Here are a pair of discs that will take you everywhere and back again. What a trip! Got your passport stamped?
Benjamin Lapidus plays guitar and tres (a South American guitar) and mixes and matches with a rotation of drums, percussion, vocals, horns and organs on this exciting collection of jazz standards and Latin traditionals. You get bluesy grooves with guitar and B3 on pieces like “Bilongo” and “Ochosi Blues” that are as earthy as the local farm fields. Other times trumpets like from Charlie Sepulveda” provide village volk tunes that make you feel lost from civilization. Rich vocals from Enid Lowe do wonders when worlds meet on “Tu, Mi Delierio” and “Here’s That Rainy Day” while as a festive medley, while she rides the B3 wave like a surfer on “But Beautiful” Fun fills the air on “The Latin Side of Your Mama” and percussion rolls like a tidal wave on “Yemaya’s Changes.” This is a wonderful kaleidoscope of sounds and visions.
With Grand Fatilla, the band stays the same, but the location is like the Michelin Guide. Roberto Cassan/acc, Matt Glover/mandolin, Fabio Pirozzolo/perc/voc and Mike Rivard/b take you on wonderful journeys through Argentina (“Fracanapa”), Italy (“Alla Carpinese”) and Eastern Europe (“Sandansko Oro”) with a mix of lively strings and bohemian rhythms. You’ll want to get into a circle dance on the village charmer “Cigansko Oro” while “Bebe” will make you feel like walking along the beaches of Ipanema. Thrilling percussive moments are added by Christian Cassan on the Mediterranean charmer “Domenie” as extra strings dive depth to the warm “Milonga Para Lucia.” This one’s a warm blooded treat!