Guitarist Rodrigo Tavares cites his primary influences as bossa nova and tropicália pioneers João Gilberto, Dorival Caymmi, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Tom Zé. But you would not guess it from Congo, a collection of lyrical instrumentals which reference Brazil only in passing, and which consciously avoid any recognisable sense of cultural location. When composing the tunes, says Tavares, he strove to be "geographically deceiving." That approach is followed through in the arrangements and performances. Congo was recorded in Belo Horizonte, mixed in Sao Paolo and made with Brazilian musicians, but there is no paper trail. Lush and hypnotic, the album blends elements of jazz, avant rock and minimalism to create music that defies categorisation. Tavares says his key non-Brazilian influences include Brian Eno and Arvo Part, and those names edge a little closer to suggesting Congo's soundscape. Another artist who springs to mind is Sandy Bull, the genre-defying, reverb-loving, multiple fretted-instrument player whose sui-generis early albums—Fantasias For Guitar And Banjo (1963), Inventions (1965) and E Pluribus Unum (1969), all released by Vanguard—inhabit emotional and timbral territories akin to those on Congo. The key difference beween Bull and Tavares is that Bull generally recorded alone, overdubbing all the instruments himself (though he occasionally worked with drummer Billy Higgins), and on seven of the nine tracks here, Tavares works with a band. But this is not readily apparent. "Cidade Sol 1" and "Congo 2," both made without the band, are near-ringers for Bull, but so are several of the group performances, too. Congo is vinyl-only label Hive Mind's second release, following the 2017 double LP Colours Of The Night by the Moroccan guimbri player Maalem Mahmoud Gania. Unlike Congo, the geographic and stylistic locus of Colours Of The Night's is unmistakable. But both albums, in their different ways, tap into the common ground between meditative, ambient and trance musics. A delightful disc.
Track Listing
Side A: Rosa Rio; Congo 1; De Roda; A Raposa E O Corvo. Side B: Yangon; Cidade Sol 1; Cidade Sol 2; Dezesseis; Congo 2.
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
We sent a confirmation message to . Look for it, then click the link to activate your account. If you don’t see the email in your inbox, check your spam, bulk or promotions folder.
Chris May is a senior editor of All About Jazz. He was previously the editor of the pioneering magazine Black Music & Jazz Review, and more recently editor of the style / culture / history magazine Jocks & Nerds.
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
