Best known for his unmistakably melodic phrasing and his high-class ballad renditions on the trumpet, muted trumpet, and fluegelhorn, Dusko Goykovich's eventful life is like a mirror of 50 years of jazz history. Born in Bosnia, he came to prominence in Germany in the fifites, was a member of Maynard Ferguson's and Woody Herman's orchestras in the sixties and later became a pioneer of the Balkan-jazz movement. With ease and brilliance he switches from bebop to ballads, from bossa to 5/4. On "Samba Do Mar", Dusko Goykovich shows a fresh and sparkling approach to Brazilian music. Ranging from one of Villa-Lobos' Baroque-influenced compositions and a pair of Antonio Carlos Jobim's legendary bossa nova tunes to some wonderful originals by Argentinian artist Sergio Mihanovich and trumpeter Dusko Goykovich himself, the program opens up new spaces for his and his band's ever-soulful imagination. This album displays a rare kind of Brazilness – natural and relaxed but at the same time sophisticated and original. Goykovich's counterpart on this album is Hungarian guitar virtuoso Ferenc Snétberger who possesses one of the very few truly distinctive voices in the field of improvised classical guitar playing. Educated in jazz as well as classical music, Snétberger has integrated authentic Brazilian and Spanish techniques into his personal style. On this album he delivers great sounds and solos that radiate Brazilian moods touched by a free genius. Bassist Martin Gjakonovski is among Europe's best jazz bassists and previously recorded with such as Bob Berg and Michael Brecker. His dark and heavy tone brings a solid, earthy groove to this music. The youngster in the band, American drummer Jarrod Cagwin, is known for his extended studies in exotic drum languages. This time he mostly plays hand drums thus adding a taste of Afro-Brazilian heat.