The Brasil Project.

• Author: Holston, Mark

Next to the late Stan Getz, this 70-year-old Belgian harmonica virtuoso may be the best foreign friend modern Brazilian music has ever known. His collaborations with such legendary figures as the late Elis Regina, Brazil's most important vocal stylist of the '60s and '70s, and accordionist Sivuca, a master at popularizing obscure folk styles, are examples of his commitment to the tradition.

The Brasil Project documents the unprecedented affection Brazil's best musicians and composers have for their European friend. Each of a dozen songs features one or more Brazilian guests, often the composer himself, such as Ivan Lins, for whom Thielemans scored a Grammy award for his rendering of Lins' haunting "Comecar de Novo." Also included are such one-of-a-kind artists as guitarists Luiz Bonfa and Oscar Castro-Neves; pianist Eliane Elias; and such famed composer/singers as Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Joao Bosco and Djavan.

The Brasil Project pulses with the special verve that's made contemporary Brazilian music a global favorite for three decades. The magic is still intact, as this compelling recording so refreshingly...