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Mayita Dinos: The Garden Is My Stage
ByCooperating closely with guitarist and arranger Dori Amarilio, Dinos seasons every selection presented with the unifying clave rhythm of Brazilian music, languid, humid, sexy. The singer demonstrates how seamlessly the jazz songbook can be adapted to this humid lyric sway. The disc opens with Charlie Parker's "Ornithology," with lyrics penned by Dinos. So convincing is this performance that it is difficult not to argue a presence of this clave-driven soul in the collective unconscious of all music. Dinos extrapolates the same spirit to Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica,' "Lullaby of the Leaves," and "Willow Weep for Me." In all cases, these sound jazz standards are further transformed into an easy Bossa Nova, one that is living and breathing and creating.
The original Bossa Nova pieces: "Un pais con el nombre de un rio," "Double Rainbow," and "Agua de beber" are lushly presented, Dinos' perfectly balanced voice cushioned carefully by a sensitive and capable rhythm section. Michael Hunter's deft flugelhorn echoes this lushness on a lightly swinging take on Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower." Inspired, Dinos takes a lyric from Federico Garcia Lorca to compose "La Lola," performed in a duet with bassist Gabe Davis. It is a spectacular exposition lasting just under two minutes. But, what a two minutes. The disc's showstopper is Dinos' edgy delivery of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," given a cutting rock edge by Amarilio that sizzles and dances: it's time to get back to the garden, indeed. If this is a debut, the future holds great things for Mayita Dinos.
Track Listing
Orinthology; Come Back As A Flower; Pannonica; Woodstock; Lullaby of the Leaves; Un pais con el nombre de un rio; Little Sunflower; Double Rainbow; La Lola; A Flower is a Lovesome Thing; Spanish Harlem; Willow Weep for Me; Agua de beber.
Personnel
Mayita Dinos
vocalsGabe Davis
bass, acousticHussain Jiffry
bass, electricDori Amarillo
guitarBill Cantos
pianoRich Eames
pianoSteve Haas
drumsMichael Hunter
trumpetRicardo "Tiki" Pasillas
drumsAlex Budman
fluteAlbum information
Title: The Garden Is My Stage | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Dash Hoffman Records
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