Brasilia Sessions
Zoho, 2024
9/10
The Brazilian tenor sax wizard Livio Almeida is joined by Daniel Castro, Pedro Almeida and Misael Silvestre for these worldly jazz tunes that are never short on grooves and texture.
“Sambasus” opens with Almeida’s fast and meticulous sax playing that’s complemented by Pedro’s agile drumming, and “Partido Cerrado” follows with Castro’s playfully plucked bass that aligns with Silverstre’s well timed keys.
The middle spot belongs to “Folhas Secas”, where a dreamy intimacy unfolds thanks to the soulful sax and elegant piano, while “Rocks In My Path (Pedras no caminho)” flows with chunky bass amid frisky drums and rich sax prowess.
The last 2 tracks, “Um Girassol Da Cor Do Seu Cabelo” and “Q Train Samba”, don’t disappoint either. The former leads with solo sax before the dynamic and subdued instrumentation invades the thoughtful album highlight, and the latter is a bouncy and animated finish of melodic and groove filled jazz that you can’t not admire.
A superb record that’s steeped in Brazilian traditions, this is somewhat of a soundtrack to Almeida’s transition from Brazil to New York, and each track present is memorable and radiant.
Travels well with: Sharon Isbin- Live In Aspen; Paul Kendall- My Shining Hour