Once upon a time, in a land far, far away called Orlando, I made the acquaintance of a certain Machado de Assis. He was the author of one of those books that hits you at just the right time, and his "Epitaph of a Small Winner" struck a chord with me that reverberates to this day. Years later, I find myself cuddling up with Gabriel Garcia Marquez and listening to Amon Tobin, my Brazilian fascination unsatisfied.

Sao Paulo Confessions continues the legacy. Suba's deft combination of bossa-flavored jazz, mellow electronica and nubian vocalists transcends the classification "world music," though it's currently in ascension on those charts. Always smooth and never bitter, Sao Paulo Confessions makes fusion look easy, disdaining attention-getting beats or production fireworks and favoring slowburn smoothness. Bringing together the sweet, detached voice of Cibelle and a number of talented contributing musicians, the album evokes a range of moods to describe the "humid, foggy and manic megalopolis" that is Sao Paulo, Brazil.

This manic quality is conveyed perfectly by tracks that slide easily from percussive, rhythmic dance and looped jazz to dark, techno-laced beat-and-sample vehicles. Sure, the record opens with a track that might be mistaken for Sade, but it's not long before you realize that Suba's intent was to draw you in, then begin discarding assumptions until naught is left but imagination. Jazz becomes electronic, or perhaps electronic becomes jazz-- the line is so blurred it's hard to tell. And what's the difference, anyway?

On this past Millennial New Year's, after the festivities had died down in Amsterdam, I found myself in my hotel room watching TV as the U.S. and Brazil clicked over. I saw film of white, linen-clad revelers running into the sea, smiles spread broad across their faces. Unfortunately, Suba was gone even then, the victim of a fire in November 1999. But, left behind is this remarkable, beautiful fusion of jazz and electronic music that seeks the fresh exhalations of morning.

-James P. Wisdom