Still in her early twenties, Hilo, Hawaii native
Brittni Paiva was already a renowned, multiple award-winning ukulele master in her native state -- with four well-received, independently released recordings -- when she sat in with jazz sax legend
Tom Scott's band in 2011. Impressed just as his fans were,
Scott came up with the notion to feature her melodic "uke" (which she tunes very much like an acoustic guitar) in a dynamic, contemporary jazz setting with a batch of famous friends. It's to
Paiva's credit as a composer and musician that her handful of original compositions -- featuring only her sensuous string sound -- actually have more intimacy and immediate emotional impact than the famous pop and jazz songs
Scott chose for her to cover with the help of his all-star pals (
Michael McDonald,
Ray Parker, Jr.,
Chuck Findley,
Arturo Sandoval). Two
Paiva tunes particularly stand out: the easy flowing and amiable "Friends" (which has a classic
Earl Klugh-style vibe) and the thoughtful ballad "Alive" (which displays her perfect blend of heart and precision). She also lends an exquisite, lilting quality to
Béla Fleck's crafty reggae tune "The Lochs of Dread" and tackles the soaring, whimsical heartbreak of "Pavane" perfectly. The superstar-assisted stuff is a blast too, of course, particularly the supercharged rocker "Comin' Home Baby" (featuring
Parker), the horn-drenched Latin sizzler "Mira" (horns by
Scott and
Sandoval) and
Eddie Harris' iconic and playful "Cold Duck Time" (featuring some of
Paiva's and
Scott's most energized soloing). While it's clear that
Paiva, like
Jake Shimabukuro before her, is capable of making the "uke" a viable jazz instrument on her own, having
Scott's blessing and hands-on passion is a way not only to expand her creative possibilities, but also to gain the attention of jazz fans beyond her usual audience. ~ Jonathan Widran