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JAZZ
Blue
Soaring
by James Hale
Marco Pereira:
Brazilian drama
The stakes were high,
given the audacious name
chosen by Switzerland’s
Kind Of Blue Records
when it launched in 2006,
but the label has established
itself for the quality
of its studio recordings
and the range of artists it
presents.
That devotion to superior
sound is evident on
Essence (Kind Of Blue
10018; 53:23) AAAA a
sparkling-sounding 2006
outing by Brazilian guitarist
Marco Pereira. Accompanied by accompaniment by Nussbaum. Again and
bassist Natallino Neto and deft percussion- again, the quartet finds ways to go deeper
ist Marcio Bahia for eight of the 10 perfor- into these familiar tunes. Which is not to
mances, Pereira adds Paul McCandless for say that everything works; some may find
four tracks—featuring a different horn for Liebman’s wooden flute on “Besame
each. Of these, the highlight is Zé do Mucho” annoyingly nasal and thin, for
Norte’s “Mulher Rendeira,” which example. But this is the type of project
McCandless enlivens with a soaring oboe where musicians make personal statements
part, while on Nelson Cavaquinho’s bossa without commercial considerations, and
“Luz Negra” the reed player adds the rough there’s no faulting that.
texture of his bass clarinet to Pereira’s sleek One of the challenges of interpreting the
lines. Pereira’s arrangements are filled with music of John Coltrane is replicating the
drama and movement, most evident on a thrust and lift that Trane’s horn added to the
flowing suite of three Baden Powell songs estimable power of his quartet’s rhythm
that concludes with a hard-driving take on section. Without a stentorian wind instru-
“Deixa.” The guitarist and Bahia also lock ment, the challenge grows, but the quintet
into uplifting dialogue on “Xódo da that Bobby Hutcherson leads on Wise One
Baiana,” which contrasts well against a (Kind Of Blue 10034; 53:58) AAAA man-
multi-tracked solo interpretation of Jobim’s ages to get over with shimmering sustained
“Eu Te Amo.”
notes and tart guitar from Anthony Wilson.
You could call Something Sentimental The balance between Hutcherson, Wilson
(Kind Of Blue 10032; 58:52) AAA a concept and pianist Joe Gilman is particularly
recording, but it’s a concept that comes good—carrying over from the seven com-
from the heart. It was inspired by a memoripositions by or associated with Coltrane to
al concert that Adam Nussbaum, Dave two mellower standards. There’s balance,
Liebman, John Abercrombie and Jay too, between drummer Eddie Marshall’s
Anderson played in 2007 to celebrate the pair of mallets and Hutcherson’s four—
life of Nussbaum’s mother, who had died thunder on the one hand and silvery rain on
that spring. The concept was to play songs the other—on the opening title piece and a
that Muriel Nussbaum enjoyed during her taut, dramatic version of “Spiritual,” the
83 years. They are songs you might hear most successful of the Coltrane covers.
any cocktail bar band play, but that is Seen through the lens of album pacing—so
Liebman and Abercrombie in the front line outdated to some in this Shuffle Age—one
and a great rhythm team, after all, so could make a case that making bookends of
“Poinciana” ripples with coiled energy and “Wise One” and “Spiritual” would’ve made
the solos by Liebman and Abercrombie for a better construction. As it is, the band
go places that cocktail bar musicians fear lopes out on relatively jaunty takes of “Out
to tread. On “I Hear A Rhapsody,” Of This World” and “Dear Lord,” just a
Abercrombie spins a complex skein of slight letdown from the pinnacle the band
notes over a meandering bass pattern by reaches on “Spiritual.” DB
Anderson and increasingly assertive Ordering info: kindofbluerecords.com
KIND OF BLUE
April 2010 DOWNBEAT 53