recommendations: June 2008 Archives

Jovino Santos Neto, Alma do Nordeste (Adventure Music). Based for some years in Seattle, the pianist, flutist and composer returns to his native Brazil and collaborates with eleven of his countrymen. The music is based in the baiãos, forrós, xotes and other rich forms of Northeastern Brazil. It is intensely rhythmic, melodic and full of adventure. Indigenous percussion and stringed instruments meld beautifully with Santos Neto's jazz concepts. Once you've heard Toninho Ferragutti's playing in the tradition of the great Sivuca, you may think twice before you tell your next accordion joke.

Ed Reed, The Song Is You (Blue Shorts). His career was derailed by a troubled life, but as he approaches his eightieth year, Reed's second CD confirms that he is a singer who serves the song. Not a great vocal technician, he specializes in phrasing and interpretation that penetrate to the heart and meaning of lyrics. Among thirteen well-chosen songs, the title tune and "Lucky To Be Me" are essential performances. The small band led by Peck Allmond includes Russell George, once a superb bassist, now an equally good violinist.

Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Classified (Koch). The band headed by bassist/trombonist Chris and drummer Dan Brubeck is in top form on seven new quartet compositions, an impressive chamber suite and a stirring ensemble version of their father's "Blue Rondo a la Turk." Guitarist Mike DeMicco, pianist Chuck Lamb and the brothers have become one of the tightest ensembles in jazz without losing their sense of surprise, even abandon. When they combine with the Imani Winds for Chris Brubeck's three-movement "Vignettes for Nonet," they introduce a substantial new concert piece full of rich textures and rhythms.

Fever, The Music of Peggy Lee (Capitol). This quasi-documentary sketches Peggy Lee's life and career. Its greatest contribution is the use of performance clips, interviews and informal films to create a portrait of a gifted artist whose human warmth matched her talent. She was terrific even in a shampoo commercial. Her first husband, the guitarist Dave Barbour, remained her great love even beyond their divorce. The bonus clip of Lee singing "I Only Have Eyes for You" to Barbour as he accompanies her underlines the heartbreaking story better than the script does in the main section.

Katie Hafner, A Romance on Three Legs (Bloomsbury). The story of Glenn Gould's search for the perfect piano allows us to know the great pianist--and great eccentric--a little better. The book is a superb piece of reporting, its subtext a meditation on the compelling nature of music and its ability to inspire obsession.