Monday, January 2, 2012

Old Friends Record; Adolfo Goes Brazilian - Bob Stewart

The bond between old friends gives life meaning. When the friends are improvising musicians sharing the stage, their common language cements a mutual trust that can ignite the bandstand. Music has been the glue binding the friendship of bassist Omer Avital, pianist Aaron Goldberg and drummer Ali Jackson for nearly 20 years. Though they have performed in many combinations and under the aegis of different leaders for many years, the trio's new CD -- "Yes!" -- is their first collaborative effort in the studio. The meeting of an Israeli of Yemeni/Moroccan descent, a Detroit-based Black American with Islamic roots and a Jewish Bostonian stands as a tremendous example of the call of jazz music transcending race, religion and politics.

An integral and influential behind-the-scenes player as a producer, composer, arranger, label entrepreneur, and educator in his native Rio de Janeiro, Antonio Adolfo has in recent years been devoting more time to recording his own music. While his first two CDs tapped into Brazilian and American standards by the likes of Cole Porter and Antonio Carlos Jobim, Adolfo's new CD -- "Chora Baiao" -- focuses on the Brazilian styles choro and baiao, specifically in the works of the brilliant, innovative Brazilian composers Guinga and Chico Barque. "My passion's for their harmonies and melodies that aren't just sophisticated, but quite unusual in Brazilian music," Adolfo says. "...with their harmonies you can't use clichés. You must go into some really different directions."

No comments: