The inviting sensitivity of singer Eden Atwood and the sensuous rhythms of Brazil make for a stirring musical marriage on Atwood's first Groove Note release Waves: The Bossa Nova Sessions. Atwood, who's thrilled audiences from Chicago to Shanghai with her superb vocal instrument and unbridled sense of expression, gives the music of Jobim, Ellington, Lennon-McCartney and others fresh meaning with unmatched warmth, conviction and a flirtatious touch of playfulness.

On Waves, Atwood is accompanied by a group of like-minded musicians including pianist, arranger and Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition winner Bill Cunliffe (whose 2001 Groove Note recording Live At Bernie's received unanimous praise), guitarist, bandleader and award-winning arranger Anthony Wilson, first-call bassist Darek Oles and drummer Joe LaBarbara, whose touch and superb rhythmic facility graced the trio of the late Bill Evans among many others. Saxophonist-flutist Pete Christlieb, for years the leading reed player in Los Angeles' highly competitive studio scene, rounds out the gifted combo.

Atwood came to international attention with a string of acclaimed recordings for the Concord Jazz label and live performances across America and Asia. Daughter of noted composer-arranger Hub Atwood, whose works were performed by Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole, Stan Kenton and others, she began singing at the age of three. Her varied career includes modeling in Paris and television acting in New York but her first love, jazz singing, is what has taken her across the globe.

Waves finds Atwood exploring bossa nova standards including "Girl From Ipanema", "Brazil" and "Meditation" with unmistakable passion and verve. Thanks to Cunliffe's attractive arrangements, she puts Brazilian touches to such favorites as "Fool On the Hill" and "How Deep Is the Ocean." The purity and unique quality of her voice is complimented by the natural, audiophile-quality sound that Groove Note brings to all its recordings. In a world filled with come-lately singers of questionable quality, Eden Atwood stands apart with craft, confidence and conviction. Proof of her talent is abundant throughout Waves. Listen.