to decide on new material and develop it. For volume two, DeLuna and Ruíz looked more deeply into Brazilian songs with meaningful lyrics and pieces that had resounding melodies that they could rely on in their re-imaginings, even if they were more well known this time around. Once a repertoire was established, Ruíz was able to write unique arrangements that not only changed the songs dramatically but also gave voice to all of their collaborators when recorded Lado B Brazilian Project 2, which included Koonse and Livingston along with Brazilian drumming legend Edu Ribeiro, percussionist Gregory Beyer, and Los Angeles woodwind great Bob Sheppard.

It is easy to become attached to tradition when performing Brazilian song. Catina DeLuna and Otmaro Ruíz try to avoid that by using their own voices to create a unique experience with the brilliant source material of Brazilian songwriters on their new recording, Lado B Brazilian Project 2.