I listened this morning to someone I really admire and don't mention often enough: Tania Maria.
I think she's a wonderful vocalist, pianist, and as unique and "distilled" a composer in some ways as Thelonious Monk.
First up was "Brasil, Volume 2"--early Tania with her trio, a trio that could be as tight, groove as hard, and be as inventive as many American jazz trios. What distinguishes them is perhaps they tended to brighter tempos. . . and were masterful with them.
Tania herself plays and arranges and reminds me of both Keith Jarrett and Ray Charles. And her singing evokes the rhythmic grace and feeling of Jobim and Regina, but also the silky pure tone of and the fleet, musical scatting of Fitzgerald.
Then I moved on to "Europe"--a later live recording where Tania has fully embraced and weaponized her quirky funkiness. And the engineering here throws huge instrumental images especially of the Stratocaster and Tania's keyboards--it's like being right in front of a stage.