Marco Pereira & Paul McCandless - Essence

Beautiful release by the brasilian guitarist and composer Marco Pereira, believed by many to be the best brasilian guitarist after Baden Powell. 

In this album he teams up with Paul McCandless, a horn and woodwind virtuoso. Natallino Neto plays bass guitar and Marcio Bahia plays drums and percussions, providing a solid rythmic base. Pereira is a phenomenal guitarist from Sao Paolo with a strong classical and jazz background.

"Essence" features composers such as Cesar Mariano, Nelson Cavaquinho, Baden Powell, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto.

Pereira's guitar technique is always bright, brilliant and flawless while McCandless is just gorgeous on bass clarinet, English horn and 

 soprano saxophone. It is a refined and exquisite work recorded for Kind of Blue at the Maxine Studio in Milan, Italy.

Buon Ascolto

Carli Muñoz - Follow Me

Carli Muñoz is a Puerto Rican pianist  with a strong technical background who has played with many world famous jazz musicians.

His latest release "Follow Me" is a challenging mix of blues, world music, jazz, with a dash of pop. It is written around the idea of a call to action towards a more sustainable world; all compositions are inspired by the iconic, great woman who won the Nobel prize for Peace, Wangari Maathai and the fabulous track named after her features quotes such as "The generation that has destroyed the environment is not the one that will pay the price" and touches of hope as "When we plant trees we plant seeds of hope".

The album is arranged in a sublime way: Muñoz's piano virtuosity, the ever so precise and classy horn section, with the powerful contribution by Eddy Gomez on bass guitar and Billy Drummond on drums deliver a top class record. It is a refined combination of instumental and vocal music that he plays with care, certitude and truthfulness.

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Violaine Cochard, Édouard Ferlet - Plucked'N Dance

                 

Swirling, playful and sometimes flooring, this is the music in Violaine Cochard and  Édouard Ferlet's latest work. 

Piano and harpsicord are related instruments but very different for sound and timbre, yet the alchemy that this duo presents makes us perceive them as one, astonishing instrument. 

Improvising has been a common practice since the Baroque era and this release proves how it is possible to improvise on counterpoint in a brilliant and ever-original way.

The chemistry between the two instruments is unbelievable. The harpsicord's rigour against the swing inclination of the pianist, bonded by a seldom-seen complicity between musicians, create a really unique atmosphere. 

From Rameau to Satie, with original compositions as well, this is an unexpected journey full of magic.
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