As many of you may know, the 1959 movie Black Orpheus was one of the major means of introducing Brazilian music and samba to American ears. Many of the tunes from the film (which is simply a Brazilian version of the story of Orpheus and Euridice, also made into an opera by Gluck ) have become jazz standards, either via the original soundtrack itself, or from versions by the likes of Vince Guaraldi. What Brazilian bassist and producer Nilson Matta has done is to bring the famous music into a more modern sounding revisitation, employing artists like Kenny Barron, Randy Brecker, Anat Cohen and Gretchen Parlato to mix authentic samba to jazz sensibilities. The result is a creation of an entire stew of sounds and rhythms that take each song as a key ingredient in the final recipe of a delicious Brazilian feast. Yes, there may be better versions of some of these songs by other artists in other times, but the point here is to treat the music as a whole organic unit, and Matta does it to perfection.
A fragrant “Overture” with gentle and breezy woodwinds glides into a joyful “Samba de Orfeu” with Cohen’s warm and woody clarinet melding with Barron’s piano and Guilherme Monteiro’s guitar like a simmering salsa. A feisty “Manha de Carnaval” features intricately delicate trio work between Barron, Matta and Alex Kautz/dr, while Gretchen Parlato’s voice on “Eu E O Meu Amor/Lamento No Morro” and “Valsa De Euridece” make Joao Gilberto sound bel canto in comparison. Even the percussion pieces, which tend to feel disruptive on the original version, make perfect sense in their more restrained and melodic versions here. An original by the leader closes the disc by concluding the milieu in a sensuously swinging mode. This is one that will be on your play list for a LONG time!
Motema Records
www.motema.com