by Joslyn LayneAccomplished musician Cyro Baptista has played the complete range of percussion instruments from his native Brazil, as well as many other world instruments. Based out of New York, he showed up on a Paquito D'Rivera release, and on John Zorn's film works in the mid-'80s, and Baptista continued to appear on the occasional Zorn release throughout the '90s. Other artists Baptista worked with through both decades belie his versatility: Laurie Anderson and Herbie Mann. He has backed Brazilian artists Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, and Marisa Monte (on her 1991 N.Y.C. who's-who-studded Mais), and appears on several '90s releases from jazz singers Cassandra Wilson and Holly Cole. Baptista's excellent and varied resumé speaks of a strength of percussion that works in international, pop, and jazz musics. Zorn, bassist Greg Cohen, Marc Ribot, and Nana Vasconcelos perform on his first album as leader, Vila Loubos Vila Loucos. Released by Zorn's Avant label in 1997, the CD captures his wild interpretations of the music of Brazilian classical composer Heitor Villa Lobos.