Robby Ameen – Days in the Life (Two and Four Records – 2009)
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Robby Ameen is one of those first call percussionists who has been chaffing at the bit to produce something all his own. Now he has his chance, with Days in the Life and he acquits himself with excellence. Things might have very well gone awry, as so often happens when self producing the first record. This, however, does not happen with Ameen, as he is careful to avoid the obvious, at all costs. The percussionist is well known for his abillity to slip into almost any kind of rhythmic mode, whether deriving from samba, or with clave or swing. He does just that and then some… Ameen soaks it all and, as it percolates in his percussion brain, he channels it out through his arms and fingers into a mix of rhythms that comes alive with surprises at almost every turn.
It seems that the prime directive of the music is to dance madly as one on hot coals or a tightrope or a trampoline. There is never a dearth of surprise in anything that Ameen does–alone, or in conjunction with bandmates such as guitarist Wayne Krantz and bassist Lincoln Goines. Of course the brassmen–Conrad Herwig and Brian Lynch, both deeply in the pocket at all times, light blue flames to the melody trailing in behind it or racing in front with florentine swirls and madcap runs. Trombonist Herwig, in particular, solos in great swathes of sound that begin rather quietly and then build up into mountainous tones of great harmonic consequence. John Beasley–probably missing clave in his wrists–makes up for it all by playing beguiling lines on Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes.
Ameen is fiery on almost every song, but really pulls out the stops on his stunning composition, “Skateboard Intifada.” The title is brazen as his drumming, with furious rolls of the tom toms and heavily laid bombs on the bass drum at breakneck speed. The funky riff is followed simply but memorably by Goines, Krantz and especially Beasley. The composer also shows great tenderness in his ballad, “Una Muy Anita” and brings new fire to Joe Farrell’s “Sound Down.” “Stagger” is a fine example of a visually driven piece, where Ameen shows great skill in varying the beats to create a feeling of unsteady, but purposeful movement. His off-key figure with guitar and organ is also well knit into the melody. Krantz plays in gut-wrenching style. “RR” is a spectacular duet with conguero, Ritchie Flores.
Essentially, though this is a vehicle, which is crafted to display Ameen’s compositional skills. In this department, he brings off a near flawless performance. The percussionist also shows that he is unafraid to step outside the comfort zones of easy-to-execute rhythms. Nor does he shy away from brash and forthright manners of expression. His songs are based on sound melodies, which he writes cleverly for the bass as well as treble clefs, and this is a rare feat indeed for any percussionist to pull off.
Tracks: 1. Swiftboating; 2. Baakline; 3. Sound Down; 4. 2’s & 3’s; 5. Una Muy Anita; 6. Skateboard Intifada; 7. Ceora; 8. Stagger; 9. RR.
Personnel: Robby Ameen: drums, percussion; John Beasley: piano, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes; Lincoln Goines: acoustic and electric basses; Wayne Krantz: guitar (1, 2, 4, 6, And 8); Ritchie Flores: congas (3 – 5, 7, 9); Conrad Herwig: trombone (2, 3, 5, 7); Brian Lynch: trumpet (2, 3, 5, 7).
Robby Ameen on the web: www.robbyameen.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
John Beasley – Positootly! (Resonance Records 2009)
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John Beasley’s Positootly! is awash with Lydian modes. That and it is clear that Beasley has listened carefully to Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. However, he is also a singular pianist who is chirpy and breaks up his dazzling melodic runs with staccato perfunctory harmonic statements that then bend the music in another surprising direction. Thus he is never predictable and always makes a new surprise flow through the tips of his fingers that take the keyboard to task every once and awhile.
Not usually gentle–or gruff, for that matter– Beasley prefers the direct approach to turn of phrase and will not waste time with niceties. On this record, he is often heard to comp restlessly when bassist James Genus or drummer, Jeff “Tain” Watts find a groove and start to get a bit cute. Nevertheless, Beasley is generous too and offers plenty of room for his cohorts to express themselves in towering solo when the song demands it. Otherwise, his compositions are short and tight and leave only wiggle room for bursting out, literally. This makes the ones on this record more urgent and breathtaking–as in “Caddo Bayou” and “Positootly!”
Beasley is a clever and bold interpreter of the familiar. He is willing to take chances. This is how “Dindi” came to be played in 5/4 time, with barely a hint of Tom Jobim’s bossa nova rhythm. However, the song does sound entirely charming and refreshing. The romance of “Dindi” is more sensuous than platonic as Jobim and Sinatra both had her. The other “Latin” track is Astor Piazolla’s nueva tango, “Tanguedia III.” Tango, unlike many other musical dance forms is more graceful and formal and while Beasley pays tribute to the authentic, he creates a puckish air about the piece, speeding up and slowing down the music, while maintaining a certain raffish swagger that is utterly charming.
The finest work on the record is, of course the music that he lives and breathes, body and soul and that is the music of the South, with its gris-gris and gumbo flavor. “Caddo Bayou” and “Positootly!” are two of his finest pieces to date. “Shatita Boom Boom” (Club Desire)” is a flaming track as is “Black Thunder,” dedicated to the legendary drummer, Elvin Jones. “Elle” comes as a surprise, not because the rest of the music is full of rhythmic fire, but somehow the tenderness embodied by the ballad is not something that was expected from this pianist. Nevertheless, “Elle” is a fine piece, with a soulful soprano saxophone solo from Bennie Maupin.
Brian Lynch has his moment of glory is yet to happen. On “So Tired”, it still is Bennie Maupin, who swaggers through his tenor solo. “The Eight Winds” provides the space for Brian Lynch to stretch and that too on a fast blues that is played at breakneck speed. “Hope… Arkansas” is another warm-blooded piece that shows a tender side to the pianist and this appears to be the perfect note on which to end a fine record.
John Beasley has learnt well from the last glory days of Miles Davis’ funky groove. With a little help from friends, Maupin and the restrained Munyungo Jackson, Beasley has pulled a memorable follow-up to his earlier Resonance record, Letter to Herbie. Only this record need not be reverential to a mentor and so can be more versatile and free to express the heart and soul of this ever-growing pianist.
Tracks: 1. Caddo Bayou; 2. Positootly!; 3. Dindi; 4. Black Thunder; 5. Shatita Boom Boom (Club Desire); 6. Tanguedia III; 7. Elle; 8. So Tired; 9. The Eight Winds; 10. Hope… Arkansas.
Personnel: John Beasley: piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer; Bennie Maupin: tenor & soprano saxophones; Brian Lynch: trumpet; James Genus: acoustic & electric bass; Jeff “Tain” Watts: drums; Munyungo Jackson: percussion.
John Beasley on the web: www.beasleymusic.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Coto Pincheira – The Sonido Moderno Project (Self Produced 2009)
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Coto Pincheira, as he prefers being called, has made an enthusiastic impression with The Sonido Modern Project, literally, the Modern Sound Project. This virtuoso pianist, to whom clave comes naturally, has attempted to pour this rollicking backbeat into a cauldron set alight by the vast array of Afro-Caribbean metaphors and rhythms. The result is a molten mix that gathers momentum from Cuba and Chile into half a dozen other South American musical traditions. To these, Pincheira adds two fleet-fingered bassists: Gary Brown and Sam Bevan who bob and wobble around the Latin beats, creating a deeply modern and shape defying groove.
There is only one instance in the program when Carlos Santana is recast almost too obviously and that is on “Positive Influences” so that it appears by design that a pseudo mariachi start kicks the burning track into action. Guitarist Dave McNab has everything to do with this track, right out of The Swing of Delight. Otherwise, the music appears not to copy much of the grooves gone by. The project picks up strength right after the track, redeemed by wonderful work on batás by Silvestre Martinez. “Danzón For A Night,” for instance is a superb danzón, that mixes the tango and some upbeat son and cha-cha-chá as well. Pincheiro employs the talent of the legendary timbalero, Orestes Vilató here and this lifts the piece into the stratosphere.
“Tribute To A Generation” is a fine homage to the era of Irakere and actually recalls the historic contribution that the ensemble contributed to the language of Latin music with exquisite piano work from Pincheira. The artist even provides a generous, but sly reference to Hilario Durán in his bursts of piano con clave that dapple the song with virtuosic delight. “Original Steps” is yet another example of the influence of John Coltrane in the realm of Latin music. This one is actually a rather fine take on “Giant Steps” with inventive clave replacing Coltrane’s modal excursions.
Pincheira makes a memorable turn in “Modern Sound Project,” which puts a truly creative spin on a myriad of Latin rhythms from son and danzón to changüi. Here the pianist shows how cleverly he is able to construct traditional modes in a modern context and he uses his bassist just as well as he employs the percussionists and brass to turn on a dime. Once again, the band jumps up to the challenge. On “A Chilean in Havana,” Pincheira is able to twist nueva canción and cumbia into a knot of new rhythms that weave in and out of Hip-hop and charanga, guajira and guaracha -all traditional Cuban dance rhythms. The song provides an alluring cap to the staggeringly beautiful project.
Coto Pincheira has shown enormous promise with this musical excursion. He’s channeled the great Latin traditions into a modern context without compromising the integrity and enjoyment of old and new.
Tracks: 1. Suite 301; 2. Positive Influences; 3. Danzón For A Night; 4. Wendy’s Ballad; 5. Tribute To A Generation; 6. Original Steps; 7. Modern Sound Project; 8. A Chileno In Havana.
Personnel: Gary Brown: bass (1, 3 – 5, 7); Sam Bevan: bass (2, 6, 8); David Flores: drum set (3, 4, 7); Colin Douglas: drum set, batas (1, 2, 5, 6, 8); Dave McNab: guitar (2); Sheldon Brown: tenor and alto saxophones (1, 2, 5 – 8); Mike Olmos: trumpet (1, 5 – 8); Miguel Martinez: flute (3); Silvestre Martinez: congas, batas (1 – 3, 5 – 8); David Frazier: batas, percussion (1, 2, 5, 6); Orestes Vilato: timbal (3); Alfredo de la Fe: violin (3); Coto Pincheira: piano, keyboards.
Coto Pincheira on the web: www.cotopincheira.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Brian Lynch Afro Cuban Jazz Orch. – Bolero Nights (for Billie Holliday)
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For a fleeting moment -just one fleeting moment- it appears to be a bit of a stretch putting “bolero” and Billie Holiday together. There appears to be a tad too much “bolero” and not enough “Holiday” on Brian Lynch’s Bolero Nights (Venus Records – Japan 2009). Soon, however, the plaintive wail of Lynch’s trumpet and moan of his flugelhorn and the moody arrangements of “Afinque” start to tie “bolero” and Billie Holiday rather tightly together. Although the music is by no means ponderous and depressing to listen to, there is an elemental sadness to it. This is a masterstroke on the part of Lynch because Billie Holiday embodied something similar as she sang her heart out on so many classics. Mercifully, Lynch also avoids the obvious ones. However, he is masterful in mimicing the voice of the great chanteuse with long “blue” notes -especially in the first chorus of “La Sitiera,” when Lynch draws them out in his inimitable manner with dynamic expression. Only some of Ellington’s great trumpeters were known to have done this with untouchable effect, and trumpeters such as Larry Cramer and Reynaldo Melian.
Another masterstroke on the part of Lynch is the presence of Phill Woods. His malleable alto has become infinitely more distinctive with the passage of time. His narrative solo on Charles Mingus’ “Celia” is full of dramatic twists and turns. His is one of the most lifelike descriptions of Celia Zaentz as she swishes hips and high-heels it out of the bassist’s life into what is depicted as darkness, leaving Mingus alone to be swallowed up in the gathering gloom. Ron Blake is also superb and at his bellowing best. Lynch exchanges flugelhorn for trumpet in the climax of the song to heighten the sense of drama at the end of the song. In this arrangement, Lynch actually manages to give this old song new flair by recasting it as if Mingus might have done it in Tijuana Moods or on Cumbia and Jazz Fusion. Either way it is an exquisite reminder of the universality of Mingus’ music in the manner that Ellington’s was.
“Fire Waltz” is another superb arrangement of Mal Waldron’s classic. The heat is turned up by mighty trumpet work from Lynch and a wild and fiery alto solo by Ivan Renta on alto saxophone. Hoffman’s harmonics are completely and utterly alluring and unexpected. Both solos are elastic and breathtaking, especially with stretched out notes by both horn men. The use of guiro and surdo or tympani in percussion is especially noteworthy as it adds to the sombre nature of the song. “Delilah” is another song where the “blue” of the melody and the fact that Lynch uses his flugelhorn together with perfunctory blowing by Marshall Gilkes on trombone in the background makes a fine piece of work on this Victor Young chart. This track is also one where Boris Kozlov gives notice as to why he is a charter member of the Mingus Orchestra. His playing con arco for two choruses is majestic and soulful and fills the heart with a deep sense of wonder.
Woods and Lynch play off each other again; on “I’m A Fool To Want You”, they recall the relationship between Pres and Holliday, who often played off each other in a similar, dolorous manner. Again, the trombone of Gilkes is mournful and sublime as is the saxophone of Ivan Renta, yet again. As Lynch returns, again he is pitch-perfect and leads into a short, but pithy solo by the young Zaccai Curtis. Although Billie Holiday sung several of these charts in her day, “You’ve Changed” is the easiest to recall from her songbook. Lynch’s longish introductions add further drama to his arrangements of these fine charts and the one that introduces Phil Woods again is no exception. Again, Kozlov is outstanding here, with melodic pizzacato accompaniment to Woods’ second sortie, which he introduces with a series of short tripets in fine manner, before settling into a longish mellow tone.
There has been only one other record in the past five years that has sung in rich praise of the bolero as Brian Lynch’s Bolero Nights has done and that is Charlie Haden’s Nocturne and that record was showered with rewards. It is hoped that this record too will find favor in the festival of awards functions that are just around the corner. They will all be well deserved.
Tracks: 1. Afinque; 2. La Sitiera; 3. Celia; 4. Fire Waltz; 5. Delilah; 6. I’m A Fool To Want You; 7. You’ve Changed.
Personnel: Brian Lynch: trumpet and flugelhorn; Phil Woods: alto saxophone (3, 6, 7); Ivan Renta: alto saxophone; Alan Hoffman: tenor saxophone; Marshall Gilkes: trombone; Ron Blake: baritone saxophone; Zaccai Curtis: piano; Boris Kozlov: bass; Little Johnny Rivero: congas, bongos and percussion; Marvin Diz: timbales and drums.
Brian Lynch on the web: www.brianlynchjazz.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Kalil Wilson – Easy to Love (Self Produced 2009)
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It is somewhat disconcerting how few new male vocalists inhabiting the jazz idiom practice their craft with a degree of genius and virtuosity as saxophonists and other instrumentalists. It is a conundrum why not so many new artists play the first instrument–the human voice. Some posit that poeta nascitur non fit? Alternatively, is it true that vocal art is the one art that cannot really be taught, but only refined in those who “were born with it?” Are the days of great crooners over? There is, after all, only one Ray Charles, only one Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra; Al Hibbler, Milt Grayson, Johnny Hartman, Kurt Elling and Bobby McFerrin…
Until that is it appears that Kalil Wilson came along. Here is a singer, a profoundly smokey tenor who is so singular and naturally expressive that his voice appears biologically connected to “living breath.” His phrasing, dynamics and expression are sublime, effortless and otherworldly. Yet he is completely connected to the long and celebrated tradition of vocalists too many to name here. Wilson is heard here Easy to Love, a debut of bottomless depth and grandeur, but also self-effacing and completely lacking in the grandstanding that some vocalists might resort to today, in order to be heard and appreciated.
He does not so much sing as he floats and slides ans swims on the air that propels the lyrics that become characters in the songs. If it were not a scientific fact that the lungs were a repository of the air that blows through the vocal chords it would seem that these controlled gusts of wind came from his soul. Perhaps they actually do, for there is little else to suggest that the notes that ring loud and are heard sometimes barely above a whisper in the tones and shades that give shape and color to the characters he depens the songs as he plays them to the hilt.
On “You’ve Changed,” a swaggering blusey lament for instance, he is the elementally sad and rejected lover who cannot seem to get through his stonehearted partner. Wilson soars magnificently in his unbelief. He is a soulful listener at the feet of “Nature Boy.” Here too he sings on and sometimes behind the beat when he stretches and twists the odd note.
Other songs on the record shine anew with his deeply personal interpretation the polished delivery. On “Stardust,” “Easy Living” and “I’m in the Mood for Love”–especially on the latter–his voice enrobes the melody, carving out new harmonics. On “Then I’ll be Tired of You” as elsewhere, he navigates the scales of the song creating new peaks and valleys and the odd, surprising arpeggio. He can swing unabashedly as on “Easy Living” and “I Cried for You.” Rollicking swing is facilitated of course by pianist Berkeley Everett and the other fine musicians on this priceless record.
Tracks: Day by Day; I Concentrate on You; You’ve Changed; Nature Boy; I Cried for You; Easy Living; Stardust; I’m in the Mood for Love; Then I’ll be Tired of You; I Only Have Eyes for You; Do You Know Why? If I Could be With You; If it’s Magic; Song for You; Just for Grandma Jo.
Personnel: Kalil Wilson: vocals, background vocals, percussion; Berkley Everett: piano; Chris Bastian: bass; Max Griffith: drums; Ethan Emerson: guitars (2, 6); Ray Bergstrom: guitars (12); Josh Duron: percussion; Eli Sundelson: Hammond Organ; Peter Hargreaves: tenor saxophone; Kathy Hoye: background vocals.
kalil Wilson on the web: www.kalilwilson.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Henry Brun & The Latin Playerz – A Tribute to Duke Ellington
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A musical meeting of minds with Duke Ellington must certainly be the “Holy Grail” of many a composer and arranger no matter what language and idiom the musical tribute or acknowledgement will be played in. However, every musician who attempts that feat must invariably fall through the mythical trapdoor, like in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Duke is, after all, a composer and arranger whose instrument was his orchestra – as Billy Strayhorn so inspirationally pointed out. How, then does the composer (for only someone who thinks like – and is – one) translate Duke’s idiom into his or her own? This must have been a truly formidable challenge for Henry Brun, when he got down to record his Rhythms and Reeds… A Tribute to The Master Duke Ellington (Pulsar Records 2009).
Here is the challenge: Take some of the Duke’s most personal music – it is all personal really – and turn it all over to the Latin idiom and rhythm, which substitutes “swing” for “clave” whether obvious or implied. The second and more challenging task is to assign (instrumental) voices to play the melody and to harmonize and then to solo in the third voice so to speak. Should a flute solo or should a tenor? Should Johnny “Rabbit” Hodges slide in and swirl all over the tune and should a wailing Nance and his muted trumpet follow him… Conundrums like these occupied Duke and he cooked his music with the ingredients of his vastly talented instrumentalists in a myriad different ways. This is, after all, what made for the “Ellington Sound” and resulted in Strayhorn’s prophetic remark. Here, Brun is truly up for the challenge.
The other aspect of this music is that the Latin idiom is flamboyant (and may only be infinitely subtle when needed, but in a vastly different way). In addition, that too when strings are added for subtle changes in color. Brun employs none on this project, except the bass, which is played exclusively pizzacato. Bright Latin tones and colors are earthy and bold, whereas Duke could be fey and nuanced in a one-hundred-and-sixty-odd-shades-of-grey sort of way. Moreover, Duke’s hues were ever evolving shades of cyan and Bruns are in violet, magenta, yellow, and reds. Does that mean that Dukes music sounds necessarily brighter in Latin? Yes, because the piano and the clave hidden in Latin melodic deconstruction necessarily makes it so.
Brun paints subtle shades in the rhythm, playing his wide variety of percussion instruments with great sensitivity and finesse. He and pianist, Benjamin Irom make a glorious version of “In a Sentimental Mood” come to Ducal life with Pedro “Pete” Ojeda playing those dying end-notes to close Barnett’s and Irom’s phrases. Barnett’s solo is diaphanious and the ensemble captures perfectly the langorous “saudades” of the song.
Judi Deleón fits the vocal part of the orchestra well with her sinewy, bluesy approach to song. She brings a nervy vulnerability to “Lover Man,” not exactly a song from the Ellington songbook, but one that offers a refreshing perspective on Billie Holiday’s classic song nevertheless. “Gabe” Pintor on the moving version of “Solitude,” conjours another Ducal alum, Ben Webster, with his breath-and emotion-filled saxophone as he literally carries the song, while Brun is outstanding as he dances in a slow bolero just under the melody. “Gabe” Pintor is stellar again, as he carrys the melody of “Sophisticated Lady” from start to finish. A vastly slowed- down version of “Fleurette Africaine” stars pianist, Benjamin Irom and majestic harmonics from bassist, George Prado, as is Brun’s harmonically strong tumbadoras work.
It is infinitely possible, though not necessarily easy to find the pocket for Dukes more danceable songs, such as “Perdido,” “C-Jam Blues” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If You Ain’t Got That Swing).” Still it is a great challenge to keep the integrity of the melody, while creating a “clave equavalent” of the swing of delight in each of the songs. Brun seems to have cracked the Ducal code in all of the above.
“Caravan” is very possibly the finest rearrangement of a song in the Duke’s ouvre. It is possible to see hip-swinging dancers in the Caribbean sashaying with elegantly bred Bedouin as the proverbial “Caravan” moves to an inevitable conclusion. The playfully sinister bassline lays down a perfect groove for the piano con clave too.
So what happens when a Latin plays a tribute to “The Master Duke Ellington”? Strange and wonderful things happen. How about: Duke must be beaming enigmatically in heaven as he shadow-conducts this wonderful ensemble saying, “I told you so…” The music he lovingly called jazz is truly universal.
Tracks: Upper Manhattan Medical Group (U.M.M.G); Satin Doll (Muñeca); Flamingo; In a Sentimental Mood; Lover Man; Solitude; Perdido; Sophisticated Lady; C Jam Blues; In a Mellow Tone; It don’t Mean a Thing (If you Ain’t Got That Swing); Cotton Tail; Fleurette Africaine; Caravan (La Caravana Reprise).
Personnel: Henry Brun: tumbadoras, quinto, bongo, cowbell, timbales, cúa, maracas, guiro, shakers, clave; Travis Davis: piano, keyboards; Rafael “Ralph” Petitón: electric bass; Gabriel “Gabe” Pintor: alto and tenor saxophone; Judi Deleón: vocals; Justo Almario: alto and tenor saxophone & flute (1, 12); Vernon “Spot” Barnett: tenor saxophone (4); Dr. John Mills: tenor saxophone and flute (5, 8, 11); Phillippe Vieux: baritone saxophone (5, 11); Dr. Benjamin Irom: piano (4, 13); Pedro “Pete” Ojeda: electric bass (4); George Prado: double bass (13).
Henry Brun on the web: www.henrybrun.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Mario Adnet & Phillippe Baden Powell – AfroSambaJazz
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Truth is told: Had the great Billy Strayhorn been even mildly interested in courting recognition for his contribution to Duke Ellington’s music, he would have occupied a much more rarified place in the pantheon of composers and arrangers – and even pianists – in the modern history of music. His reticence, even diffidence, was all encompasing. Mario Adnet could very possibly be the same kind of personality. AfroSambaJazz (Adventure Music 2009) is just another example of this. Adnet has made a magnificent record musically honoring Tom Jobim, shepherded three spectacular projects in homage of the great Moacir Santos – not to mention a superb period piece, Samba Meets Boogie Woogie… Now he’s at the center of this highly polished revue of the music of legendary guitarist, Baden Powell. The fact that he is joined by Phillippe Baden Powell, son of the late master, who provides great insights into his father’s music and sensative arrangements on many tracks and spectacular piano, when called for, puts the proverbial cherry on the cake.
Baden Powell was a sublime artist, who took his instrument well beyond the possibilities of the guitar. He played with complete command of every idiom in classical music and Afro-Brasilian music – whether it was folk or popular music. He was associated with the legendary Moacir Santos as a student of advanced harmony. Santos also taught him Greek modes, but must surely above all else, opened his mind to further loving the music and poetry of the earth, and expressing himself without restraint, even if it meant colliding with multiple sources of cultural stimulii. There is a track on this record – “Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday)” that speaks to this aspect of Baden Powell’s music. It is a piece through which the soul of God flows, bringing with it the music of Heitor Villa Lobos, Redamés Gnattali, not to mention primal fervor and transcendent spirituality in the warmth and reverence of the song. Moreover, in less than 4 minutes of music Baden Powell is elevated to beatification as he praises the scantity of Palm Sunday.
Mario Adnet may now have much to do with this elevation to beatification. Nothing must be, nor is anything being taken away from the sublime nature of the original music composed by Baden Powell. However, Adnet has recreated the soundscape with memorable shape shifting. To begin at the beginning, Adnet is a musician of unbridled genius. As he composed and arranged for larger groups his palette came to be one from which he was able to extract a myriad shades of tonal color and timbral textures. His use of reeds and woodwinds and brass has the hallmark of a master–one with an ear so astute that he can – with but the insertion of a note on alto flute – alter the mood of a piece from bright to sombre. He arranges great leaps of a whole orchestra from a minor mode of a chord sequence to a major mode in another chord sequence and brings celebratory resolution to a lament. His work on Baden Powell’s “Lamento de Exú″ bears this testimony out.
Adnet writes, arranges and conducts from a proverbial majesterium. He knows when to employ Teco Cardoso’s baritone saxophone and how forcefully it should be played just for “Canto de Ossanha,” but then how softly and sad it should sound on “Lamento de Preto Velho.” His clarinets and bass clarinets; his saxophones and flutes and trumpets and flugelhorns are so perfectly scored that it appears he knows just the right amount of breath that Eduardo Neves may require to use for a particular phrase, or how Jesse Sadoc manipulates his embouchure, or when Cristiano Alves will employ a breaking glissando. He writes a cello part to be mournful on “Nhem Nhem Nhem,” authoritative on “Sermão” and jubiliant on “Domingo de Ramos.”
That is how Mario Adnet has transformed the music of Baden Powell. Now with the assistance of the maestro’s son, Phillippe Baden Powell as well. The younger Baden Powell embodies the spirit of his father and has that same dynamic touch for interpreting the tonal values of all sound when he sits down to play the piano. He has also learned well how to score for larger ensembles and his apprenticeship on this unforgettable record would no doubt complete his tutelage under the majesterial Adnet, who, it seems, was chosen as teacher to the young boy in much the same way that the elder Baden Powell was akin to Moacir Santos.
Santos’ ghost is all over this music here. Because not only Baden Powell and Santos were kindred spirits after all, but because Mario Adnet knew that, the umbilical connection had to be kept sacred. Employing the full riches of his ensemble – especially drummer Jurim Moreira, percussion colorist, Armando Marçal and bassist, Jorge Helder – Adnet has also revitalized Baden Powell’s penchant for synthesizing Afro-Brasilian forms such as candomble, umbanda and capoeira with the urban samba of Rio de Janeiro. “Canto de Yemanjá″ and “Yansan Suite” are sublime examples of this synthesis.
There may be many more tributes to the Brasilian icon, Baden Powell and some may already be in the can, so to speak. It will be a tall order for anyone following in the wake of this one by Mario Adnet and Phillippe Baden Powell to make one with as much reverence and love and affinity for the maestro who passed away almost nine years ago.
Tracks: 1. Canto de Xangô (Song for Xangô); 2. Ritmo Afro (Afro Rhythm); 3. Caxangá de Oxalá (Oxalá’s Game); 4. Nhem Nhem Nhem; 5. Lamento de Exú (Lament for Exú); 6. Canto de Ossanha (Song for Ossanha); 7. Lamento de Preto Velho (Lament for an Old Man); 8. Sermão (Sermon); 9. Canto de Yemanjá (Song for Yemanjá); 10. Pai (Father); 11. Alodé (Mermaid’s Lament); 12. Berimbau; 13. Yansan Suite; 14. Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday).
Personnel: Mario Adnet: guitar (1-3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13); Antonia Adnet: seven-string guitar (4); Marcel Powell: guitar (14); Marcos Nimrichter: piano (1-3, 67, 9, 10, 13), accordion (7, 9, 14); Phillippe Baden Powell: piano (4, 5, 8, 11, 12); Jorge Helder: bass; Jurim Moreira: drums (1-13); Armando Marçal: percussion (1-13); Ricardo Silveira: electric guitar (1, 2, 5, 11); Cristiano Alves: clarinet 3, 4, 7, 8, 14), bass clarinet (4, 5, 8, 14); Joana Adnet: clarinet (5); Henrique Band: alto saxophone (1, 5, 6, 10); Eduardo Neves: tenor saxophone (1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11-13), flute (3, 7, 14); Teco Cardoso: baritone saxophone (1, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13), alto flute (9); Andrea Ernest Dias: alto flute (2, 7, 14), flute (8); Jessé Sadoc: trumpet (1, 6, 10), flugelhorn (2); Aquiles Moraes: trumpet (5); Everson Moraes: trombone (1 -6, 8); Vittor Santos: trombone (2, 9, 13); Philip Doyle: French Horn (1, 6, 9, 10); Hugo Pilger: cello (3, 4, 8, 14); Mônica Salmaso: vocal (9), vocal for Litany (13); Carlos Negreiros (7); Maucha Adnet : vocal song (13); Joana Adnet, Mario Adnet, Antonia Adnet, Phillippe Baden Powell, Janaina Linhares: hand clapping (3).
Mario Adnet on the web: www.myspace.com/marioadnet
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Anna Estrada – Obsesión (Feral Flight Productions 2009)
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When Elis Regina died, most Brasilians thought that the vacuum created by her loss could not be filled. Then along came Rosa Passos… and Anna Estrada. The two vocalists do not jostle for position in the vacant slot that Regina left behind. However, both fill it individually with the extraordinary breath and scope of their talent. Passos stays within the Brasilian ethos more often than not. If this record, Obsesión, is anything to go by then the Bay Area singer Anna Estrada appears to be more adventurous–embracing the whole Latin American and Afro-Brasilian ethos. However, this is where all further comparisons should end.
Estrada is a unique voice with a dynamic range that stretches two and a half octaves. She is wonderfully expressive and more likely to inhabit the characters in her songs than any Brasilian artist does today. On Obsesion, she has chosen what may be argued to be a rather narrow spectrum of song–a look at “love” in several forms. Actually, it is the other way around. The record proffers a staggering array of moods, sensibilities and tableaus, and provokes such intense feelings that it is quite breathtaking an experience.
It is remarkable that Estrada has sung in English, Spanish and Portuguese. By itself, this may be no great achievement, but to be mindful of each idiocyncracy of every rhythmic form and idiom from such disparate musical cultures represents quite a feat. For instance, in Spanish she turns the old favorite, “La Mentira,” (The Lie) into a ravishing new standard. “Nature Boy,” sung in English, is imbued with a wondrous spirit that few–and only those with the soul of deep song–can bring forth from within the gut.
“Llorona” is one of the “blackest” and most shockingly brilliant recreations of the Medea myth. Only a singer who can cast the spell of “duende” from the darkest part of the soul could have pulled this song off. “Soledad” captures the wistful nature of solitude in much the same away as Al Hibbler once did with the Duke Ellington Orchestra on “Solitude.” The other English song on the record, Burt Bacharah and Hal David’s “Always Something There To Remind Me” harks back to some of the most beautiful son forms in Cuba.
The Brasilian fare is remarkable for the range of moods conveyed by the songs. Vinicius de Moraes’ “Carta Ao Tom 74″ probably stays truest to the manner in which the song was written, but immediately recalls the heyday of Brasilian vocalastics under Elis Regina. The chorinho, “Upa Neguinho” is refreshing and brings “the little black girl” to life yet again. “Adeus America” is an old 50s boogie-woogie written at the height of Brasil’s fascination with American song. Anna Estrada fills the room with her presence when she sways into this song and making it echo with distinct sense of saudade.
Two other memorable events on the record are Michelle Goerlitz’s percussion throughout and the magnificent harmonica of Damien Masterson, especially the notes that conjour such deep dispair in the lower register of that instrument, on “Llorona.”
Tracks: La Mentira; Nature Boy; Carta Ao Tom 74; Obsesión; Llorona; Upa Neguinho; Flor Sin Retoño; Always Something There To Remind Me; Soledad (Norah); Adeus America.
Personnel: Anna Estrada: vocals; Ray Scott: guitar (1-3, 6, 8-10); Alex Baum: bass (1-8, 10); Jonathan Alford: piano (1-7, 10); Phil Thompson: drums (1, 2, 4, 6. 8. 10); Michelle Goerlitz: percussion (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10); Raul Ramirez: dumbek, cajon (2, 5, 7); Damien Masterson: harmonica (3, 5); Charlie McCarthy: saxophone (1, 4); Tommy Kesecher: vibraphone (8); Chuck Bennett: trombone (1); Wayne Wallace: trombone (4).
Anna Estrada on the web: www.annaestrada.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Kristina – Offshore Echoes (Patois Records 2009)
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A female vocalist with a low vocal spectrum is not supposed to sound as joyful as Kristina does on Offshore Echoes. And she sounds joyful no matter what she sings. Many singers would sound solemn. However, Kristina, being the wonderful practitioner of the vocal arts that she is gives a fine account of herself. Not only is she a versatile vocalist in terms of how many languages she can actually sing with accurate diction, but to be able to communicate the soul of the song, no matter what that language… And this is truly special. The secret is probably the fact that Kristina is three: part Cherokee, part African and part German. Not that this specific cultural mixture matter, but that she has a soul dipped in the spirits of the ancients of African and Native American and German gives her fearless courage and a true sense of alegria.
Offshore Echoes is one of the most infectiously happy records of the year. The amazing driving capoeira samba rhythm of “Ilu Ayé” is a perfect case in point as it spins like a colorful top of ecstacy. “Take me to Aruanda” is no less ebullient and Kristina has a particularly sassy way of letting quarter tones slide by with majestic glissandi here. “Cherokee,” that incomparable song that has brought so much spirited joy through the ages–especially since the legendary Charlie Parker recast it–gets a further refurbishment. Kristina can claim to have sung this one with true soul, being Cherokee herself. In fact the vocalist may have turned this version into one of those songs that renters the vocabulary of modern music in much the same way as “Wichitai-to” did after Jane Bunnett recast the John Pepper classic.
Kristina goes native once again in the beautiful landó, the Afro-Peruvian, “No Valentin.” This is a significant vocal as it is equivalent to a delta blues in the US and Kristina renders her version with sublime authenticity. Her tribute to Sarah Vaughan, “Tenderly” may be the most definitive version since “Sassy” did hers. It is by this song that Kristina shows why she may possibly be the true successor to Vaughan herself. Kristina has that smokey hush that combines with her often-authoritative inflection and undulating phrasing that sets her apart and recalls the great “Sassy” herself. In “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” which Kristina sings in a swaggering reggae/calypso rhythm and shows just how uncannily close to Vaughan she can come in all her soulful splendour.
The music on the record is made all the more memorable by the magnificent artists who appear with Kristina. The instrumental ensemble is exquisite as is the choral backing–especially on “Ilu Ayé.” Then there is the outstanding percussion work of John Santos and Michaelle Goerlitz as well as the brass and woodwinds including Wayne Wallace and Mary Fettig, who shine bright.
Offshore Echoes is an experience that far outlives the echoes of the notes that hover in the air long after the last note is played and sung.
Tracks: 1. Tea in the Sahara; 2. Cherokee; 3. Love Everlasting; 4. Open Your Eyes You Can Fly; 5. Take Me to Aruanda; 6. Tenderly; 7. Ilu Ayé; 8. The Performer; 9. Valentin; 10. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).
Personnel: Murray Low: piano (2-5, 7, 8), electric piano (4); Frank Martin: piano (1, 6); Paul van Wageningen: trap drums (2-5, 7, 8); Deszon Claiborne: trap drums (1, 6, 10); David Bedlove: bass (2-5, 7, 8); Rich Girard: bass (1, 6, 10); Rick Vandiver: guitar (1, 6, 7, 10), palmas (9); Michaelle Goerlitz: percussion, palmas (9); John Santos: percussion (2-5, 7-9), palmas (9); Mary Fettig: horns (2, 4), flute (3); Danny Bittker: horns (2, 4), clarinet (3); Alex Murzyn: horns (2, 4), clarinet (3); Louis Fasman, John Worley, Dave Martell: horns (2, 4); Wayne Wallace: trombone (2, 4, 5); Garrett McClean, Stephanie Antoine, Erin Benim, Jory Fankuchen: violins (2, 6); Madeline Prager, Mimi Dye: violas (2, 6); Eric Gaenslen, Laura Boytz: cellos (2, 6); Kristina: vocals, background vocals (7), palmas (9); Sandy Cressman, Ed Johnson, David Chaidez: background vocals (7, 9); Wayne Wallace, Sheryl Lynn Thomas: background vocals (10); David Pinto: palmas (9).
Kristina on the web: www.kristinasgroove.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama
Ithamara Koorax & Juarez Moreira – Bim Bom (Motema Music 2009)
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João Gilberto did not just epitomize bossa nova, “The New Thing” that he virtually invented, but he also brought his new laconic vocalastic style to Brasilian music. So deeply passionate and idiosyncratic was his annunciation and intonation that he could wail and groan with equal lyricism. Pitch did not seem to matter as the mood and passion of the emotion often took precedence over all other musical considerations. This was always the highlight of a João Gilberto performance – whether live or on carefully produced studio recordings.
Now comes Bim Bom: The Complete João Gilberto Songbook, an affectionate tribute to the maestro from a younger Brasilian vocalist, Ithamara Koorax. The singer is a perfect foil for João Gilberto’s singing style, yet one who captures the floating lyricism of Gilberto’s music while herself soaring vocally like a thrush in the throes of a swirling thermal wind. She is accompanied by Juarez Moreira, a guitar stylist whose fingers fly exquisitely across the strings to replicate the sound of a broader string section. Moreira is also so skilled that he recreates the crisp accompaniment that João Gilberto often provided himself.
Ithamara Koorax has a voice that soars with celestial grace. It floats and sways as if nudged by a heavenly breeze. Koorax’s vocals can sometimes flip and flop and tumble like a bird in flight. She has complete control over her breath, letting it slip like a sharp flue through her lips. At other times, she may choose to reach deep beyond the bottom of her lungs and in to her guts, to draw great gusts of air, which she will then fill with lyrical swirls and stutters as she forms the words of the songs by brushing this hot breath onto them. Thus the lyrics melt in the heat of her lips that caress them, uttering phrases and memorable sentences that pierce like arrows into the heart.
Ithamara Koorax becomes each song that she sings in wonderous tribute to the maestro, João Gilberto. She is a puckish child playing with words on “Bim Bom.” Koorax becomes all brown up and sensuous as she strikes a pose on “Hô-Bá-Lá-Lá” and on the lustrous, “Minha Saudade.” On “Você Esteve Com Meu Bem?” Koorax recalls every great vocalist who ever covered this song, from Carmen Miranda to Mariza to Caetano Veloso. “Bebel” is a superbly crafted, affectionate waltz for Gilberto’s equally talented daughter, Bebel. Ithamara Koorax has made this a slow burning torch song, so graceful that it glows like molten metal running through her perfect throat. In addition, on and on she goes waxing and waning like a perfect lunar apparition.
The baiao rhythm of “Undiú” is hypnotic and Koorax herself delivers this in a trance-like mode. The Mexican-inflected, “João Marcello” and “Acapulco” are completely surreal in that they capture the blazing heat of the barrio but always are softened by the temperate strumming of a Brasilian guitar. It is impossible not to notice the superb guitar work by Moreira, which is understated at the best of times, always subordinate and supportive of the voice of Koorax. However, every once and awhile he too soars above the music. Naturally, therefore the project could not conclude without a showcase of his skills. “Um Abraço No Bonfá” is just that vehicle for the guitarist to sparkle as if he were a whole string section at times.
To see this record as a mere tribute to Gilberto would be to diminish, somewhat, the superb vocals of Ithamara Koorax and the dexeterity of Juarez Moreira on guitar. Still with abject modesty, they offer this wonderful music in praise of the legendary Brasilian who ought to have been better known decades ago.
Tracks: 1. Bim Bom; 2. Hô-Bá-Lá-Lá; 3. Forgotten Places (João Gilberto/João Donato – Portuguese lyrics by Lysias Enio); 4. Minha Saudade (João Donato/João Gilberto); 5. Você Esteve Com Meu Bem? (João Gilberto/Antônio Cardoso Martins); 6. Valsa (Bebel); 7. An Embrace to Bonfá (Um Abraço No Bonfá); 8. Glass Beads (João Gilberto/João Donato); 9. João Marcelo; 10. Undiú; 11. Acapulco; 12. Bonus track: Hô-Bá-Lá-Lá (English lyrics by Aloysio de Oliveira).
Personnel: Ithamara Koorax: voice; Juarez Moreira: electric and acoustic guitars.
Ithamara Koorax on the web: www.koorax.com
Review written by: Raul da Gama