Breakthrough
Navona, 2022
8/10
As Jâca, Wesley Ferreira brings his clarinet and Jaxson Williams brings his guitar to these unique compositions by living composers, including themselves, and it meshes European and American folk traditions with much care.
“Rêve de L’Enfant”opens the listen with twinkling guitar and fluid clarinet, as the pair work off each other’s mesmerizing tone with much beauty, and “Tamacun” follows with playful guitar playing amid the animated clarinet that builds into a very lush climate.
Further along, Gus Viseur’s “Douce Joie” flows with a poetic quality that’s swift and upbeat, while “Sevillanas” emits much culture amid the warm strumming and meticulous wind progressions in the Paco Cortés original.
“Taistealaí Ama” and “Tico Tico no Fubá” exit the listen, where the former, an original from the pair, glows with a radiant intimacy that’s quite stunning, and the latter, a Zequinha de Abreu original, is quite animated, and showcases the colorful playing from the duo.
Ferreira and Williams have both enjoyed excellent, accomplished works on their own, and their combined strength makes for a rare combination of instruments that’s quite alluring.
Travels well with: Wesley Ferreira- Into The Green; The Music Of Jeffrey Jacob- Sequoias