“Faina has proven to be a master at transcending or, in other words, ignoring genre boundaries. His work is so authentic
and unpredictable that it is impossible to pinpoint a specific musical reference. Think of a kaleidoscopic cross-fertilization
of Donald Byrd Band & Voices, Robert Moran, Miles Davis, John Barry, Arvo Pärt, Zappa, Boris Kovač and John Adams,
although I could name many others. These Different Roots are all grounding in the same soil, a fertile soil from which an
astonishing amount of mesmerizing beauty is harvested in an exciting, cinematic and poetic way”. Read more.
JAN WILLEM BROEK – THE SUBJECTIVISTEN (NL).
“And now for something completely different! (…) Jazz, classical-contemporary music and literature. Rodrigo Faina and
Change Ensemble ties it all together with a superb interpretation and wonderful improvisations, as Guillermo Celano’s
guitar solo on “A room full of people”, wow! Rodrigo Faina and Change Ensemble know how to be both energetic and
perfectly calm and mysterious. A great example how inspiration for good music can emerge anywhere”. Read more.
JEAN-CLAUDE VANTROYEN – LE MAD / LE SEOIR (BE).
“Faina jumps all limits in favor of beauty, the most intimate sense of beauty. (…) The Argentinean musician Rodrigo Faina is
accompanied by a prestigious ensemble of soloists who have fused their sounds at the service of his exuberant artistic
imagination, which is not afraid to take risks, in a record with South American perfume and universal projection”. Read
more.
MIGUEL GARCIA URBANI – MAS JAZZ MAGAZINE (ES)
“Faina’s grand themes float by like huge, tottering banks of cumulus, while spoken passages from books by Jorge Luis
Borges and Julio Cortazar, narrated in a voice reminiscent of Laurie Anderson, lend a curiously dreamlike feel”. Read more.
DANIEL SPICER – THE WIRE (UK).
“At an imaginary point of intersection where memories, roots, creativity and the literary works of Borges converge, the
majestic album by Rodrigo Faina & Change Ensemble rises majestically.
Rodrigo Faina, in his fascinating Different Roots, has evoked his memories and musical roots to shape his own art through
a consecratory, profound work of undeniable aesthetic qualities”. Read more.
SERGIO PICCIRILLI – EL INTRUSO (US)
“Through the almost 50 minutes of gratifying duration of the album, Faina masterfully achieves an esoteric alchemy
between Neue Musik, jazz and tango. During this period the listener remains immobile, hypnotized in an infinite space,
absorbed in the contemplation of a wonderful and incredible transmutation from which it is impossible to escape.
Faina’s aesthetic leads to an emotional, lyrical and ineffable state of mind that keeps us in suspense (…) There is a very
peculiar dreamlike gesture in the pieces that makes them absolutely beautiful, genuine, and because of the improvised
material, unrepeatable.
But it is useless to look for concrete influences. Just as the effigies of passersby fade into the urban landscape, turning into
unrecognizable shadows in the design of the album cover (…) That’s how subliminal is Faina´s tireless search until he
finds the relationship between poetry and music. The roots of his creativity transcend specific names and musical trends,
to deliver a sensual and infinite splendor”. Read more.
JUAN CARLOS TELLECHEA – MUNDO CLÁSICO (ES)
“This album is proof of the beautiful music that is being made under the radar in The Netherlands.
The Argentinean composer and guitarist Rodrigo Faina cannot be pigeonholed (…) In his music we can hear tango
influences, but they do not appear in an obvious or forced way. Faina processes them with a substantial amount of modern
classical, film, rock and jazz music in an absolutely unique mix that sounds immediately fascinating”. Read more.
HERMAN TE LOO – JAZZFLITS (NL)
“The spiritual setting of Opening leads to Deep, Dar and Blue, a first action scene in slow motion with wordless singing
and cymbals as anchor points. From here on the color palette becomes more and more varied. A Room Full of People is a
turning point of epic grandeur with a thoughtful and shocking crescendo structure full of improvisation effects (the guitar
solo!). The absolute queen piece. (…)
Different Roots, conceptual album or playful listening? Both, and it works thanks to the composer’s inventiveness and the
ensemble’s masterful performance”.Read more.
GEORGES TONLA BRIQUET – JAZZ HALO (BE)
“Rodrigo Faina is an Argentinian composer and guitarist who has delivered a beautiful record (…) He knows perfectly how
to make use of the sound possibilities of the large and diverse orchestra in an often surprising way. It is delightful how
delicate echoes of Argentinean tango resound in his compositions, with that typical melancholy in the melodic lines. And it
is also extraordinary how Faina can make so much happen at the same time, and still make the music sound like a whole”.
Read more.
MISCHA ANDRIESSEN – TROUW (NL)
“As in a chess game, the Change Ensemble displays a wide spectrum of timbre possibilities, explored by Faina in a
creative and elegant way, balancing the rigorously written compositions with the improvisations that emerge from it”.
Read more.
ANTÓNIO BRANCO – JAZZ.PT (PT)
“With an instrumental cast on the border of a jazz big band and a classical orchestra, an almost insatiable space was
created, where it was possible to include all types of improvisation to the melodic vault; from free collective forms, often
wild, to captivating individual solos instruments over chord changes. And there was enough space left for colourful chords
and rich-timbre instrumental passages with the full ensemble, often divided into minimalist figures.
In his changeable moods, the New Tango (whose symbol, Astor Piazzolla was born exactly one hundred years ago),
cinematic drama, and the sound of a hard bop big band are perfectly mixed.
For me, the strongest album so far this year !” Read More
JAN HOCEK – HIS VOICE (CZ)
“Different Roots crosses many boundaries and categories. Within this context, Faina proves to be a composer who dares
to confront his progressive ideas in the way a composer of contemporary music conveys his visions. This artistry is an
important element of the artistic beauty that Different Roots evokes.
Rodrigo Faina has succeeded in letting his emotional world encompassing the past and present resonate in a music that
forges a subtle alliance between authoritative Western and South American musical expression, philosophy and literature.
The CD title Different Roots says it all. Rodrigo Faina has followed innumerable people in their forging of diverse music
cultures. With varying results. However, Rodrigo Faina’s attempt is rock solid. His weld between music and culture is one
of a kind because of his modesty. Simply because it gives greatness to this special album”. Read More.
RINUS VAN DER HEIJDEN – JAZZNU (NL)
“Sonic expositions that use the different timbres of a rich instrumentation to provide the listener a full and fascinating
experience”. Read more.
DEBBIE BURKE – JAZZ AUTHOR (US).
Show less
