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José Soares
André B. Silva: Mt. Meru
by Troy Dostert
Those unfamiliar with the esoterica of the Hindu or Buddhist religious traditions may not know much about Mount Meru, a mysterious metaphysical destination said to be at the center of the world, either geographically or spiritually (or both). There is a Mount Meru in Tanzania as well, but Portuguese guitarist André B. Silva clearly has the former concept in mind on this enigmatic, meditative septet release. Six winding, patiently-unfolding pieces create an inviting space for reflection and rumination, a valuable ...
read moreAndré Carvalho: Lost In Translation
by Jerome Wilson
Bassist Andre Carvalho conceived this album around the concept of “untranslatable words"—words for concepts that have no equivalent outside of their native language. He has used this idea to create a cycle of amorphous composition, realized here by a trio of bass, guitar and saxophone with the occasional addition of trumpet. The words come from languages such as Dutch, Urdu, Japanese and Sanskrit and can describe states of mind, grand philosophical concepts or something as mundane as a mark left ...
read morePedro Melo Alves: Lumina
by Mark Corroto
If the title was not already taken by author Dave Eggers, Portuguese drummer and composer Pedro Melo Alves might have titled this recording A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. During a brief reprieve from the global pandemic, in November 2020, Melo Alves presented the 22-piece Omniae Large Ensemble at the Centro Cultural Vila Flor in Guimarães, Portugal. He expanded his Omniae Ensemble with vocalists, electronics, tuba, clarinets, flutes, bassoon, cello, and classical guitar to present this commissioned work.
read morePedro Melo Alves: Lumina
by Karl Ackermann
On the burgeoning Portuguese jazz scene, drummer Pedro Melo Alves is becoming one of the more prolific artists. The multiple award-winning composer has accumulated international praise for four unique recordings in the space of a year. On Lumina he has extended his existing ensemble and assembled the Omniae Large Ensemble of twenty-two musicians for a project commissioned by the Guimarães Jazz Festival. Melo Alves' Clean Feed Records debut was a quartet outing (with vocalists), In Igma (2020), a ...
read moreAdrián Moncada: Inhabitable Imagination
by Hrayr Attarian
Madrid-born, Amsterdam-based pianist Adrián Moncada's thrilling Inhabitable Imagination is a tour-de-force of a debut. The music consists of seven Moncada originals which draw inspiration from architecture. Thus it is taut, angular and has a creative momentum which does not slack. Moncada leads a sextet of other expat musicians all of whom share his creative vision, making this release even more engaging. Opening with the “The Bearable Heaviness of Being," a wordplay on Czech writer Milan Kundera's famous novel, ...
read moreFederico Calcagno: Liquid Identities
by Alberto Bazzurro
Federico Calcagno, venticinquenne clarinettista milanese di stanza ad Amsterdam, dove questo notevole album è stato inciso nel maggio 2019, dopo e ancor più che nel precedente From Another Planet, ispirato a Eric Dolphy, si impone come una delle più interessanti, stimolanti individualità emerse nel panorama del jazz nostrano (pur considerata la sua attuale “pelle" olandese) da un po' di tempo in qua. In questo suo nuovo lavoro è alla testa di un quintetto per il resto iberico-ellenico che ne illustra ...
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