Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2023File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:22
Size: 125,9 MB
Art: Front
(4:12) 1. Delicious
(4:13) 2. Wild West
(4:48) 3. Calypsol
(3:49) 4. Protagonism
(4:17) 5. Daddy waltz you
(4:05) 6. Home alone
(5:40) 7. I used to got no rhythm
(3:13) 8. To preach or not to preach
(4:20) 9. My old folks
(4:43) 10. Oeste
(4:17) 11. Purple, black and more
(6:41) 12. Strawberry Jerry
With a career shaped by different projects and instrumental contexts (trio, quartet, quintet, decatet), Bruno Santos (b. 1976) is one of the most solid national jazz guitarists. With his brother André he forms the duo Mano a Mano, which has already released five albums, the most recent of which is the highly recommended “Trilogia das Sombras” (reviewed on jazz.pt here). In this project delightfully called Almmond 3, the guitarist explores the classic guitar-organ-drums format, a sound geometry that tells him a lot: «I assumed and I completely assume that the premise was to make original music, but inspired by the sound and language of the classic trios of this format", Bruno Santos begins by telling jazz.pt. «I sought out this sound openly, almost as a tribute or homage to some of my favorite guitarists», he soon adds. They are joined by Hugo Lobo on the Hammond B3 organ and the Serbian drummer Nemanja Delic, who has long lived among us, ideal companions for this adventure in Almmond 3.
And the sense of humor is not just in the name of the group: we find it too in the title and cover of the album and in the names of the songs.
Bruno Santos sees this new project of his as another chapter «of a sated desire or curiosity.» Music continues to be a mystery to him. The albums released in his name have always been with different formations, although they can be seen as loose chapters that tell a story in progress, the story of the curiosity to test various formats. «With the exception of Mano a Mano and, eventually, the Hot Clube de Portugal septet, in which there is continuity (in formation and music), the rest are episodes that can be seen or heard without knowing the previous episode», highlights the guitarist. The desire to create a trio along these lines comes from way back. «I would say it's an old love, or an old relationship that finally has a happy ending!» The sound of the Hammond trio with guitar and drums was something that always attracted him. But suddenly something happened that would allow me to finally realize this drive: «For years I thought it would be complicated to record in this format, until suddenly I met Hugo Lobo and learned that he had been playing Hammond since childhood.» At the beginning of 2021, they held some sessions at the guitarist's home, who liked the result so much that he proposed doing something more consistent. The trio began rehearsing in a regular and targeted manner, somewhere between March and April of that year.
There are several challenges that this instrumental configuration poses, the biggest of which is the way in which the guitar and the Hammond connect, I would say intimately, to each other. «They complement each other, not only from a timbral point of view but in the space created for comping/soloing. I would say that it is easier, from the outset, for a guitar and a Hammond to coexist without major hiccups, than a guitar and a piano, for example», explains Bruno Santos. Hugo Lobo, who plays bass with his left hand, allows this alliance to occur between guitar and Hammond, which complement each other and become almost a single instrument. «Simply put, if Hugo is with the melody/solo, he necessarily has his left hand on the bass and his right hand on the solo/melody, making room for the guitar comping. If the guitar is on the solo, the Hammond takes over the bass (left hand) and comping (right hand)», explains the guitarist, who reinforces the «little margin for shock». But there is also the difficulty that arises from the Hammond being able to steal some timbral spectrum from the guitar, not only because it is an electric instrument and requires volume, but because «timbrally there are similarities». «And because it is an electric instrument, with volume it ends up being more “muscular” and demands more from everyone.” The format calls for high levels of interaction; the smaller the formation, the greater the scope for this to happen: «Hammond is there in the middle, he is part of the rhythm section but at the same time the soloist's accompanist. There is a constant connection between the three, fueled by Hammond.» .
The preparation process for this record was simple and smooth. «We always rehearsed at my house. I have a nice space with drums, equipped with a simple sound system», reveals Bruno Santos. The three of them recorded some rehearsals to smooth out rough edges and refine details. At one point, the guitarist suggested spending two or three days recording, in live mode, to see what happened. With just four microphones (two on drums and one for guitar and Hammond), within a short distance of each other, everything happened. In addition to the recording, the mixing and mastering of the album were also done at home by Bruno Santos himself (in the same space where “Trilogia das Sombras” was also recorded). «My curiosity also led me to this work; I mixed, mastered – the best I could, looking for what my ear wanted –, I asked a good friend and neighbor to take some photos and the album ended up being made in the neighborhood where I live, away from the chaos, in peace and tranquility. from Camp." Without the pressure of the clock and other factors inherent to studio recording, «with the time and peace of mind to experiment and record without a stopwatch.»
The music we hear in “Wild West” is bright and energetic, drawing on various referential sources, from jazz to rock, blues or soul. “It all came naturally,” he says. «The electric sound of the organ (whether Hammond or not) reminds me of bands I listened to a lot when I was a teenager (I still do), like Deep Purple or The Doors. Rock might come from there. The Hammond jazz trios, the blues that is always underlying whether in the rock or jazz format.” “Delicious” opens with groovy, processed strumming that launches into an almost Latin-swinging piece, with fluid guitar and smoking organ alternating solos; the drums provide the traction that pulls the trio resolutely forward, into the margins of rock. Full of associations with the place where it was written, in the middle of agricultural fields, “Wild West” fills us with a refreshing blues in the way the melody is exposed, with the guitar assuming natural protagonism, the organ carpeting with elegance (another great solo by Lobo) and the drums add rhythmic refinement.
Fun and fully danceable, “Calypsol” is a calypso in G major, which evokes summer in a destination with turquoise waters. The following piece has a paradoxical title: “Protagonism” is one of the themes where the interaction between the three is exponentiated, frenetic, with a fast swing, with Santos drawing a sinuous line that the organ reinforces and the drummer emphasizes with an assertive drive ( excellent at using brooms). “Daddy Waltz You”, «a waltz I did with my daughter in my head and heart», as the guitarist makes a point of pointing out, brings water to the boil with its elegant melody and “Home Alone” («take one», listen -se at the beginning), a theme in three parts, brings a lightness that resonates, with the fluidity of the leader's guitar, the comforting warmth of the organ, and the always intervening drums.
“I Used to Got no Rhythm”, built on the structure of “I Got Rhythm”, a Gershwinian emblem, here densified without giving up a vintage flavor, displays the good articulation between the three musicians; Delic solos well, without excessive adornments. “ To Preach or not to Preach”, in a soul register, precedes “My Old Folks”, a ballad with a classic feel (in the jazz sense, that is), deeply dedicated to his parents, who always accepted and supported their son's choice to be jazz musician, at a time when it was not obvious to explain that this “involved studying at home and waiting for the phone to ring.” “Oeste”, with a placid atmosphere, reveals guitarist and organist letting go with sobriety and purpose, referring to the guitarist's “west”. “Purple, Black and More”, a small tribute to one of the heroes of adolescence, the guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow), is a blues song with a strong rock'n'roll flavor. To close, the melody of “Strawberry Jerry” refers to the character of an imaginary comic strip, walking among the strawberries that were sprouting in the vegetable garden, right next to the studio.
With Almmond 3 and this “Wild West”, Bruno Santos adds a not insignificant chapter to a story that never ceases to surprise. https://jazz.pt/criticas/bruno-santos-almmond-3-wild-west-edicao-de-autor .
Bruno Santos sees this new project of his as another chapter «of a sated desire or curiosity.» Music continues to be a mystery to him. The albums released in his name have always been with different formations, although they can be seen as loose chapters that tell a story in progress, the story of the curiosity to test various formats. «With the exception of Mano a Mano and, eventually, the Hot Clube de Portugal septet, in which there is continuity (in formation and music), the rest are episodes that can be seen or heard without knowing the previous episode», highlights the guitarist. The desire to create a trio along these lines comes from way back. «I would say it's an old love, or an old relationship that finally has a happy ending!» The sound of the Hammond trio with guitar and drums was something that always attracted him. But suddenly something happened that would allow me to finally realize this drive: «For years I thought it would be complicated to record in this format, until suddenly I met Hugo Lobo and learned that he had been playing Hammond since childhood.» At the beginning of 2021, they held some sessions at the guitarist's home, who liked the result so much that he proposed doing something more consistent. The trio began rehearsing in a regular and targeted manner, somewhere between March and April of that year.
There are several challenges that this instrumental configuration poses, the biggest of which is the way in which the guitar and the Hammond connect, I would say intimately, to each other. «They complement each other, not only from a timbral point of view but in the space created for comping/soloing. I would say that it is easier, from the outset, for a guitar and a Hammond to coexist without major hiccups, than a guitar and a piano, for example», explains Bruno Santos. Hugo Lobo, who plays bass with his left hand, allows this alliance to occur between guitar and Hammond, which complement each other and become almost a single instrument. «Simply put, if Hugo is with the melody/solo, he necessarily has his left hand on the bass and his right hand on the solo/melody, making room for the guitar comping. If the guitar is on the solo, the Hammond takes over the bass (left hand) and comping (right hand)», explains the guitarist, who reinforces the «little margin for shock». But there is also the difficulty that arises from the Hammond being able to steal some timbral spectrum from the guitar, not only because it is an electric instrument and requires volume, but because «timbrally there are similarities». «And because it is an electric instrument, with volume it ends up being more “muscular” and demands more from everyone.” The format calls for high levels of interaction; the smaller the formation, the greater the scope for this to happen: «Hammond is there in the middle, he is part of the rhythm section but at the same time the soloist's accompanist. There is a constant connection between the three, fueled by Hammond.» .
The preparation process for this record was simple and smooth. «We always rehearsed at my house. I have a nice space with drums, equipped with a simple sound system», reveals Bruno Santos. The three of them recorded some rehearsals to smooth out rough edges and refine details. At one point, the guitarist suggested spending two or three days recording, in live mode, to see what happened. With just four microphones (two on drums and one for guitar and Hammond), within a short distance of each other, everything happened. In addition to the recording, the mixing and mastering of the album were also done at home by Bruno Santos himself (in the same space where “Trilogia das Sombras” was also recorded). «My curiosity also led me to this work; I mixed, mastered – the best I could, looking for what my ear wanted –, I asked a good friend and neighbor to take some photos and the album ended up being made in the neighborhood where I live, away from the chaos, in peace and tranquility. from Camp." Without the pressure of the clock and other factors inherent to studio recording, «with the time and peace of mind to experiment and record without a stopwatch.»
The music we hear in “Wild West” is bright and energetic, drawing on various referential sources, from jazz to rock, blues or soul. “It all came naturally,” he says. «The electric sound of the organ (whether Hammond or not) reminds me of bands I listened to a lot when I was a teenager (I still do), like Deep Purple or The Doors. Rock might come from there. The Hammond jazz trios, the blues that is always underlying whether in the rock or jazz format.” “Delicious” opens with groovy, processed strumming that launches into an almost Latin-swinging piece, with fluid guitar and smoking organ alternating solos; the drums provide the traction that pulls the trio resolutely forward, into the margins of rock. Full of associations with the place where it was written, in the middle of agricultural fields, “Wild West” fills us with a refreshing blues in the way the melody is exposed, with the guitar assuming natural protagonism, the organ carpeting with elegance (another great solo by Lobo) and the drums add rhythmic refinement.
Fun and fully danceable, “Calypsol” is a calypso in G major, which evokes summer in a destination with turquoise waters. The following piece has a paradoxical title: “Protagonism” is one of the themes where the interaction between the three is exponentiated, frenetic, with a fast swing, with Santos drawing a sinuous line that the organ reinforces and the drummer emphasizes with an assertive drive ( excellent at using brooms). “Daddy Waltz You”, «a waltz I did with my daughter in my head and heart», as the guitarist makes a point of pointing out, brings water to the boil with its elegant melody and “Home Alone” («take one», listen -se at the beginning), a theme in three parts, brings a lightness that resonates, with the fluidity of the leader's guitar, the comforting warmth of the organ, and the always intervening drums.
“I Used to Got no Rhythm”, built on the structure of “I Got Rhythm”, a Gershwinian emblem, here densified without giving up a vintage flavor, displays the good articulation between the three musicians; Delic solos well, without excessive adornments. “ To Preach or not to Preach”, in a soul register, precedes “My Old Folks”, a ballad with a classic feel (in the jazz sense, that is), deeply dedicated to his parents, who always accepted and supported their son's choice to be jazz musician, at a time when it was not obvious to explain that this “involved studying at home and waiting for the phone to ring.” “Oeste”, with a placid atmosphere, reveals guitarist and organist letting go with sobriety and purpose, referring to the guitarist's “west”. “Purple, Black and More”, a small tribute to one of the heroes of adolescence, the guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow), is a blues song with a strong rock'n'roll flavor. To close, the melody of “Strawberry Jerry” refers to the character of an imaginary comic strip, walking among the strawberries that were sprouting in the vegetable garden, right next to the studio.
With Almmond 3 and this “Wild West”, Bruno Santos adds a not insignificant chapter to a story that never ceases to surprise. https://jazz.pt/criticas/bruno-santos-almmond-3-wild-west-edicao-de-autor .
Almmond 3: Wild West