Four Kolkata-based musicians who are listeners and practitioners of Latin jazz came together in August last year to discuss a disti­n­ctively new genre th­at encapsulates the lyrical poetry in Brazilian jazz, besides the intrinsic rhythmic techniques. That's how Sabor do Brasil was born. The outfit will introduce Mu­m­baikars to their own arrangements of Brazilian jazz standards next week as part of their debut India tour.

Comprising musician couple Ahona Sen (vocals) and Pradyumna Singh Manot aka Paddy (keys), along with Aditya Servaia (bass) and Tamaghna Mukherjee (drums), it all started when Sen was introduced to Maria Rita's music. "Nothing has resonated [with me] as deeply on the first listen. The genre is lilting and romantic, and also has Afro-Cuban elements of being dance-y and upbeat. It makes you feel like you're on a boat, cruising down a river," she tells us. But what struck the vocalist trained in Rabindra Sangeet were the lyrics, the poetry of which seemed similar to the Bengali vocal study. "The lyrics are poignant and explore the themes of love and longing. It's not been treated in a pop-ish manner," says Sen, who is stepping into being a professional musician with this band. "I never thought of doing music professionally. But Brazilian music made sense for me creatively thanks to the melodies, rhythm, harmonies and poetry. I have been looking to connect to the music via poetry — which is similar to [my approach to] Rabindra Sangeet," she reveals.