Brazil '95

This heady, worldbeat-inspired trek transfixed an audience at the Regattabar in Cambridge last month. Brazilian-born composer/guitarist Sergio Brandão, the nine-piece ensemble's founder and leader, bills his music as "Brazilian jazz," and it's clear that his country's folk traditions have trained his ear. But his tunes offer more than ethnic appeal. Brandão seems to borrow from everywhere: his impeccable command of contemporary jazz idioms gives "Brotinha" and "New Day" smooth, urban melodies admirably performed by virtuoso saxman Andy Rathburn and flügelhorn soloist Takuya Nakamura. The flute harmonies show heavy classical influence, weaving distinct melodic voices into an almost Baroque-sounding mix. Brandão's training at New England Conservatory (where he earned master's degrees in jazz studies and classical composition) beams through his complex chord progressions and intricate arrangements; kaleidoscopic time-signature shifts from 2/4 to 3/8 make "Samba em 7," in particular, a vertiginous, rhythmic sprawl that's nearly impossible to dance to.

If Brandão's brainy compositions are a challenge to perform, Manga Rosa pulled it off with apparent ease. Flutists Fernando Brandão and Hiro Honshuku stole the show at times - especially on "New Day" and "Curupira," with lyrics that draw on the folk style baião, influenced both by the musical traditions of early-17th-century Dutch settlers and by Bahia's Afro-Brazilian roots. "Xote Pra Morena," based on the reggae-like northeastern xote, featured Honshuku on the wind controller, a synth-driven, clarinet-shaped instrument capable of emulating everything from timpani drums to forest noises. An elaborate guitar solo animated "Bikeride," a long piece evoking a ride along the Charles and arranged to the snare-drum-laced, march cadence of frevo, a Carnaval style from Recife in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.

One of the evening's highlights (also one of the group's few covers) was "Berimbau," a 1960s Brazilian standard by legendary guitarist Baden Powell and poet Vinícius de Morães. Powell, the first Brazilian jazz composer to elevate the guitar from its traditional, rhythmic role to a more active, melodic one, is understandably among Brandão's mentors. This arrangement paid homage to the maestro, but percussionist Eric Galm was its star performer. The tune is named for the berimbau, a one-stringed percussion instrument used primarily in the Brazilian martial-arts form capoeira. It resembles an oversized bow and arrow: a long strip of wood bent into an arch, a steel string tied at each end, and a cassava or coconut shell braced against the string at its base, to act as a resonator. Galm's innovative berimbau solo tested the instrument's wide range of sounds, producing melodies that should have been unthinkable on a single string.

Since the group's members don't perform together as often as they might, they appeared constrained, in spots, by their reliance on written scores. Gilson Schachnik turned in a spasmodic piano solo on "Curupira" - though he more than compensated, during the second set, with his stunning work on music from the 1958 film Black Orpheus. Brandão's explanations between songs were useful as our link to the little-known Brazilian styles at the heart of his music. But his delivery could be more streamlined: his sketchy, offhand comments seemed missed opportunities. A well thought-out, pithy sentence or two could have conveyed more information, with the dignity these rich tunes deserve. Manga Rosa appear on November 28, at One International Plaza, downtown Boston, from 5 to 9 p.m. for a benefit honoring the outgoing director of Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, Inc.