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Live Reviews
Jazz no Parque: July 15-17, 2011
John Kelman
With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.
July 17: David Maranha & Stephan Mathieu
A leisurely drive home left little time before pickup to another show at Fundação Serralves that was, however, not part of the Jazz no Parque series. Instead, just a regular part of the foundation's year-round programming in the same tennis court venue, two performances from electronic artists were as different from Laginha's show, the night before, as the architecture of the Serralves Villa is from its neighborhood surroundings.
From left: David Maranha, Stephan Mathieu
The opener, David Maranha and Stephan Matthieu, created an appealing drone that was strangely hypnotic, as the sun began setting over the tennis court. Maranha may have been playing an archaic instrument—the harpsichord—but by strategically placing a series of EBows inside the box on the strings, some so close together harmonically as to create a series of shifting pulses, he created an ebb and flow over which Mathieu's bowed viola drones layered, building a lengthy experiment that was, for the most part, successful.
Sylvain Chauveau's set, which followed, was somewhat less engaging. Mining drones, once again—and also utilizing EBows—Chauveau's work with a laptop and an acoustic guitar, laid flat on a table in front of him, had possibility, but perhaps because of the greater diversity of the previous set, didn't quite seem to work. Perhaps it would have worked better indoors also, as the wind began kicking up in the park, and it became uncharacteristically chilly for a night in July.
An outstanding meal at one of Porto's finer restaurants, DOP, finished off a final night that put a relaxing period on three days well-spent in Porto, marred only by the prospect of a 4:00am pickup for a 6:00am flight home the following morning.
Walking down to the Duoro River, Porto
Sleep may have been a precious commodity during that final night in Porto, but after three days of gorgeous weather, stunning scenery and architecture, captivating music, and almost unparalleled hospitality, one thing is certain: if Porto wants All About Jazz back for Jazz no Parque in 2012, it'll be there in a heartbeat.
Photo Credit
All Photos: John Kelman
