Luciana Souza's wordless vocals have such a bell-like beauty that she's been sought out for just that — she's more like another horn than a singer on Maria Schneider's 2005 Grammy-winner Concert in the Garden. But Brazilian-born Souza's also a wonder with words, a brilliant interpreter and writer of songs both in English and her native Portuguese. Her sixth U.S. release, Duos II, in 2005, was a Grammy nominee. Her top five monomanias of the moment:
5. Politics: Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, torture, impeaching President Bush. That's on my mind a lot these days
4. Edibles: There is a soup called caldo verde. It's a Portuguese soup made with collard greens. I'm perfecting that these days. I try to make it better every time I make it. It's very cold in New York, so soup is foremost in my head.
3. Work: Thinking of a new project. I've been making records every year for the past six years. I don't have any plans to make a record this year, but next year. So I'm already thinking about it. No, I can't tell you more.
2. Moving: I'm moving to Los Angeles. So that's foremost in my mind because of No. 1.
1. Wedding: I'm getting married to a man who lives there. His name is Larry Klein; he is a music producer. (MT: Doesn't he do pop stuff?) Yeah. (MT: Don't change too much when you move to L.A.) Oh, no. I'm keeping my place in New York. But he's there, and I fell in love, and I want to pursue it.
Appears with her trio Thursday, March 16, Orchestra Hall, Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-576-5111. Vocalist Kurt Elling shares the bill.
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