Inspired by the poetry of Leonard Cohen, Brazilian-American vocal jazz veteran Luciana Souza will perform her album Book of Longing. The six-time Grammy-nominated jazz singer and composer, best known for songs from her native Brazil, explores the theme of saudade, or yearning. NPR music critic Michelle Mercer called Book of Longing Souza's best work yet, noting, "Longing is in Luciana Souza's blood. As the child of bossa nova songwriters, she grew up steeped in saudade..."
Souza credits her collaborators Scott Colley on bass and Chico Pinheiro on guitar. "The musicians also helped me by creating this very transparent placer where things can't be hidden. We are all exposed - sounds and words." In addition to poems by Cohen, they accompany the writings of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Emily Dickinson, and Souza herself.