Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble: The Lullaby Project

2

Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble: The Lullaby Project

By

View read count
Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble: The Lullaby Project
The five profound and picturesque lullabies on Brazilian-born, Massachusetts-based composer-arranger Felipe Salles' new CD, The Lullaby Project, are followed by three tango-inspired themes whose texture mirrors the bright and rhythmic musical landscape of his native country and southern neighbor Argentina. Salles' concepts are brought vividly to life by the nineteen-piece Interconnections Ensemble which has no trouble navigating his often intricate scores, whose essence ranges from Baroque to modern classical motifs, and from jazz to Brazilian folk music.

Those who equate lullabies with Johannes Brahms will no doubt be surprised to hear that Salles' approach to the genre is somewhat more diverse and quite a bit more assertive. Yes, there are moments of calmness and repose (as on #3 in particular) but the over-arching mood is one of liveliness and power (#5, for example, swings persistently using, among other things, what seem to be unbilled bandoneons). In other words, these are not your standard-issue lullabies. And even though each of his arrangements is through-written, Salles leaves ample room for improvisation with an admirable solo (or two) on every lullaby; he even enlivens the party himself with a crisp soprano solo on the seductive finale, "Carla's Tango." Tenor Jacob Shulman and trumpeter Doug Olsen are front and center on "Lullaby #1," bass trombonist Angel Subero and guitarist Kevin Grudecki on "#2," Olsen, tenor Mike Caudill and vibraphonist Ryan Fedak on "#3," baritone saxophonist Tyler Burchfield and trumpeter Eric Smith on "#4," alto Jonathan Ball and pianist Nando Michelin on #5.

The tangos, on the other hand, are more even-tempered than one might expect, with Caudill and trombonist Dan Hendrix sharing solo space on the aptly named "Odd Tango," while soprano Richard Garcia embraces the spotlight on the leisurely yet picturesque "Astor Square" (written for Argentinian tango master Astor Piazzolla). "Carla's Tango" is another arrangement which upends the supposition that every tango must be light-hearted and hurried, as it is neither. Michelin also solos here along with Salles. Salles wrote The Lullaby Project with a game plan in mind: to create a musical commentary on the dark underlying qualities of lullabies, and choosing "to express those qualities through instrumental music. . ." As the melodies are slowly revealed, he adds, "the musical context creates a sense of evolutionary inevitability where it is possible for traditional and contemporary musical elements to meet and co-exist."

No argument here. It is, after all, Salles' plan. Does he succeed? That is for the listener to decide. What can be noted is that The Lullaby Project is well-conceived, well-written and well-performed. Its acceptance rests for the most part on one's fondness for Latin music in general and lullabies in particular, no matter what the framework.

Track Listing

Lullaby #1; Lullaby #2; Lullaby #3; Lullaby #4; Lullaby #5; Odd Tango; Astor Square; Carla’s Tango.

Personnel

Felipe Salles
saxophone, tenor

Felipe Salles: composer, arranger, conductor, soprano sax (8); Jeff Holmes: trumpet, flugelhorn; Yuta Yamaguchi: trumpet, flugelhorn; Eric Smith: trumpet, flugelhorn; Doug Olsen: trumpet, flugelhorn; Richard Garcia: alto, soprano sax, flute; Jonathan Ball: alto, soprano sax, flute; Mike Caudill: tenor, soprano sax, clarinet; Jacob Shulman: tenor sax, clarinet; Tyler Burchfield: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Joel Yennior: trombone; Clayton DeWalt: trombone (1-5, 7); Dan Hendrix: trombone (6, 8); Randy Pingrey: trombone; Angel Subero: bass trombone; Nando Michelin: piano, melodica; Kevin Grudecki: guitar; Ryan Fedak: vibraphone; Keala Kaumeheiwa: bass; Bertram Lehmann: drums.

Album information

Title: The Lullaby Project | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.