Peter MacDonough – The Woo (Self produced – 2010)
Review written by: Wilbert Sostre -
The whole concept of Peter MacDonough’s album The Woo: A Latin Jazz Suite for Soprano Saxophone, from the cover art to the name of the songs is based on the movie The Wizard of Oz. Reinterpretations of movie songs is not something new in jazz, John Coltrane did it with My Favorite Things, a song from The Sound of Music. But what MacDonough did here is a Latin Jazz version of a complete movie soundtrack. And just as Coltrane did on My Favorite Things, MacDonough also plays the soprano sax.
MacDonough’s creative and refreshing arrangements bring new life to the music of this classic movie. The sublime sounds of the soprano sax on “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” serves as an intro to the samba rhythms of “We’re off to see the Wizard”. The short tango “Miss Gulch” gives way to the dark, kind of melancholic jazz ballad, “Come out, come out wherever you are Part I”. In “Come out, come out wherever you are Part II”, the same music sounds happier with a smooth jazz arrangement. After the 6/8 African rhythms of “Lions and Tigers and Bears”, the band goes once again into the contagious rhythms of Samba in “Optimistic Voices”.
The samba-reggae “Merry old land of Oz” and the Cuban danzon version of “If I only had” takes the listener to the sounds of the Caribbean. Listening to the nice tumbao and Michael Spiro’s conga solo at the end of the track, is hard to believe these guys (except for Jovino Santos Neto) are not from Latin America.
After the excellent vocals of Australian Adrian Payne over a clave rhythm on “March of the Winkies“, finally the song most people recognize from the Wizard of Oz, “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. With so many recordings of this classic it is hard to come up with an original and fresh arrangement. The odd time signatures on this version do the trick.
The album ends up with the gorgeous piano of Jovino Santos Neto in the light samba “If I were the king of the forest”, the soothing soprano sax sound of “The Lullaby League”, the danceable “Ding Dong” and a more intimate reprise of “Somewhere over the Rainbow”.
Track Listing:
1. Follow the yellow brick road
2. We’re off to see the wizard
3. Miss Gulch
4. Come out come wherever you are Part I
5. Come out come wherever you are Part II
6. Lions and tigers and bears
7. Optimistic voices
8. Merry old land of Oz
9. If I only had
10. March of the Winkies
11. Somewhere over the rainbow
12. If I were the king of the forrest
13. The lullaby league
14. Ding dong
15. Somewher over the rainbow (reprise)
Personnel:
Peter MacDonough – soprano saxophone
Jovino Santos Neto – piano
Mark Levine – piano
Michael Spiro – percussion
David Belove – bass
Paul Van Wageningen – drums
Review written by: Wilbert Sostre
Related links:
Peter MacDonough on the web: www.petermacdonough.com
Phil Hawkins – Sugarcane Suite (P. Note Music – 2010)
The remarkable aspect of Phil Hawkins’ Sugarcane Suite is the fact that it connects seemingly disparate elements into a cohesive whole with cheerful alacrity. The resulting suite conjures a vivid expedition, a kind of rhythmic voyage that hugs the Caribbean coast, plunging several times into Brazilian waters. How Hawkins, a superb steel pans player, joins the dots in with his high-wire act is one of those mysteries that can only exist when a musician shares an unbridled and pure joy for musical expression. It is this quality of emotion and not the versatility on his chosen Caribbean instrument that drives the energy of this album. Hawkins is no Othello Molineux on the pans, but he is a brave practitioner brimming with ideas, a wonderful sense of the shuffling rhythms of Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian samba and maracatu. On this coastal voyage he is joined by an ensemble who shares his unfettered joy for music. And this becomes infectious as the program unfurls.
Hawkins weaves his rhythmic quilt with a warp that is Afro-Cuban and a weft that stretches from Brazil to New Orleans, Trinidad, bobbing on the waves of guaguanco, son, calypso and of course, a generous helping of the sensuous rhythms of Brasil—from the samba with a frevo thrown in and a maracatu hidden in the mix. He is determined to show how this magic carpet can be woven with mystery and the combined skills of technically excellent musicians. The Van Wageningen brothers bring their unique universality to the set, and this—combined with pianist Murray Low and percussionist Michael Spiro casts a seductive spell on the mind and the body and the soul. And just when it seemed that the mystique may be on the wane, Randy Brecker steps up with extraordinary, brassy timbral work on the guaguanco, “Encendido” and the son-inflected “A New Old Soul”.
Michael Spiro is a key player in an expedition that makes dramatic twists and turns into uncharted territory. His mastery of the complicated rhythms and merely having to remember what rhythmic landscape he inhabits is one of those wonders of the music of the West Coast, Hollywood scene. The other is the little known vocalists—from the inebriating vocalastics of Jessica Vautor and the irascible gutbucket joy of Crazy, who voices the calypso song, “Pan Wisdom” with large dollops of joy. However, it would be remiss not to put the success of this joyous album squarely on the shoulders of an emerging giant in terms of talent and courage: Phil Hawkins. This young percussionist is one of the emerging talents of the West Coast and he is someone who is unafraid to journey beyond the safe waters of popular music into the realms of Afro-Caribbean and the even more inebriating waters of Brazil. Here is an artist to watch for all the daringly beautiful things he is about to do.
Track Listing: 1. The Big Idea; 2. Encendido; 3. Sopatos do Meu Pai; 4. Seven Steps to Heaven; 5. Minha Parede; 6. Pan Wisdom; 7. A New Soul; 8. Euclid Ave.; 9. Suk-Kyo’s Samba; 10. Eight O’clock Blues; 11. Pan Wisdom (Carnival Mix).
Personnel: Phil Hawkins: steel pans, drums (6, 7, 9), percussion (1, 8), keyboards, synth bass(11) ; Murray Low: keyboards (1, 2, 7, 8, 9); David K. Mathews: keyboards (3, 4, 5, 10); Ray Obiedo: guitar (1, 2, 5-8, 11); Marc van Wageningen: bass; Paul van Wageningen: drums (1-5, 8, 10); Michael Spiro: percussion(1-10); Randy Brecker: trumpet (2, 7, 8), flugelhorn (2, 7); Scott Sorkin: acoustic guitar (9), electric guitar (5), Cavaquinho (6); Jessica Vautor: vocals (3, 5); Crazy: vocals (6, 11); Michelle Hawkins: vocals (3, 5, 9); Edgardo Cambon: vocals (2, 7); Orlando Torriente: vocals (2, 7); Karl Perazzo: timbales (2, 7), guiro (7); Gerry Grosz: vibes 10); Joe Cohen: alto saxophone (3); Katie Koeplin: vocals (9).
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Phil Hawkins on the web: www.pnotemusic.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
CD Title: Sugarcane Suite
Artist: Phil Hawkins
Record Label: P. Note Music
Year of Release: 2010
Promoted by: Kate Smith Promotions
Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet – To Hear From There
Trombonist, Wayne Wallace is very probably one of the most melodic players on his instrument. And although he might inhabit a somewhat narrow range—eschewing the very high register—he is also one of the most expressive trombone players today. His husky tone is one of a kind and gives his playing tremendous character. Moreover, he is one of the few players who comfortable in virtually every idiom and this is something unique as it enables him to extend his playing with subtle changes in rhythmic accents and phrasing. As someone who loves simply to dance around the melody of the songs he plays interminably he is able to create a seemingly endless stream of linear inventions around the melodic lines. He darts ahead and draws down as he plays behind the melody at other times and his variations are full of unparalleled surprise throughout.
On his celebrated album, To Hear From There (Patois Records – 2011 – Kate Smith Productions/Braithwaite & Katz Communications) Wallace leads his extraordinary quintet on a superlative musical journey through the lively waters of the Afro-Caribbean ocean often raising the harmonic bar several notches with the help of the incredible pianist, Murray Low, who appears to have the energy and invention that is every match for the trombonist. It is an almost mystical union of souls and almost every song bursts with the elasticity and unforgettable engagements that trombonist and pianist brings to bear on the music as they pursue each other from chorus to chorus. Low also has that elusive rhythmic sense, what is known in Afro-Caribbean music as “tumbao” with a left hand that electrifies the rhythms of “son” as he ebbs and flows through songs like “IBebo Ya Llego!” as well as in the thick fluidity of “Descarga En Blue”.
The character of the music on charts such as “Ogguere (Soul of the Earth)” and “Yemaya (The Seven Seas)” also suggests the absolute reverence with which Wallace approaches his music. In many respects that belies a deep connection with his African roots. There is also a ground swell of emotion in Wallace’s playing that caps the sensuous and dancing tone that seems to emerge from a deeply aching or joyous soul that simmers when playing JJ Johnson’s beautiful “Lament” and leaps ecstatically on songs like “La Escuela” and “Serafina Del Caribe”. His mood draws in the other players like a gilt-edged magnet and thus the percussionists, Paul van Wageningen and Michael Spiro shine as does the sinewy bass of David Bedlove. Vocalist, Kenny Washington lights up the eternal beauty of Juan Tizol’s “Perdido” and makes it quite his own as does that force of nature, vocalist Bobi Cespedes, who also ignites the lyrics of “The Peanut Vendor (El Manicero),” which has been done so often yet is made new on this album. Wayne Wallace has earned many accolades for this album and judging by the performance all are richly deserved.
Track Listing: La Escuela; Serafina Del Caribe; Perdido; Los Gatos; Descarga En Blue; Ogguere (Soul of the Earth); Lament; The Peanut Vendor (El Manicero); Yemaya (The Seven Seas); IBebo Ya Llego!; Philadelphia Mambo.
Personnel: Wayne Wallace: trombone, Wagner Tuba, vocals; Murray Low: piano, vocals; David Bedlove: bass, vocals; Paul van Wageningen: trap drums, vocals; Michael Spiro: percussion, vocals; Kenny Washington: lead vocal (3); Bobi Cespedes: lead vocal (8); Jeff Cressman: trombone (2); Natalie Cressman: trombone (2); Dave Martell: trombone (2).
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Wayne Wallace on the web: www.walacomusic.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Mike Marshall – An Adventure 1999—2009 (Adventure Music – 2010)
Few musicians deserve a retrospective more richly than the mandolin player, Mike Marshall. The ground-breaking, genre defying instrumentalist and composer has melded his prodigious skills with musicians as far removed as David Grisman and Darol Anger, Bela Fleck and Caterina Lichtenberg… to where his heart lies most comfortably and gracefully, with Brasilian musicians such as Hamilton de Holanda and Hermeto Pascoal. Marshall’s career has spanned much more than a decade. However, this album, An Adventure 1999—2009 features his work in various contexts for just the years that he helped form the Adventure Music label with Richard Zirinsky, and recorded with that truly artist-oriented label.
Marshall’s work during this time was truly distinct. There is work here with artists such as the virtuoso violinist Alex Hargreaves and also the wondrous violinist, Darol Anger that was recorded just over a year or two ago—albums such as Big Trio and Woodshop that produced tracks such as “House Camp,” “Back to the Castle” and “Peter Pan” as well as “Borealis” that contain some of the finest work that has bluegrass inflected. Further back, in 2007 there is collaboration with the Scandinavian group Väsen, together with Darol Anger that explores more exotic avenues such as the ululations of Middle Eastern sounding melodies such as “Egypt” and the Nordic mythical elements brought delightfully to life with “Loke’s Troubles.” The violinist, Anger, is more than a casual collaborator with Marshall and he is featured again in an earlier Adventure album with Marshall. This one is 2005’s Psychograss, a voluptuous album that yields “Into the Lion’s Den” and “Stroll of the Mud Bug,” both of which are moveable feasts for Marshall fans and feature rich harmonies with Anger as well as banjo player, Tony Trischka and guitarist, David Grier.
Then there are the memorable Brasilian albums. The earliest is the 1996/2005 album, Brazil Duets from which the two duets—with Andy Narell on piano this time—“Um a Zero,” Pixinguinha’s wonderful choro, and “Indifference” with the great banjoist, Bela Fleck are culled. In 2004 Marshall recorded an album of some of the best-known choros, Choro Famoso and this album produced two of the finest tracks on this retrospective, “Sarau Para Redamés” and “Um Abraço Seu Domingos.”
But the most memorable of all the work represented here is on the 2003 album with fellow Adventure Music alumni, Jovino Santos Neto, the extraordinary Brasilian-born and raised multi instrumentalist, who was formally musical director of the legendary Hermeto Pascoal’s group before lighting out on his own. The album, Serenata also yields two tracks, “Serenata” with Santos Neto on piano and “Quando Mais Longe, Mais Perto” which also features Pascoal himself on bass flute. The other unforgettable album is “New Words” (2006) with magical duets featuring the new sensation, Brasilian bandolim player, Hamilton de Holanda. The traditional track and an extended medley with Ernesto Nazareth’s “Blackberry Blossom/Apenhei-te Cavaquinho” is a fascinating reminder of the unbridled genius of both de Holanda and Marshall. The crowning moment must surely be the Irish jig-inflected, “Brejeiro,” which features de Holanda on an Irish bouzouki, a lute that he has mastered and on which he waxes eloquently.
Significantly, Marshall also excels on the air, “Angels We Have Heard on High,” from the 1997/2008 album, Midnight Clear, but this time he is heard on acoustic guitar, an instrument he rarely plays. However this is one instrument that might be grist for his grinding in the near future—perhaps a pensive solo album from the ingenious fingers of Mike Marshall.
Tracks: House Camp; Back to the Castle; Peter Pan; Borealis; Egypt; Loke’s Troubles; Blackberry Blossom/Apenhei-te Cavaquinho; Brejeiro; Into the Lion’s Den; Stroll of the Mud Bug; Sarau Para Redamés; Um Abraço Seu Domingos; Serenata; Quando Mais Longe, Mais Perto; Angels We Have Heard on High; Um a Zero; Indifference.
Personnel: Mike Marshall: mandolin (1 – 7, 9 – 12, 14, 16, 17), 10-string mandolin (1), mandocello (2); nylon string guitar (13), acoustic guitar (15); Paul Kowert: bass (1, 2); Alex Hargreaves: violin (1, 2); Darol Anger: violins (3 – 5, 9, 10), baritone violin (5, 6); Phil Asberg: piano (3); Todd Sickaloose: bass (3); Aaron Johnston: shaker, cymbals (3); Olov Johansson: nykelharpa (5, 6); Mikael Mann: 5-string viola (5, 6); Roger Tallroth: 12-string guitar (5, 6); Hamilton de Holanda: 10-string mandolin (7), Irish bouzouki (8); David Grier: guitar (9, 10); Todd Phillips: acoustic bass (9, 10); Tony Trischka: banjo (9, 10); Carlos Oliveira: nylon string guitar (11, 12); Andy Connell: clarinet, soprano saxophone (11, 12); Michael Spiro: percussion (11, 12, 14); Brian Rice: percussion (11, 12); Jovino Santos Neto: piano (13, 14); Hermeto Pascoal: bass flute (14); John Santos: percussion (14); Andy Narell: piano (16); Béla Fleck: banjo (17).
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Mike Marshall on the web: http://mikemarshall.net
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Omar Sosa & NDR Big Band – Ceremony (Otá Records – 2010)
Omar Sosa inhabits two worlds. One in which all humans live and the other is the spirit world. On Ceremony (Music arranged by Jaques Morelenbaum) a record that he made with the NDR Big Band, he has opened the door to both worlds. Moreover, with Jaques Morelenbaum’s masterful arrangements of his (Sosa’s) music these worlds are that much closer. Sosa has been crossing the threshold between this world and the spirit one for as long as he has been making music, probably longer. No matter. Omar Sosa’s music has always been at the heart of the séance, the medium that reaches through the threshold to the spirit world, beckoning the Orishas.
Of all the musicians performing in modern music—except perhaps the great Pharoah Sanders—Sosa appears to be the most powerful spiritual aura. His “red and black” is worn with grace, humility and the deepest sense of devotion, like John Coltrane, before him. Sosa was a herald for Elegba on Bembón (Otá, 2000), and many others including two of his strongest recordings, Sentir (Otá, 2002) and Tales from the Earth (Otá, 2009). In fact that last recording, with flutist, Mark Weinstein and guitarist, Jean Paul Bourelly appears to herald the performances on Ceremony to a certain extent. Although the music is scripted to a certain extent, for the benefit of the NDR Big Band, the unscripted solos are towering flights of fancy, especially on the part of the pianist, the percussionists, Morelenbaum, the brass, reeds and woodwinds. This is especially evident on “Monkurú” in the remarkable solo of alto saxophonist, Peter Bolte and in Sosa’s solo. There is also the amazing cello work by Morelenbaum on “Llegada Con Elegba” and Salida Con Elegba”.
However, unlike Sentir and Tales from the Earth, which are spiritual adventures, completely improvised, this new album, Ceremony appears to almost parallel a renaissance prayer book and elevate the practice of Santeria to a mostly scripted, almost papal affair. The score is majestic, almost heroic in parts like the music that characterized the Romantic era of two hundred years ago. This does not make it retrograde. On the other hand, Sosa’s music appears to inhabit a musical majesterium and it emerges from this lofty pulpit as if it were a fourth gospel, a score mapping the road to salvation through the resurrected Santeria worship.
In this respect the music transcends time, becoming instead a kind of ancient future that exists in its sonic moments that burst out of the proverbial door to the spirit world to which Sosa hold the key. Happily he will make more crossings bringing with him the peace of Elegba, or perhaps—if the inner ear is no longer in tune—the other nature of the Orishas, that which bring more strife, to this already grief-torn world. But if the message of Sosa’s music is anything to go by, it will be gentleness and peace.
Tracks: Llegada Con Elegba; Changó En Esmeraldas; Danzón De Tus Ojos; Yemaya En Agua Larga; Luz En El Cielo; Cha Con Marimba; Mi Tradición; Carambabá Monkurú Salida Con Elegba.
Personnel: Omar Sosa: piano, vibraphone, marimba, percussion; Jaques Morelenbaum: cello and all arrangements; Stephan Diez: guitar; Roland Cabezas: guitar; Lucas Lindbolm: bass; Childo Tomas: electric bass; Julio Barreto: drums; Marcio Doctor: percussion set; Marcos Hukán: batá drums, congas, cajón de rumba, guiro; Michael Spiro: batá drums, congas, chekere, timbal; NDR Big Band: Thorsten Benkenstein: trumpet; Ingolf Burkhardt: trumpet; Claus Stötter: trumpet; Reiner Winterschladen: trumpet; Stephan Meinberg: trumpets and flugelhorn (6, 7, 9); Torsten Maaß: trumpet and flugelhorn (6); Dan Gottschall: trombone; Klaus Heidenreich: trombone; Stefan Lottermann: trombone; Ingo Lahme: bass trombone, tuba; Günter Bollmann: trombone (2); Jon Welch: trombone (6, 7, 9); Fiete Felsch: soprano saxophone, flute, clarinet; Peter Bolte: alto saxophone, flute; Christof Lauer: soprano saxophone, clarinet; Lutz Büchner: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet; Frank Delle: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet.
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Omar Sosa on the web: www.omarsosa.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Mark Levine & The Latin Tinge – Off & On: The Music of Moacir Santos
If ever that a record could be likened to a comet streaking across the musical stratosphere and a long time coming at that, this one by Mark Levine, Off & On: The Music of Moacir Santos (Left Coast Clave Records 2009)would be just that. Moreover, in personifying this album, as are comets that streak past, this one would be Kohutek because it is a rare gem of a record. There are several reasons for this.
Primarily this is one of the few occasions in recent times that Moacir Santos, the rarer of two modern Brasilian masters’ music is being honored. Think Brasilian music in North America and the name of Antonio Carlos Jobim comes to mind first. Few if any artists and aficionados of the music will even recall the name of Santos. Not that he is obscure by any stretch of imagination. In fact, Moacir was a teacher and mentor to such luminaries as the guitarists, Baden Powell, Oscar Castro Neves, Joao Donato and Dori Caymmi.
Santos was born in Pernambuco, in arguably one of the culturally richest parts of (northeastern) Brasil. He began performing at three years of age and like few before him, completely inbibes the primeveal Afroethnic culture of the region. In a short period, his music acquired a singular sophistication about it, while retaining the visceral northeastern quality—in its rhythms and especially in its melodies.
Moacir Santos’ approach was melodic – in the top of the melody and its bottom—the bass lines he wrote for the lower melody. This lent an exquisite aire to his melodicism—one where the heavy surdo and pedal point was softened into unheard of melodic lines while still retaining the underbely of the bass structure. No one-not even Jobim, for all his lyricism had done this before. There is something more about Santos. The sounds he heard came from deep African canticles—also shared by Haiti and Cuba (via Haiti). Therefore, this record by Mark Levine becomes not just an offering of love and respect, but also an authentic document to Moacir Santos’ music.
The repertoire on this record is mixed. There are familiar tracks such as the superbly affectionate and primal maracatu “April Child.” Several other classic Santos creations include “Suk-Cha” and “Nana.” Others, such as “Early Morning Love” and “Kathy” may be lesser known. Everywhere the arrangements are invention and deep feelings. Santos’ angular approach to rhythm and his jazzy approach to instrumentation sends the music soaring high.
This is a highly courageous attempt at creativity by Mark Levine. To bring a musician’s work out into the open—and that too one from relative obscurity is commendable. Mary Fettig occupies Santos’ reeds chair and she does a star turn. She is superb on soprano and the fluttering beauty of the flute—especially contrasted with the contrapuntal, bellowing on the bass clarinet on “Suk-Cha” is memorable. Michael Spiro is ever so elegant—again. John Wiitala on bass and drummer Paul van Wageningen complete what is truly a magnificent group.
Tracks: Nana; Early Morning Love; Off and On; April Child (aka Maracatu); Suk-Cha; Kathy; Jeguie; Tomorrow is Mine; Haply Happy; What’s My Name (Aka Odudua *which is Toruba for “Oldest Living Ancestor”); Luonne (Aka Sou Eu); A Saudade Mata A Gente.
Personnel: Mark Levine: piano; Mary Fettig: flute, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet; Michael Spiro; percussion; Paul van Wageningen: drums; John Wiitala: bass.
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Mark Levine on the web: www.marklevine.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Grupo Falso Baiano – Viajando Choro e Jazz (Independent 2008)
Of the many non-Brasilian ensembles in the United States besotted with “choro,” the music of Brasil and, not simply drawn to it, but actually performing it, Grupo Falso Baiano may very possibly be the finest. The quartet of Jesse Appelman (mandolin), Zack Pitt-Smith (woodwinds), Brian Moran (guitars and cavaquinho) and Ami Molinelli (pandeiro and percussion) focus their attention on Brasilian “choro,” on Viajando: Choro e Jazz, a record that consists of 13 tracks sweeping across a hundred years of “choro.”
What is remarkable about this record is the consistently fabulous and contemporary treatment of “choro”. Some of the older “choro,” in fact, such as “De Coração a Coração” and on “Carioquinho” and other Waldir Azevedo compositions, as on Bonfiglio de Oliveira’s “Alzira,” as on Jacob do Bandolim’s “Biruta” and others, the classical music played with bare feet and calloused hands truly comes to life. Remarkably the music also sounds fresh as the “choro” written by more recent masters -Hermeto, Baden Powell and Hamilton de Hollanda.
There is a wonderful synergy between Appelman, Moran, Pitt-Smith and Molinelli. This is what drives the music in the truest tradition of Brasilian lament. Not only are the string players virtuoso instrumentalists just as Zack Pitt-Smith is with his horns, but they appear to dance around each other in a fabulous interplay that is worthy of the best “choro” bands put together by Hermeto and de Hollanda. Molinelli can slap the pandeiro as well as the finest percussionists. On Baden Powell’s “Canto de Ossanha” she holds her own with Michael Spiro, who also guests on conga.
Here, too, the classic rondo form of the “choro” gets its finest showcase. This is true of all the tracks on the record, but Baden Powell’s composition, just as Hermeto’s “Viajando Pelo Brasil” before that are the highlights of the art of “choro” of today. The AABBACCA form and changing keys are superbly highlighted, as is the form on “Arrasta-Pé,” Azevedo’s offering with which Grupo Baiano close the set. But while the documentary nature of the record gives it considerable weight, the joie de vivre of the musicians and their virtuosity of the highest order is what makes this a first class record. If this were the group’s debut, the sophomore offering would be even more eagerly awaited.
Track Listing:
De Ben com e Vida; Carioquinha; Beliscando; Irmãos Super Mario; Samba de Lua; Biruta; De Coração a Coração; Aquarela na Quixaba; Alzira; Viajando pelo Brasil; Conversa de Baiana; Canto de Ossanha; Arrasta-Pé.
Personnel:
Zack Pitt-Smith: woodwinds; Jesse Appelman: mandolin (except tracks 9 & 10); Brian Moran: steel and nylon string guitars, cavaquinho; Ami Molinelli: pandeiro, zabumba, percussion. With Guests: Jovino Santos Neto: accordion (10, 13), melodica: (4); Mike Marshall: mandolin (7); Eva Scow: mandolin (7, 9, 10); Jorge Alabe: percussion (8); Michael Spiro: congas, percussion, birdcalls (4, 8, 12); Brian Rice: tamborim (4).
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Grupo Falso Baiano on the web: www.grupofalsobaiano.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet – Infinity (Patois Records 2008)
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The attempt to make a thoughtful album and one that is supremely entertaining and musically superlative is perhaps one of the most daunting tasks that a musician can undertake. To find this in an album is rare and that is what makes Infinity by the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet so much of an event that just cannot be ignored. It is usually a challenge to even explain the context of the word and phenomenon of “infinity” even for mathematically inclined people. For an artist it is even more rare to find precisely what this could mean. The temptation is always to veer towards the abstract and that is not the best way to present a musical expedition – especially as musical notes have finite pitch, tones and terminal values.
But Wallace appears to have found the exact center of the word “infinity” in meaning context and expression. The fact that he plays a trombone and that too with such unbridled genius, of course, gives him a head start. And then to discover, with Pablo Neruda, that “…everything alive has two sides/a word is one wing of silence/fire has its cold half/I love you in order to begin to love you/to start infinity again…” This is almost magical intuition. Moreover to find the sound of the past that we have never got to hear, but to find in its echoes a place for the sound of this Latin Jazz Quintet as it traverses through time and sound landscapes…with what the Brazilian world (at least) would describe as “alegria”… This too is rare and unforgettable and ingenious.
Wayne Wallace has chosen to show the connectivity of the ancient with the modern in an unbroken rhythmic line from African elements in Latin music to the American invention of jazz. Many scholars have explored this with clever theses. Many musicians also have undertaken the journey with fine results. Wallace surpasses most of them. His music is both played and recorded with a view to effect the excitement of a live performance. So even though the music may be carefully selected to pay tribute to the major idiomatic types of old and new Latin musical forms, each of these songs appears to have been performed for a very real “live” audience that has been explicitly imagined.
It is impossible to listen to the title track or “Songo Colorado,” “As Cores da Menina,” and “Cha-Cha de Alegria” without an unconscious heave of the shoulders or getting up and impulsively and with great flourish to samba or salsa. Wallace’s trombone chops are masterly throughout. But not only that, Michael Spiro sounds like a percussion ensemble every time he sets out to lay down the rhythmic lines with his rapid fire timbales, quirky cuica and rounded guiro, and also with sensuous chekere and grand excursions on the batá and conga. His solos on “Infinity” and “Songo Colorado” in particular are absolutely unforgettable. Paul van Wageningen on regular traps provides exquisite harmonic coverage. David Belove can make his bass sensual too as he plucks and slaps his way to conjuring up a string section on his own. Roger Glenn on flute and on vibes is simply marvelous. Special mention is also due for all the vocalists, especially Orlando Torriente and Jackie Ryan, who is a perfect foil for the breathy sound of the trombone.
Oddly enough the high point of the record may be the perfect vehicle for the trombone – the wonderfully mournful version of “Memories of You,” correctly attributed to Eubie Blake and Andy Razaf in the credits. And even though Wallace mistakenly attributes to “Fats” Waller in his notes to the song, this is only a minor blimp in an otherwise perfect package.
Tracks: Infinity; Songo Colorado; As Cores da Menina; Love Walked In; Memories of You; TBA; Close Your eyes; Cha-Cha de Alegria; Straight Life/Mr. Clean.
Personnel: Wayne Wallace: tenor and alto trombones, Wagner Tuba, melodica, arrangements and vocals; David Belove: bass; Murray Low: piano and keyboard; Michael Spiro: congas, batá, guiro, requinto, timbales, shekere, cuica, and percussion arrangements; Paul van Wageningen: trap drums.
Special Guests: Roger Glenn: flute and vibraphone (8); Jackie Ryan: vocal (4 & 7); Orlando Torriente: lead vocal (2); Karen Aczon, David Chaidez, Alexa Weber Morales, Jody Noble, Sakai, Stallings and Sheryl Lynn Thomas: background vocals throughout.
Wayne Wallace on the web: www.walacomusic.com | www.myspace.com/patoisrecords
Review written by: Raul da Gama
