“Milton + esperanza”, Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding

Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento, a pillar of the Clube da Esquina collective that fused progressive jazz with samba/bossa nova in the 1970s, is more than twice the age of American composer and bassist Esperanza Spalding, but to hear them sing, laugh and chat on their collaborative album, it’s as if they’ve been friends since elementary school. That complicity comes through the speakers on this album, where the brilliant musicians combine their love of jazz, soul, Brazilian rhythms and pop with humor and audacity — you smile as you discover the transition, chaotic at first and old jazz later, imagined for the reinterpretation ofA Day in the Life of the Beatles, a major influence on the tropicália sound of half a century ago. We marvel at the new orchestrations of Box and ofOutubro from the octogenarian’s repertoire. We enjoy what they do withEarth Song by Michael Jackson. This album is like a movie, with supporting roles by Lianne La Havas, Elena Pinderhughes and Paul Simon.

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