 BUY NOW AmazonUK AmazonUS |
ANTONIO ADOLFO
Hybrido : From Rio To Wayne Shorter
|
Antonio Adolfo Music AAM 0711
Deluge
Footprints
Beauty And The Beast
Prince Of Darkness
Black Nile
Speak No Evil
E.S.P.
Ana Maria
Afosamba
Antonio Adolfo - Piano, electric piano (track 1), arrangements
Lula Galvao - Electric guitar
Jorge Helder - Double bass
Rafael Barata - Drums, percussion
Andre Siquiera - Percussion
Jessé Sadoc - Trumpet (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9)
Serginho Trombone - Trombone (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9)
Marcello Martins - Soprano sax, tenor sax, flute (track 3)
Ze Renato - Vocals (track 2)
Claudio Spiewak - Acoustic guitar (track 3)
The Brazilian pianist, arranger and composer, Antonio Adolfo, now has numerous albums as a leader to his credit. This latest offering, recorded in his home town of Rio, sees him joined by six of the musicians from his previous disc, Tropical Infinito. Lula Galvao replaces Leo Amuedo on electric guitar and there are two guest artistes. This time around, Adolfo has produced a tribute to a contemporary jazz master, namely saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Eight of the compositions on the disc are by Shorter and date from a fertile eleven-year period (1964 - 1974). The remaining track is by Adolfo himself and proves worthy company for the rest of the music. A hybrid, of course, is a mixture of two different things and Hybrido is not just a salute to Shorter but presents him in dialogue with the Brazilian musical tradition.
As usual, Adolfo manages to sustain interest throughout. If I had to choose a couple of tracks for special mention, they would be Beauty And The Beast and Ana Maria. On the former, Marcelo Martins is ethereal and relaxed on flute, in the mode of Herbie Mann or Bud Shank. This Latin treatment swings along nicely with Adolfo himself economical and effective on piano while Claudio Spiewak guests memorably on acoustic guitar. On the wistful Ana Maria, with its strong melody, Martins, this time on soprano sax, suggests Shorter's influence. The electric guitar of Galvao can be heard to advantage as can the romantic flourishes of the leader. The opening track, Deluge, reveals the quality of the ensemble. As we might expect, the percussion is admirable. There is a fiery trumpet solo from Sadoc and a thrusting tenor performance from Martins. This is the only piece where Adolfo plays electric piano. Footprints is notable for a wordless vocal contribution from the singer/songwriter and guitarist, Zé Renato, but there are other elements to appreciate also. There is some gutsy trombone from the man who bears the entirely appropriate surname of (Serginho) Trombone. I liked the elegant Lula Galvao on electric guitar, too. Prince Of Darkness, written by Shorter for the Miles Davis album, The Sorcerer, back in 1967, is again a group achievement, as indeed is Black Nile. Speak No Evil is a reminder of how good Trombone can be. Plaudits once more to drums and percussion who help this track to build powerfully. Martens on soprano sax carries the theme of E.S.P. impeccably. Adolfo's composition Afosamba features a high register Jessé Sadoc on trumpet and first class drums and percussion support.
This, then, is another highly satisfying CD from Adolfo and his fellow musicians. It makes for fine, foot-tapping listening, bringing together these classics from Wayne Shorter's backlist with this gifted octet, rooted in the rich musical tradition of Brazil. It's a potent combination.
James Poore