A Little Latin Flavor Changes Tenor’s Tune

For more than 30 years, singer-songwriter-guitarist Kenny Rankin has built his career around such easy-on-the-ears tunes as “Peaceful,” “Haven’t We Met” and “When Sunny Gets Blue.”

Now, Rankin wants to add a little spice by instilling Latin elements in some of his selections. This might seem odd from a self-proclaimed purveyor of slow love songs, but it’s really not. The pale-voiced tenor grew up hearing music from such countries as Cuba and Puerto Rico.

“My roots are in Latin music,” he said.

Rankin gave an inkling of this predisposition with his last CD, “Here in My Heart,” a collection of Brazilian-tinged tunes recorded in Rio de Janeiro a few years ago. On Sunday at La Ve Lee in Studio City, he’ll go a step further, revealing a new set of songs that have a definite Latin rhythm.

“These tunes have a pulse, an energy,” he said.

The rhythms may be different, but the lyrics will be the stuff of previous Rankin tunes. “I just write about what I know,” he said.

The singer added that a few of his hits will be included at La Ve Lee: “I always touch upon the old.”

BE THERE

Kenny Rankin appears at 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. Sunday at La Ve Lee, 12514 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Information: (818) 980-8158.

Zan Stewart writes about jazz for the Valley Edition of The Times. He can be reached at Z[email protected].