Kay Lyra, accompanied by Mauricio Maestro, performed at the Red Lion on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village on March 29. The performance was part of the Ann Ruckert's Songwriters Circle, presented by the Songwriters Guild of America, the Johnny Mercer Fund Songwriter Circle and 13 Stories Records.
Brazilian/American bossa nova composer and singer Kay Lyra has captured audiences in her native Brazil and Japan, with her precise, pure voice and impeccable phrasing. Now she has brought her unique sound to audiences in New York City.
Music critic Nelson Motta has labeled her, “The daughter of bossa with a crystal voice,” in an inevitable reference to her musician/composer father, bossa nova veteran/founder Carlos Lyra.
Kay's current release is Kandagawa. The CD showcases one of her father's classic Maria Moita, and includes unique renderings of Girl from Ipanema, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and a traditional Japanese song, Kandagawa, all with arrangements that reflect her bossa nova roots. The other half of the CD emphasizes her own innovative material which ranges from original songs in Portuguese, as well as a bossa folk, a composition based on an Indian chant in Tupi-guaraní, and a song she wrote for the Dorothy Parker poem, Interior. Email Kay about how to get your own copy.