Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Maria Jameau and Blue Brazil: Gema

Maria Jameau and Blue Brazil: Gema

By C. Michael Bailey
July 2, 2011
Sign in to view read count

Track review of "Malaika"

Gema is Maria Jameau's collection of Brazilian, Spanish, and African tunes, with the ostensible intention of showing how big the folk musical tent is. Jameau and her band, Blue Brazil, are centered in the culturally-rich Sonoma County, where the muse is strong for an organic mix of musical influences, all thickened with the roux of Mother Africa. The regions of origin for a given selection is easily identified, but there exists a rhythmic thread passing through all of this music like the Biblical remnant of Christian tradition.

Amongst these eleven songs emerges the enlightening Kenyan pop song, "Malaika." Surrounded by plush samba and Spanish beats, something more basic and fecund blooms, stripping away regional artifice to reveal that all these musics have in common: the harmony and rhythm—the life pulse. In "Malaika" can be heard plainchant, chansons and European folk tunes as well as native American and Canadian songs. Jameau beautifully renders this piece so it will teach those commonalities among us all.

Personnel

Maria Jameau: vocals; Pablo Rodriguez: acoustic guitar, vocals; Nate Lopez: Electric 8-string hybrid bass, guitar; jacob Harris: percussion, vocals; Bob Afifi: flute.

Album information

Title: Gema | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Challenge Records

< Previous
TD Toronto Jazz Festival, Days 1-3: J...

Next >
Goran Kajfes: X/Y

Comments

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

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.