Antonio Adolfo BruMa (mist) Celebrating Milton Nascimento

Antonio Adolfo
BruMa (mist) Celebrating Milton Nascimento
AAM Music

In his newest recording, Brazilian pianist, composer, and arranger, Antonio Adolfo salutes the singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento, who perhaps is Brazil's greatest living composer of popular music. Many jazz and pop luminaries, including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Stan Getz, Bjork, and Esperanza Spalding, have recorded Nascimento's songs. Antonio's appreciation of Nascimento goes back to the beginning of the latter's career. They initially met just before a major musical event in Brazil in 1967 at which Nascimento was a great sensation.

Chris McGowan's liner notes quote Adolfo, "For this album, I immersed myself in the music of Milton and his partners. I have been working on this project for six months, panning its rich repertoire and adding my Brazilian jazz vocabulary. After working with more than thirty songs to choose nine, I once again concluded that Milton Nascimento is the most modern and profound composer in Brazil. His compositions broke traditional harmonic and rhythmic patterns, with his modalism and natural rhythmic meters, all in a spontaneous, intuitive and natural way."

McGowan observes, "The album title BruMa, which means 'mist' in Portuguese, is also intended to bring to mind two environmental disasters that struck Minas Gerais [Nascimento's home state] in the last decade. BruMa is comprised of the initial syllables of two cities (Brumadinho and Mariana) that suffered similar tragedies. In 2015 and 2019, earthen dams collapsed and let forth floods of muddy waste materials that devastated the towns, killed hundreds of people and rendered the rivers downstream toxic and lifeless for years to come."

Joining Adolfo on this CD are Jess Sadoc on trumpet and flugelhorn; Marcelo Martins on alto flute, tenor sax; Danilo Sinna on alto sax; Rafael Rocha on trombone; Claudio Spiewak on guitar; Jorge Helder on double bass; and Rafael Barata on drums and percussion. Luis Galvao replaces Spiewak on guitar on two selections, Leo Amuedo adds guitar to one track, and Dada Costa plays percussion on five of the nine songs.

Adolfo's latest project continues with a tropical feel, fluid, and elegant piano, handsome arrangements, and stirring soloists. Marcelo Martins takes flight playing some vigorous tenor on the opening "Fé Cega Faca Amolada," which translates as "Blind Faith, Sharp Knight," Claudio Spiewak adds punchy guitar on this song as well. It is typical of the music here with the lively rhythms, strong ensemble playing, and atmospheric horns. Adolfo's deliberate, graceful piano is heard on "Nada Será Como Antes (Nothing Be As It Was)," along with Rocha's crusty trombone. Another standout song is an exuberant rendition of "Cançāo Do Sal (Salt Song)" with exhilarating rhythms that propel Rocha's graveling trombone and Sinna's fervent alto sax. Then there is a memorable performance of "Encontros E Despedidas (Encounters and Farewells)" that Nascimento first recorded with Hubert Laws. In addition to Adolfo's marvelous piano solo, Martins' plays exquisite alto flute. "Tres Pontas" refers to the city where Nascimento was raised, and again is a showcase for the leader's graceful, lyrical piano along with Sadoc's resonant trumpet. The sublime rendition of "Cais (Harbor)" places the spotlight on Sadoc's lovely muted trumpet. At the same time, "Caxangá" displays the skill with which Adolfo can layer the various instruments in the performance as they riff behind Sinna's alto sax solo and Lula Galvao's stinging electric guitar.

Antonio Adolfo's salute to the legacy of Milton Nascimento does justice to Nascimento's imposing body of music. "Bruma" is an exceptional, marvelously performed recording that will touch listeners' heads and hearts.

I received a review copy from a publicist. Here is "Outubro (October)" from the album.

Antonio Adolfo HYBRIDO - from Rio to Wayne Shorter

Antonio Adolfo
HYBRIDO - from Rio to Wayne Shorter
AAM Music

Brazilian composer-pianist-arranger Antonio Adolfo explains about his latest project which focuses on the music of Wayne Shorter, "The mixing of races and different cultures is irreversible in today's world. In music, this trend has been happening for a long time and has resulted in a very healthy hybridism of different musical genres. …The music of the great Wayne Shorter is predominant in this recording. It has especially inspired me through his melodies and harmonies, which have continued to influence musicians of several generations and continents." Adolfo also notes that Shorter himself has been influenced by the music of different cultures. Focusing primarily on Shorter's repertoire from the 60's, he is joined on this project by Lula Galvão - (electric guitar); Jorge Helder - (double bass); Rafael Barata - (drums and percussion); André Siqueira - (percussion); Jessé Sadoc - (trumpet); Marcelo Martins - (tenor/soprano saxes, flute); Serginho Trombone - (trombone); Claudio Spiewak - (acoustic guitar on #3) and Zé Renato - (vocals on #2).

There is plenty of superb musicianship starting with "Deluge," the only performance on which the leader plays Fender Rhodes piano. It is followed by nicely reimagined "Footprints," with Renato's vocalization joining the horns as the breezy tempoed adaptation has a  cleanly articulated solo from Galvão followed by some gruff trombone, piano and a short bass break. "Beauty and the Beast," derives from one of Shorter's mid-seventies collaboration with legendary Brazilian composer, musician and singer Milton Nascimento and the bossa nova flavored rendition here sports not simply a typically sonorous arrangement, but a feathery flute solo from Martins along with Adolfo's lyrical solo with Spiewak chording on acoustic guitar with Martins switching to soprano.

"Prince of Darkness" from Miles Davis "ESP" album is nice reworked with colorful rhythmic accents and soaring, lyrical soprano sax, dancing piano, lithe, scintillating guitar with a sparkling rhythm section. A heated "Black Nile" has an energetic horn ensemble  with Martins' brawny tenor sax, and nicely developed solos from Adolfo and Galvão. Brazilian rhythms are incorporated into the rendition of "Speak No Evil" with  rousing trombone, focused, vigorous tenor sax, and with the leader's imaginative free-flowing playing. It is followed by Adolfo's deconstruction of "ESP" with Martins spotlighted with his graceful soprano along with some thoughtful, nimble chordal playing from Galvão and Adolfo's choice playing. "Ana Maria," from the collaboration with Nascimento is a lovely Bossa performance with exquisite piano, Martins' soaring, twisting soprano and Galvão's shimmering guitar.

Adolfo's original "Afosamba," provides a lively conclusion with Sadoc's fiery, brash trumpet featured along with dynamic percussive interplay leading to more delightful piano on a composition that displays the influence Shorter has had on Adolfo himself. It concludes a well conceived and performed tribute to one of music's most significant figures for over half a century. With Adolfo's arrangements, the marvelous ensemble playing and the thoughtful, as well as imaginative, solos make for a fascinating, superb recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist.

Antonio Adolfo Tropical Infinito

Antonio Adolfo
Tropical Infinito
AAM Music

This writer was introduced to the Brazilian pianist and composer-arranger Antonio Adolfo on the album "Copa Village," a collaboration between Adolfo, his daughter-singer Carol Saboya, and the German born vibraphonist-harmonica player, Hendrik Meurkens. Adolfo, who remains a vital performer and composer, as well as educator, had brought us his latest recording "Tropical Infinito." He informs us that this is his first with horns in a number of years. Playing with him is a fine group that includes Jessé Sadoc, Trumpet and Flugelhorn; Marcelo Martins, Tenor Sax and Soprano Sax; Serginho Trombone, Trombone; Leo Amuedo, Electric Guitar; Claudio Spievak on Acoustic Guitar; Jorge Helder, Double Bass; Rafael Barata, Drums; and André Siqueira and Rafael Barata, Percussion.

Its a marvelous program of jazz numbers that were part of early sixties jazz and left a deep impression on him when he was becoming a professional musician. With his band, he approaches these from a Brazilian perspective, being samba for all but one selection. In addition to the five standards, he also has four originals included. This is a recording that strikes the listener from the opening notes of "Killer Joe" to the closing original "Luar Da Bahia," with the vivacious grooves, the sinuous horn solos and the clean, lively arrangements. Benny Golson's "Killer Joe" is a crackling good performance with focused, concise solos from Serginho, Sadoc, Martins, Amuedo before the leader himself set against the percolating rhythm and followed by a pepped up tempo transforming another Golson classic "Whisper Not," with fire from Martins, and sparkling piano although, despite the originality of this rendition, loses some of the character of the haunting, classic Lee Morgan recordings. The hot groove suits better Adolfo's own "Cascavel," with punching horns accenting the driving theme set forth by piano-bass with some boisterous playing from Serginho. A lovely tribute to Adolfo's mother "Yolanda, Yolanda," features some wonderful flugelhorn and lithe soprano sax.

A particular highlight for these ears is the performance Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments," whose tempo is pretty close to Nelson's classic with Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, Freddie Hubbard and Roy Haynes with a slight rhythmic accent in the backing and standout playing from Martins and Amuedo (very nice use of chords in his solo). Trumpeter Sadoc provides plenty of fire on Horace Silver's "Song For My Father," while Serginho's growls and slurs provide smoldering heat. After a delightful samba "Partido Leve," with delightful piano and flugelhorn, Barata takes a spectacular drum solo set against the ensemble. The standard "All the Things Your Are," again brings together a sonorous arrangement (or re-imagining of the harmonies) from Adolfo along with a marvelous solo followed by Amuedo's inventive serpentine single note guitar runs.

"Luar Da Bahia" ("Moon Over Bahia") has an evocative and enticing melody with lyrical playing from the leader along with Martin's soprano before Helder's marvelous bass solo, concluding a throughly splendid record of fresh, original takes on jazz classics, superb arrangements and fascinating new compositions that are superbly played.

I received my review copy from a publicist. For a sample, here is "Cascavel" from "Tropical Infinito."