Ana Caram - Rio After Dark (Hybr)

Now considered a bossa nova classic, 1989's Rio After Dark was Sao Paulo singer/guitarist Caram's debut release for Chesky Records, a New York label renowned for it's high-resolution audiophile recordings. Caram was mentored by the legendary bossa nova pioneer Antônio Carlos Jobim, who joined his protege on two of the album's fifteen cuts, playing piano and singing background vocals on Caram's versions of his classic songs 'Meditation' and 'Anos Dourados (It Looks Like December).' Another star cameo came from the Grammy-winning Cuban-American reed player Paquito D'Rivera, who plays saxophone and clarinet on the tracks 'La Cumbia' and 'O Que Vier Eu Traço.' Accompanied by pianist/composer/producer David Chesky, flutist Steve Sacks, bassist David Finck, and percussionists Carlos Alberto de Oliveira and Café, Caram's sinuous vocals and syncopated fretwork showed she was an authentic new voice continuing the bossa nova tradition. The album is reissued on SACD Hybrid Stereo in 2025.