Drummer Alfredo Dias Gomes releases a new album after recording and accompanying Hermeto Pascoal and Ivan Lins.
—Fábio Cezanne
Accompanied by a respected team of musicians (Jesse Sadoc, trumpet and flugelhorn; David Feldman, piano; Jefferson Lescowich, acoustic bass), Rio de Janeiro drummer Alfredo Dias Gomes released Tributo a Elvin Jones. Recorded in his home studio with sound engineer Thiago Kropf, the album arrived on digital platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon and YouTube Music) on March 1st.
“The fascination with Elvin Jones’ style is longstanding,” says Gomes. “The first time I saw him play was on a VHS video tape, back in the '80s. He played jazz, but in a different way, with a vigorous style, with a rock feel. This fascinated me, especially because at that time I played fusion.” Since then, the desire to record Elvin Jones's music has matured. When researching the drummer, Gomes realized that 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of his death (May 18, 2004). It was then that he decided to pay tribute.
During the recording of the album, Alfredo Dias Gomes made special adjustments to his drums to capture Elvin Jones' unique style. “To record the album, I changed all the tuning, loosened the bass drum head and tuned it in the style of Elvin’s sound.” These modifications allowed Gomes to reproduce the style of the renowned jazz drummer.
In the repertoire of the album Tributo a Elvin Jones", Alfredo selected some of the drummer's iconic songs such as “Three Card Molly", “Whatever Possessed Me", “Someone's Rocking My Jazzboat", “October Child" and “Day and Night". In addition to these songs, the album features an original composition by Gomes, entitled “Drum Solo & Duo". This track features bassist Jefferson Lescowich.
In his solo discography, Alfredo has released thirteen albums: Metrópole (2021), Jazz Standards (2020), Solar (2019), JAM (2018), Tribute to Don Alias (2017), Pulse (2016), Looking Back (2015), Corona Borealis (2010 ), Groove (2005), ECOS (2000), Atmosfera (1996, with participation by Frank Gambale), Alfredo Dias Gomes (1991, with the special participation of Ivan Lins). And the singles (A Lenda, from 2023, Vou Deitar e Rolar, from 2020, and Serviço Secreto, from 1985).
“The fascination with Elvin Jones’ style is longstanding,” says Gomes. “The first time I saw him play was on a VHS video tape, back in the '80s. He played jazz, but in a different way, with a vigorous style, with a rock feel. This fascinated me, especially because at that time I played fusion.” Since then, the desire to record Elvin Jones's music has matured. When researching the drummer, Gomes realized that 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of his death (May 18, 2004). It was then that he decided to pay tribute.
During the recording of the album, Alfredo Dias Gomes made special adjustments to his drums to capture Elvin Jones' unique style. “To record the album, I changed all the tuning, loosened the bass drum head and tuned it in the style of Elvin’s sound.” These modifications allowed Gomes to reproduce the style of the renowned jazz drummer.
In the repertoire of the album Tributo a Elvin Jones", Alfredo selected some of the drummer's iconic songs such as “Three Card Molly", “Whatever Possessed Me", “Someone's Rocking My Jazzboat", “October Child" and “Day and Night". In addition to these songs, the album features an original composition by Gomes, entitled “Drum Solo & Duo". This track features bassist Jefferson Lescowich.
Alfredo Dias Gomes
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Alfredo Dias Gomes made his professional debut in instrumental music at the age of 18, playing in Hermeto Pascoal's band, with whom he recorded the album Cérebro Magnético and participated in numerous shows, with emphasis on the “II International Jazz Festival from São Paulo". He also played and recorded with Márcio Montarroyos, Ricardo Silveira, Arthur Maia, Nico Assumpção, Ivan Lins and many others, in addition to participating in the first formation of the group Heróis da Resistência.In his solo discography, Alfredo has released thirteen albums: Metrópole (2021), Jazz Standards (2020), Solar (2019), JAM (2018), Tribute to Don Alias (2017), Pulse (2016), Looking Back (2015), Corona Borealis (2010 ), Groove (2005), ECOS (2000), Atmosfera (1996, with participation by Frank Gambale), Alfredo Dias Gomes (1991, with the special participation of Ivan Lins). And the singles (A Lenda, from 2023, Vou Deitar e Rolar, from 2020, and Serviço Secreto, from 1985).
