Mark Weinstein – Jazz Brasil (Jazzheads – 2010)

Mark Weinstein has quietly established himself as one of the most wildly inventive flutists in modern memory. He is also one of the finest virtuoso players in the entire spectrum of 20th and 21st century music. His only rivals may well be the late Eric Dolphy, the Canadians, Jane Bunnett and Bill McBirnie, and of course the great James Galway. Weinstein is radically different from Dolphy, who imparted a speech-like quality to his flute inspiring the mighty John Coltrane in the bargain and radically expanding the vocabulary of that instrument. Weinstein, on the other hand prefers to stay within the confines of the almost classical language of the instrument, but like the others mentioned, makes soaring leaps and swoops from the stratosphere and into the oceanic depths of music, bringing a renewed elasticity to the alto and bass flutes as well as the concert flute. (Although his astounding album, Tales from the Earth, (Ota Records, 2009), with the pianist, Omar Sosa, however might suggest that he now resides closer to Dolphy in the extremely creative improvisations).

Weinstein has also been steady in his output in recent years, with four albums in as many years, but more than quantity, the consistency of his form has been quite impressive. Jazz Brasil, however, must surely rank as one of his finest albums to date. It is radically different from his album with Omar Sosa; more like the earlier Jazzheads album, Lua e Sol (2008), which also paid tribute to the Brasilian milieu. Jazz Brasil is not as thematically connected as the former Brasilian album. The latter has a greater sense of urgency and seeks to unite two great traditions by melding the jazz swing of delight with the shuffle of samba. His reading of the classic Ary Barroso song, “Brazil” is a case in point. Rather than play this chart like wave upon wave of thundering rhythm (as Maria Bethania once did, for instance), Weinstein drops the song into a trance-like Bossa Nova groove, with the master bassist, Nilson Matta chugging along with a steady shuffle and swing. Likewise, his interpretations of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Triste” and “If You Ever Came to Me” are magnificently linear re-imaginings of Brasilian standards, crafted, no doubt, with Matta in tow.

The bassist had a leading hand in this album. His joyous playing also raises the level of excitement exponentially. Matta is positively buoyant on his own compositions, employing great leaps, covering multiple octaves on the bass with unbridled technical virtuosity. His double stops on “Brazil” are breathtaking. Pianist Kenny Barron must surely be an inspired choice for the musical journey. The ingenuity of this decision is borne out on the two Thelonious Monk charts played here: “I Mean You” and “Ruby My Dear”. While Weinstein skips and pirouettes his way through the songs, Barron plays perfect foil, as he recreates the charts in singular fashion. Drummer Marcello Pelliteri not only completes the quartet, but leaves an indelible mark on this unforgettable album.

Track Listing: I Mean You; Triste; Nefertiti; Brazil; Ruby My Dear; Sambosco; Dawn’s Early Light; Memphis Underground; If You Never Come to Me; Isotope.

Personnel: Mark Weinstein: concert flute, alto flute, bass flute; Kenny Barron: piano; Nilson Matta: bass; Marcello Pelliteri: drums, percussion.

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Mark Weinstein on the web: http://jazzfluteweinstein.com/

Review written by: Raul da Gama

Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage – Copacabana (Zoho Music – 2010)

How it is possible that Nilson Matta is allowed to fly so under the proverbial radar, with recognition mainly from his peers is one of those mysteries that music suffers its artists to bear even with the growth of the industry and media. Matta’s bass has been complementing the music of luminaries from Joao Gilberto, Johnny Alf, Hermeto Pascoal and Chico Buarque de Hollanda to Joe Henderson and the legendary Don Pullen with grace and majesty. His career has spanned decades and throughout he has been a musician of immense technical skill and a composer with daring, creative ideas. Copacabana, an album that brings together tenor saxophonist Harry Allen and flutist, Anne Drummond with pianist Klaus Mueller, and Matta’s radiant rhythm section of drummer Mauricio Zottarelli and percussionist Zé Mauricio, is a tour de force of composition and musicianship of the highest order.

Although the title of the album may give the impression that this is a carioca singing sensuously of the myth and reality of Brazil it is much more than that. With five of the nine tracks on this album written by him, Matta guides the ear and the heart gently on a journey of fluttering classicism and the almost mystical dancing that characterizes any expedition through Brazilian countryside. Throughout he has imbued his musical impressions with the sizzle of sun and surf, the sway of dense foliage and the sashaying of feet that samba even as they simply walk through everyday life.

Matta has also shown that he is a master of the craft of composition. His “Aguas Brasileiras,” a superbly crafted piece that ascends rarified air in much the same way as the Cuban classic “Drume Negrita” does. His pizzicato solo shows just how eloquent he can be while putting his technical wizardry through its paces. His elegiac offering to the legendary Brazilian guitarist, Baden Powell, simply entitled, “Baden” has the cry of a soulful ballad even as it elevates the guitarist to sainthood. On “Pantanal” he plays con arco, unaccompanied, as he gently guides the music through the splendor of the Brazil of Amazonia.

It bears mention here that Matta is ever graceful as he interprets Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Trenzinho do Caipira,” a piece from that composer’s larger work, “Bachianas Brasileiras,” navigating its many twists and turns with a sublime air of sophistication. His version of that other Brazilian classic, Ary Barroso’s “Aquarela do Brasil,” unlike many versions of the piece, sparkles with glitter on the soft textures of Brazilian rhythm as it sways and dances. On Luis Gonzaga and Heitor Teixeira’s “Asa Branca/Baião Matta guides the ensemble—especially flutist Ann Drummond, who is outstanding here, and the percussionists as well—through the joyful, skipping twists of the eternal melody from one of Brazil’s most sophisticated folk musicians. Harry Allen also contributes a gem of a song, “I Can See Forever”. This is a chart that not only captures the grace and swagger of Brazil’s open vistas, but also shows the great sensitivity of Allen the composer. Predictably, the tenor saxophonist excels with the warmth and splendor of tone and manner on this track.

Nilson Matta has crafted a superb album from end to end. It is an album that ought to resonate, not just with lovers of Brazilian music, but quite simply every note of significant music. As far as celebrating the virtuosity and craftsmanship of one of music’s great bassists, this is another chapter in the ongoing testament of Nilson Matta.

Tracks: 1. Baden; 2. Trenzinho do Caipira; 3. Aguas Brasileiras; 4. Brazil (Aquarela Do Brasil); 5. Pantanal; 6. Copacabana; 7. Saci Pererê 8. I Can See Forever; 9. Asa Branca/Baião.

Personnel: Harry Allen: tenor saxophone; Anne Drummond: flute; Klaus Mueller: piano; Nilson Matta: bass, acoustic guitar (6); Mauricio Zottarelli: drums; Zé Mauricio: percussion.

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Nilson Matta on the web: www.nilsonmatta.com

Review written by: Raul da Gama

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