Duduka Da Fonseca & Helio Alves - Samba Jazz & Tom Jobim

Styles: Brazilian Jazz
Year: 2019
Time: 65:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 149,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:00) 1. Gemini Man
(6:28) 2. Alana
(7:01) 3. Untitled
(3:58) 4. Pato Preto
(6:49) 5. Dindi
(2:49) 6. A Correnteza
(6:04) 7. Pedra Bonita
(5:59) 8. Helium
(3:56) 9. Voce Vai Ver
(4:55) 10. Poly Pony
(4:50) 11. A Vontade Mesmo
(6:26) 12. I Love You Porgy

Since 2007, drummer Duduka Da Fonseca, pianist Helio Alves and vocalist Maucha Adnet have been presenting the titular program at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center, and at other venues throughout the world. A concept set steeped in personalized history of varied sorts Da Fonseca's, absorbing this hybridized style at the foot of the masters in Brazil; Adnet's and Da Fonseca's, working with the late Antonio Carlos Jobim; Alves' and Da Fonseca's, playing together in bands in New York City for more than a quarter century it's a show that never fails to impress and inspire.

Moving comfortably across a playlist containing originals, Jobim compositions of both the ripe and rarely-heard varieties, and an outlier or two, this crew extols the virtues of the stylistic crossroads where it so artfully operates. Claudio Roditi's "Gemini Man" serves as a spicy stepping-off point, with Da Fonseca, Alves and bassist Hans Glawischnig firing on all cylinders while guitarist Romero Lubambo and the song's composer occupy the spotlight. Then, as if to indicate the wide scope of this band upfront, Da Fonseca's shape-shifting "Alana" and Alves' cool-headed "Untitled" follow.

The swaying baião bounce of Jobim's "Pato Preto" serves as the scene of Adnet's first appearance and, save for the intimate "I Loves You, Porgy" closer, all of her subsequent contributions are also filtered through that master's work. That list of songs, which includes a beautifully breezy "Dindi," spellbinding-turned-soothing "A Correnteza," mellow and melodious "Você Vai Ver," and perky, Rhodes-enhanced "Polo Pony," provides many of the highlights on the program.

There's much to appreciate about the way these different personalities blend and balance each other out across the album, but there's just as much to admire in the the expression(s) of the individual(s). That's evident whether we're talking about Alves' drive, Da Fonseca's singular groove play or Adnet's alluring vocals. And let's not forget Lubambo's grace, Glawischnig's grounding, multi-reedist Billy Drewes' versatility and some shots of pep from the guest trumpeters the aforementioned Roditi and Wynton Marsalis. There's still no substitute for seeing this band live as this writer can attest, having had the pleasure on more than one occasion but this is pretty damn close.By Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/samba-jazz-and-tom-jobim-duduka-da-fonseca-sunnyside-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky

Personnel: Duduka Da Donseca: drums; Helio Alves: piano, Rhodes; Billy Drewes: saxophones (2, 3, 6), flute (, 9, 10, 12)l Romero Lubambo: guitars (1, 2, 5, 9-11); Hans Glawischnig: bass; Maucha Adnet: vocals (4-6, 9, 10, 12)

Samba Jazz & Tom Jobim

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Francesca Tandoi Trio - Something Blue

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
Time: 55:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 128,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:17) 1. Tricotism
(4:08) 2. Waltz for Debby
(5:33) 3. That Old Feeling
(3:58) 4. Too Marvelous for Words
(6:54) 5. The Days of Wine and Roses
(4:14) 6. You Must Believe in Spring
(3:30) 7. Something Blue
(5:14) 8. Volare
(4:09) 9. Teach Me Tonight
(5:14) 10. Save Your Love for Me
(3:58) 11. Green Heels
(4:45) 12. Someone to Watch Over Me

Francesca Tandoi started to play classical piano at an early age. After a few years she got very much interested in jazz music and became a big fan of swinging virtuoso piano players like, Oscar Peterson, Phyneas Newborn, Gene Harris, Bobby Timmons, and other musicians of that generation.

She started her carrier as a teenager in Italy, especially in the jazz scene of Rome, her own city. She had the chance to play and perform with many great italian musicians, joining some of the most important italian jazz festivals all around the country. In 2009 she moved to the Netherlands and in 2013 she gradueted with a special mention at the “Royal Conservatory of The Hague” in jazz piano and singing. After that she moved to the Conservatory of Rotterdam “Codarts” and got her Master degree in 2015 writing a thesis about “The art of rearranging jazz standards for jazz piano trio”.

In Holland she started playing with some of the finest dutch and international jazz musicians and performed all around the world. Jazz festivals in Japan, Malesya, Indonesia, India. Tours all around Europe. Holland, Italy, Swiss, Germany, France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Ukraine. She also performed in many important jazz festivals as North sea jazz festival, Maastricht jazz festival, Breda jazz festival, Bosendorfer gala 2013, and many others, both as accompanist and as a leader of her trio. https://vrjazzagency.com/en/musicans/francesca/

Personnel: Francesca Tandoi: piano; vocal; Frans van Geest: bass; Frits Landesbergen: drums

Something Blue

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Cccn Jazz Orchestra, Hendrik Meurkens - Big Band Brasil

Styles: Harmonica And Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 60:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 138,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:48) 1. Meet You After Dark (feat. Diego Urcola)
(5:41) 2. Brigas Nunca Mais
(9:11) 3. Bolero para Paquito (feat. Paquito D'Rivera)
(7:16) 4. A Slow One (feat. José Valentino)
(4:56) 5. A Felicidade
(6:12) 6. Caminhos Cruzados (feat. Claudio Spiewak)
(5:28) 7. Herb's Samba
(5:22) 8. Lingua de Mosquito (feat. Ismael Vergara)
(9:12) 9. A Summer in San Francisco

Hendrik Meurkens, a virtuoso on both the chromatic harmonica and the vibraphone, is the most important jazz harmonica player since Toots Thielemans. German-born but now based in New York, Meurkens’ recordings and performances garner worldwide acclaim because the transcendent beauty of his music has universal appeal.

A two-mallet player in the tradition of Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson, Hendrik Meurkens was en-route to being an instantly recognizable vibraphonist when he heard Toots Thielemans. Inspired by the sound of Thielemans’ harmonica, he taught himself the difficult-to-master instrument.

Hendrik Meurkens’ other life-changing musical experience was his introduction to samba and bossa nova. He was so moved by Brazilian music that after perfecting his unique musical voice at Berklee, as a vibraphone major, he moved to Rio in the early 80s to totally immerse himself in music and culture of Brazil.

A regular Monday night gig at the popular Rio club, Bar 21, soon demonstrated his acceptance by Brazilian musicians. Meurkens’ poignant, emotionally affecting harmonica proved to be a sound that Brazilians strongly embraced, and during his Rio days, he met many musicians who later became collaborators in both Europe and New York.

Back in Germany by ’83, he became a respected studio musician, recording with European Radio Orchestras and leading his own groups, as well as accompanying visiting legends like Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison and Buddy Tate.

Within ten years, he had established himself as the “new jazz harmonica voice,” and moved to New York, thanks to an exclusive contract with the prestigious label, Concord Records. He has since recorded fifteen albums, and continues to perform as both a guest artist, and with his own groups, both in festivals and clubs globally.

Hendrik Meurkens’ profound involvement in both jazz and Brazilian music resulted in a very personal and instantly recognizable version of Samba jazz. This music, a cross-cultural amalgam guaranteed to touch the heart, features his harmonica and vibes along with piano, bass and drums, playing his stirring originals and arrangements. The group has been documented on a number of CDs, most notably the Hendrik Meurkens desert island disc, October Colors.

As a featured artist, he has recorded with Charlie Byrd, Jimmy Cobb, Ivan Lins, Monty Alexander, Claudio Roditi, Manfredo Fest and Mundell Lowe, as well as backing such leading artists as Astrid Gilberto and Olivia Newton John and touring with the Ray Brown Trio, Paquito D’Rivera, Oscar Castro Neves, Herb Ellis, Herbie Mann, Charlie Byrd, and James Moody among many others.

Also a successful composer (his compositions have been recorded by other artists and featured in the Hollywood movie, “Dolores Claiborne,”) Hendrik Meurkens remains equally at home playing jazz or Brazilian music. “My mission is simple,” he explains. “I want to create music of great beauty.”

Like any great musician, Hendrik Meurkens still practices incessantly, yet his music remains very melodic and rhythmically pleasing. “I like beautiful music, Sinatra, Jobim, Charlie Parker, so I concentrate on playing things that the audience can enjoy. Complicated music doesn’t really mean anything except for professionals who want to analyze it. I want people to feel what I do and the best way to do that is to play something touches their hearts.”https://hendrikmeurkens.com/blog/

Personnel: Hendrik Meurkens, Harmonica and Vibraphone; Paquito D’Rivera, alto sax on track 3; Diego Urcola, trumpet on track 1; Claudio Spiewak, acoustic guitar on track 6; Ismael Vergara, clarinet on track 8; Jose Valentino, flute on track 4; Gina “Mali” Chaverri, vocals on track 9

Big Band Brasil

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Natalie Cressman & Ian Faquini - Guinga

Styles: Vocal, Trombone Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 44:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 102,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:33) 1. Contradição
(4:49) 2. Bolero De Satã
(2:42) 3. Lavagem De Conceição
(2:33) 4. Aria De Opereta
(2:06) 5. Delírio Carioca
(3:28) 6. Ramo de Delírios
(3:00) 7. Por Trás De Brás De Pina
(7:28) 8. Par Constante
(2:59) 9. Garoa E Maresia
(4:12) 10. Segredo De Dadá
(2:27) 11. Nítido e Obscuro/Geraldo No Leme
(5:12) 12. Ellingtoniana
(3:35) 13. Viola Variada
(2:57) 14. Vô Alfredo

Brazilian guitarist-composer Guinga is something of a legendary figure. A polyglot performer associated with música popular brasileira's all-encompassing ethos, he's made his name fusing the contemporary and folkloric strains of his homeland with classical, jazz, rock and pop stylings. His influence looms large in that particular niche of the music world and, honestly, beyond and he receives his flowers on this warm tribute from trombonist Natalie Cressman and guitarist Ian Faquini.

This unique duo, which made an instantly positive impression with Setting Rays of Summer (Cressman Music, 2019) and used the studio to broaden their blend on Auburn Whisper (GroundUP, 2022), didn't come upon the concept of this album by chance. Both are direct musical descendants of the eponymous artist. Faquini came under Guinga's tutelage early on, and both he and Cressman, who initially connected at California Brazil Camp in Cazadero, California, grew under his wing. As both of the younger artists matured, their relationship with Guinga developed from that of mentor-students to friends and colleagues, culminating with this collaboration.

Unlike the majority of tributes, either developed and executed a world apart from their influence or given as a posthumous plaudit, this album arrives with its honoree alive and well, and he was welcomed into the creative process as composer, arranger, lyricist and guest performer. Guinga wrote or co-wrote all of the album's 14 pieces, be they older works or penned specifically for this project, and he appears on five. His guitar graces two Dukish delights the sentimental "Par Constante" (Constant Pair) and the romantically sublime "Ellingtoniana," both featuring Cressman's melodious slide work. And he contributes vocals on three pieces co-written with Faquini: "Contradição" (Contradiction), where a bed of overdubbed trombones supports his light-voiced, sky blue serenade in three; "Lavagem de Conceição," bringing baião's bounce and the topic of Candomblé ritual washing together as one (with some additional vocal assistance from the co-leaders, Anna Paes and Sandy Cressman); and "Segredo de Dadá" (Dadá's Secret), a statement encapsulating saudade (and casting Natalie Cressman as Guinga's singing partner).

Although Guinga is absent from the remaining tracks, they all bear the master's stamp. "Bolero de Satã" (Satan's Bolero), a hit for the titular figure in the '70s, draws a direct line from his own adorned writing to the signature sound of this duo. "Aria de Opereta" (Operetta Aria) delivers a perfect amalgamation of Brazilian and classical languages. The concise "Delírio Carioca" (Carioca Delirium) offers honeyed pleasantries. "Ramo de Delírios" (Bouquet of Delirium), harkening back to Guinga's debut, finds Cressman and Faquini in beautiful sync. The "Nítido e Obscuro / Geraldo No Leme" (Clear and Opaque / Geraldo in Leme) combo speaks to this duo's easy way with difficult rhythmic syntax. And the lively "Vô Alfredo" (Grandpa Alfredo) closer, tapping into Pernambuco's frevo dance rhythms and suggestions, nods to Guinga's grandfather with the leaders allowing their oft-tamed virtuosity to shine through. Lovely and lovingly delivered, Guinga is a gem of a tribute from two great artists to another.By Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/guinga-natalie-cressman-and-ian-faquini-self-produced

Personnel: Natalie Cressman – trombone and vocals; Ian Faquini – guitar and vocals; Guinga – guitar and vocals; Anna Paes – vocals; Sandy Cressman – vocals

Guinga

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