Daniela Soledade and Nate Najar ‘Love & Bossa Nova’

Performing in a duo setting offers both exhilaration and vulnerability. There are no nets. Its no surprise that the face-to-face venture has been described as the Art of the Duo by artists who decide to pare down their bands to the essence of music delivered in an intimate form of expression. In the soothing bossa nova world, theres no better alchemic duo artistry than Love s when perfect-pitch, Brazil-born vocalist Daniela Soledade conjoins with superb nylon-stringed guitar master Nate Najar. What transpires is their eloquent, romantic project Love & Bossa Nova. The Love & Bossa Nova show has been selling out houses in such jazz-loving capitals as Paris and London, in clubs and concerts in North America, and homecoming dates that wow the Brazilian crowds. The songs, sung in English and Portuguese, sway and swing in tender beauty and simplicity as well as gently build into the upbeat with syncopated beats over a samba rhythm. It makes for a pleasantly cool and warm appeal. Love & Bossa Nova got its start in 2020 during the pandemic when Daniela and her partner Nate live-streamed a weekly duo concert of bossa nova and Brazilian music every Friday for over a year. Once the Covid curtain lifted, the pair decided to go back to their live performances with a repertoire of hundreds of songs to enchant their audiences. Its not only enlightening people about the depth and variety of Brazils music, but it also serves as Danielas celebration of her familys legacy. She soulfully sings deep into music from three generations of her familys rich and influential bossa nova aesthetic. I come from a family of musicians who participated in the pre-bossa nova movement, she says. My grandfather Paulo wrote songs that became hits in Brazil. My father Paulinho was fully active in the music, and he recorded hits as well. I love my family, and I continue the tradition in their honor. In concert, Daniela generously tells the stories behind the songs and the masters of song who composed them