Lori Bell – The Music of Djavan (Resonance Records 2008)

Despite whatever misgivings the producers may have had with regard to this project, namely that that jazz project was centered on the music of Djavan, appears to be misguided. Perhaps Djavan, among the pantheon of Brasilian musicians is least “Jazzy” and more “pop” – a thesis that is somehow incomprehensible and even nonsensical. Perhaps that was why there were misgivings in the first place. But if voices are simply compared – Djavan’s and the voice of the flute – then it is possible to see the supple nature of both. Djavan sings in a high tenor, almost akin to an alto range. His voice appears to float on air. So lithe, in fact is Djavan’s voice that it often resembles the fluttering thermal that lifts the wings of a bird gliding gracefully. Now his music can dart and flit about like an exuberant swallow, and when the need arises it can glide sensuously from in one glissando from down low to way up high.

So how like Djavan’s voice is, in fact, Lori Bell’s flute. It ululates gracefully as it reaches for notes that Djavan has crafted in his music. Bell can swoop down like a bird to capture a dark pensive thought when pondering the elusive missing piece in “Faltando Um Pedaco” or dazzle languorously as the melody uncovers a mystery or two in “A Ilha”. On “Serrado” it is pure virtuosity and emotion. On Liberdade” there appears to me no room to breathe as the air of the song is charged with exuberance. Then there comes the fluttering of magic on “Luz”.

By far the most memorable pieces on the record are the majestic and lyrical “Nobreza” and the absolutely beautiful “Capim” which also includes a sensuous, languorous lyric by Anna Gazolla. “Capim” features Djavan’s trademark gymnastic flights as the lyric leaps octaves even between quarter notes. And both Bell and Gazolla respond with aplomb.
A word about the players on the session: Pianist, Tamir Hendelman appears to have the measure of Brasilian rhythms for even in the subtlest situations “Serrado” he can catch the back-beat and appears to anticipate the inner rhythms like a wizened Brasiliero. The pianist is magnificent on “Nobreza” both in his solo flights as well as in his interplay with Bell. Drummer, Enzo Todesco has also responded with amazing accuracy and he keeps the steady bossa rhythm going while bassist, David Enos undertakes some wonderful flights of fancy.

On “Obi” the quartet is flawless as they traverse the beguiling soundscape created by Djavan in the original piece. This is specially felt in the culmination of the piece where the composer perhaps instructs the players to interpret freely the harmonic swirl that brings the composition to a close. “Canto da Lyra,” is a swinging number that finds its basis in a roistering bossa nova rhythm.

By the end of the record, it is possible to become rather speechless at the pre-production misgivings of the creative team. Granted Djavan was glorified by Manhattan Transfer years ago, but this time round her gets a rousing send up at the hands of one of the finest virtuoso flutists of our time.

Tracks listing: Jogral; A Ilha (The Island); Alibi; Serrado; Liberdade (Liberty); Lux (Light); Nobreza (Nobility); Obi; Canto da Lyra (Song of the Lyre); Capim; Faltando Um Pedaço (Missing Piece).

Personnel: Lori Bell: C flute and alto flute; Tamir Hendelman: piano; David Enos: upright and electric bass; Enzo Todesco: drums; Anna Gazolla: percussion and vocal (10); Angelo Metz: guitar (11).

Lori Bell on the web: www.loribellflute.com

Review written by: Raul da Gama

Antonio Arnedo – Colombia – (Adventure Music 2005)

If Lucia Pulido is the doyen of the poetic vocal tradition of Colombian music, Antonio Arnedo is its instrumental ambassador. His cultural collision with the jazz tradition on this remarkable record, Colombia, throws a bright spotlight on his ability to bend, twirl and bubble his breath through saxophone and flute, mixing jazz with classical music and also with the vibrant Afro-Colombian folk music from the Caribbean coast of that country.

Arnedo is a first rate instrumentalist with an unbridled talent for expressing himself in an expansive way on instruments that require a sublime technique and an awesome degree of control. On saxophone and flute – which obviously require large volumes of air and breath control to play his long, loping lines and phrases – Arnedo negotiates complex musical notations with the delicate skill of a fencer. He is El Duende himself as he flits and twists through the melodies and harmonies magically and majestically. To reach this deepest level of the essence of “the song”, Arnedo must strip it of all frills and capture its purest tones and colors of its melodies and harmonies, and the rippling textures of its outer, more obvious rhythms and its inner, more secret ones that speak to the tablet of the heart. This he does, time and time again, by journeying through the universe of the music into the very core of its being – to unleash the spirit of its soul.

This is his viaje and it takes many twists and turns. Visually in “The Drawing” and in a flowing, narrative on ” Blanqueño River” and its confraternal twin, “Variation”. The music is somber on “Slow Pasillo” and dark and elementally mournful on “Sad Allegory”. Throughout, the record inspires a myriad ideas and notions of a cultural tradition that is beautiful and full of human richness. The record also features a group of musicians who have a symbiotic relationship with the music on this record. Ben Monder is exquisitely sympathetic on guitar, almost drone-like in an ascetic, Indian way on “Variation” and “Suspense”. And, of course percussionist, Satoshi Takeshi is deeply mystical as he conjures primeval rhythms that propel Arnedo onward, inward and outward with the fierce power of a vortex. This is jazz at its best, when it is music that surprises, and is in a state of constant evolution from phrase to glorious phrase and from story to epic story.

Tracks Listing: Alegre; The Goblin (El Duende); Drawing (Dibujo); Blanqueño River (Rio Blanqueño); Salu; The Journey (El Viaje); Sad Allegory (Triste Alegoria – {piano}); Slow Pasillo (Pasillo Lento); Variation (Variacion del rio Blanqueño); Cumbia Cienaguera; Suspense (Suspendido); The Journey (El Viaje); Drawing (Dibujo).

Personnel:
Antonio Arnedo: saxophone, gaita, Wooden flute and piano; Ben Monder: guitar; Jairo Moreno: double bass (except on “El Viaje” and La Cumbia Cienaguera”); Satoshi Takeishi: percussion and “chonta” xylophone; Chris Dalhgren: double bass on “El Viaje” and “La Cumbia Cienaguera”; Bruce Saunders: tiple on “Pasillo Lento”.

Review written by: Raul da Gama

Note from the Editor: Originally released independently in 2001, and then re-released in 2005 by Adventure Music, “Colombia” is a rare gem that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Mark Weinstein – Lua e Sol (Jazzheads Records 2008)

The amazing thing about Lua e Sol the new record by Mark Weinstein, is that might easily have passed like a ship in the night. It if did, it would appear to be a case of history repeating itself, for his historic recording, Cuban Roots (Catalogue Music, 1967) was similarly treated – almost as if it did not matter, when in fact it was one of the earliest and most important records of that and any time in Latin Jazz musical history. This should never happen to this record, Lua e Sol for several reasons. It is time that Weinstein takes his rightful place in musical history – somewhere near the top – as an instrumentalist, composer and innovator when it comes to letting the various idioms of music flow in the flue of his various woodwinds.

That Weinstein has both a masterful understanding of the flute, and control of its tonal palette is like a mathematical constant. That he is able to control his breath to such a superhuman extent and create such an exquisite sonic language on such a difficult instrument is all too magical. Then there is the concept or theme of this record – Lua e Sol – moon and sun, dark and light. And then there is the music itself, which when listened to reveals not only just how modern and contemporary it is, but also the allegorical side of the record. It is a musical, but also a human journey that examines the nooks and corners of darkness and light. It is inspirational to discover source of the sound and its purity… To hear how the music ascends to a superior plane… And that has only happened because Weinstein has subordinated himself to the source of creativity and its instrument – the breath of the musician and the fingers that manipulate the instrument that whirls and twirls notes, phrases and sounds.

This record uses a Brazilian medium and delves into that music milieu as well, to reveal its tonal colors in shades of black and white, dark and light, and the cool and heat of the interstellar symbols that have come to be the iconic sources of that light and dark. Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes’ “Canto de Ossanha,” and the Joao Donato/Gilberto Gil piece, “Emorio” – especially the latter – with its use of bass and alto flutes, beautifully describe the idiomatic approach to the record. The Pixinguinha songs too, though short, are remarkable as well. Weinstein’s own compositional contributions to the record, “Estrelinha,” and the title track, “Lua e Sol” appear to be headed to the realm of the classic as musical programs as well as vehicles for the flute.

And of course there is the interplay between the masterful musicians who make up the quartet. Romero Lubambo has always been on the cutting edge of the guitar. His is a sensitive and emotional approach to the instrument and he is the consummate accompanist and soloist whenever he is called to play that role. Nilson Matta is, together with Zeca Assumpçao and only a handful of others, the premier bassist to come out of the Southern part of the American continent. His work with the great Don Pullen on the Afro Brazilian Connection records is now legendary. Mata is exquisite in the bowed entry to the title track. And Cyro Baptista joins Nana Vasconcelos and Paulinho da Costa in a sublimely skilled percussion triumvirate. Baptista is not conjurer of such immense skill that comparisons to someone like Liszt on the piano would not be such a stretch.

Remarkably, this record is not just a profound musical statement, but also one of the most entertaining expressions in sound as well. It is also a master class in the playing of the flute. It is one for a time capsule of this day and age.

Tracks: Canto de Ossanha; Estrelinha; Floresta; Isaura; Choro da Gafiera; Lua e Sol; Emorio; Segura Ele; Pra Machuchar Meu Coraçao; Upa Negrinho.

Personnel: Mark Weinstein: concert, alto and bass flutes; Romero Lubambo: classical guitar; Nilson Matta: acoustic bass; Cyro Baptista: Brazilian percussion.

Mark Weinstein on the web: www.jazzfluteweinstein.com | www.myspace.com/markweinstein

Review written by: Raul da Gama

Marco Granados – Music from Venezuela (Soundbrush Records 2008)

This record comes ten years after Marco Granados’ earlier record of Venezuelan music; Amanecer arrived to much critical acclaim. During that time, Granados had traversed the wide soundscape of Latin American music also paying tribute to the great Argentinean tango and bandoneon master, Astor Piazzolla, with Tango Dreams and Luna, a superb program of romantic works for flute and guitar. Every record has been marked by unparalleled artistry, so much so that it is safe to say the Granados’ skill at this delicate woodwind instrument gives new meaning to the word virtuosity.

Music of Venezuela is unique in that it not only features superlative playing by Granados, but it also introduces the world to the work of some of the finest music by Venezuelan composers, who would mostly be obscured by a rather apathetic media, mostly interested in music that is hybrid and derivative and radio-friendly in a cookie-cutter sort of way. Add to that the absolute mastery of the lead instrument that Granados displays throughout and also exquisite accompaniment on the cuatro and bass and this record is at once remarkable on many levels.

It is impossible to characterize Marco Granados’ playing without speaking in superlatives. Granados has become a complete master of breath control, beyond what is often thought to be humanly possible. On tracks such as “Cañoneando” and “Regresando” for instance he holds notes for so long a period of time that it appears that they are trapped in time. On “Pa’ Oriente Compay” he makes a virtuoso turn on a pianissimo high C in the recapitulation of the piece and this is absolutely breathtaking. And there are other parts on the record where Granados performs instrumental feats of such excellence that comparison with the virtuosity of such musicians as Piazzolla and D’Rivera would not be such a stretch indeed.

The music on this record brings the work of such staggering composers as Alberto Valderrama – the beautiful joropo, “Pa’ Oriente Compay” and “Los Tiestos de Moca” and the electrifying, “El Avispero”. There is also jazz-inflected work by Aquiles Baez – the exquisite portrait, “La Abuelita,” and the puckish “Cañoneando” among others. “Confesion a las Estrellas” is by the brilliant cuatro, flute and clarinet player, Orlando Cardozo. “Julio Mendez, from the same region as Granados originally came from is represented by “La Encantadora”. The Chilean-born Julio Mendez is also represented here with “Mi Niña”. Agelvis Sanchez wrote “El Gavilan,” a classical style joropo and this is perhaps the most recognized song on the record. “Los Doce,” though not originally a Venezuelan song, from the pen of the Colombian, Alvaro Sandoval, is immensely popular among the folk artists of Granados’ home country. The calypso, “Bumbac” is from the pen of Ricardo Sandoval, and Rodner Padilla’s work is celebrated with “El Negrito ‘e Caja de Agua”. Perhaps the most fascinating track is the one written by the Brazilian, Jacob do Bandolim, “El Vuelo de la Mosca” and this track features an electrifying duet by guest artist, Francisco Flores, on trumpet and Granados on flute.

It would not be appropriate to conclude without praise for the musicians on this record. Not just those who are a part of Un Mundo Ensemble – notably bassist, Roberto Koch and cuatro player, Jorge Glem, but also the outstanding work by the Venezuelan jazz bassist, Gonzalo Teppa, who brings the beguiling “Regresando” to life with his solo turn and harmonic and rhythmic ingenuity throughout. However, “Music of Venezuela” remains a stellar record of the music of that country. And it is another reason why Marco Granados may easily be the finest flutist to have graced the Latin American music scene in modern times.

Tracks: 1. Pa’ Oriente Compay (To the Orient, Compadre); 2. Los Tiestos de Moca (Moca’s Pottery); 3. El Avispero (The Wasp’s Nest); 4. Confesion a las Estrellas (Confession to the Stars); 5. La Abuelita (The Grandmother); 6. Mi Niña (My Girl); 7. Cañoneando (Street Playing); 8. Regresando (Returning); 9. La Encantadora (The Enchantress); 10. Recordando a Tila (Remembering Tila); 11. Los 12 (The Twelve); 12. Tema y Variaciones de “El Gavilan” (Theme and Variations on “El Gavilan”); 13. Bumbac (Calypso Drum); 14. El Negrito ‘e Caja de Agua (The Little Black Boy From Caja de Agua); 15. El Vuelo de la Mosca (The Flight of the Fly).

Personnel – Un Mundo Ensemble: Marco Granados: flute; Jorge Glem: cuatro (all tracks except 4, 8, 13); Roberto Koch: bass (except 8); Leonardo Granados: maracas (2, 8, 9, 14); Manuel Rangel: maracas (1, 3, 5, 7, 10 – 12, 15).

Guests: Francisco Flores: trumpet (3, 15); Hector Molina: cuatro (4, 13); Gonzalo Teppa: bass (8); Henry Linarez: cuatro (8); Alexander Livinali: bumbec, bells (13).

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Marco Granados on the web: www.sunflute.com

Review written by: Raul da Gama