Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rodrigo Lima: Saga

25

Rodrigo Lima: Saga

By

Sign in to view read count
Rodrigo Lima: Saga


"I fell in love with the jazz guitar—all kinds of jazz guitarists, from Jim Hall to Pat Metheny to Luis Bonfá, by listening to their records," explains Brazilian composer, arranger, bandleader and guitarist Rodrigo Lima. Saga luxuriously extends this jazz guitar love affair across the American and Brazilian continents—it was recorded in New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba—and across the two CDs of Lima's utterly magnificent recorded debut.

Producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro elegantly (but not overly) produced Saga into the warm and lush yet concise jazz sound of the best CTI Records, Verve Records and other Creed Taylor productions, and teamed with Lima to assemble an all-star ensemble for these sessions: It features guest appearances by clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen flutist Hubert Laws, vocalist Ithamara Koorax, vibes player Mike Mainieri and arranger and conductor Don Sebesky, plus two songs specifically composed for Saga by Brazilian musical legend Hermeto Pascoal. Except for Pascoal's songs, Lima either wrote or co-wrote every tune.

"Brahms," a twenty minute Brazilian jazz interpretation of Brahms' Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Movement 3, is the centerpiece of this set, a genuine triumph of musicianship and taste that Lima describes it as "a gift for our friend Raul De Souza," who is given two choruses to improvise on trombone. Lima's acoustic guitar rings as clear as a harp, overflowing with Metheny's gentle soul and Hall's direct warmth but with a passionate almost wild element in his playing too. Everything about "Brahms"—the drummer's pliant but insistent beat, the vibes' and keyboards' cool and rippling sounds—fits together perfectly.

"Both Rodrigo and I are big fans of the late guitarist Jim Hall—especially his Concierto album for CTI, which includes a 20-minute jazz version of Joaquin Rodrigo's 'Concerto de Aranjuez," DeSouterio explains. "That track was the basic inspiration for our adaptation of Brahms' Symphony No. 3 in terms of having great improvisers doing loose solos over a sumptuous composition."

Even better, there are also sixteen other compositions to enjoy. In "Flying Waltz," Laws' flute solo and Lima's acoustic guitar solo each seem to breathlessly hover above Sebesky's pliant, heavenly string arrangement, which he conducts himself; eight minutes opens up just enough time for "Flying Waltz" to lugubriously meander in and out of your ears, like a country stream with no particular place to go.

Uruguayan keyboardist Hugo Fattoruso, who has played so long with so many Brazilian musicians that most people assume he's also from Brazil, further illuminates several tunes: His harpsichord dazzles "Brasileirão" with a melody as nimble as "The Flight of the Bumblebee" and lends a new sound to the lively fusion jazz "Samba da Mistura," while his synthesizer explores the colorful outer limits and inner corners of the quicksilver "OPA!," quicksilver jazz-rock fusion named by Lima to honor the jazz-rock fusion band that Fattoruso led in the 1970s and 80s.

There is so much more to write about if there were only space and time. "It was a very special joy to work with Rodrigo Lima," DeSouteiro concludes. "He's one of the most talented composers and instrumentalists I've ever met. His creativity is astonishing. For sure, Saga is one of the best albums I've ever produced." After even just one listen, you will be sure to agree.

Track Listing

Disc 1: Canção Praieira; Novos Cariocas (Anat's Song); A La Vuelta; Brasileirão; Flying Waltz; Altinho; Vida Nova; Pilotos; Opa!; Ânima 2; Palinha do Vinho. Disc 2: Brahms; Porta Aflora; A Velha Sozinha; Tango; Samba da Mistura; Nosso Borogodó Coió.

Personnel

Rodrigo Lima
guitar, acoustic
Hugo Fattoruso
multi-instrumentalist
Don Sebesky
arranger
Hubert Laws
woodwinds
Mike Mainieri
vibraphone
Raul De Souza
trombone
Anat Cohen
clarinet
Sammy Figueroa
percussion
Jamil Joanes
bass, electric
Sérgio Barrozo
bass, acoustic

Alice Hamlet: cello; Gene Back: violin; Luis Barcelos: bandolim, cavaquinho; Sergio Barroso: acoustic bass; Sofia Ceccato: flute; Anat Cohen: clarinet, tenor sax; Laudir DeOliveira: congas, cuica, percussion; Arnaldo DeSouteiro: arranger, bells, percussion, voices; Hugo Fattoruso: accordion, harpsichord, acoustic piano, electric piano, synthesizer; Sammy Figueroa: percussion; Frank Herzberg: arco bass, acoustic bass; Jamil Joanes: electric bass; Ithamara Koorax: vocals; Hubert Laws: alto flute, flute; Rodrigo Lima: charango, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, piano, triangle, viola caipira, vocals, whistle; Carol Ma: violin; Cesar Machado: drums; Mike Mainieri: vibraphone; Lulu Martin: electric piano; Aline Morena: vocals; Débora Nascimento: bassoon; Zé Eduardo Nazario: caxixi, drums, percussion, tabla, vocals; João Palma: drums, voices; Carol Panesi: flugelhorn, keyboards, trumpet, violin; Hermeto Pascoal: melodica, piano, voices; Janaina Botelho Perotto: oboe; Kerrick Sasaki: viola; Don Sebesky: arranger, conductor, string arrangements; Raul de Souza: trombone; Trio Capitu; Ajurinã Zwarg: drums, soprano sax; Itibere Zwarg: electric bass, cello; Mariana Zwarg: flute, piccolo, tenor sax.

Album information

Title: Saga | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Jazz Station Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter 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.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.