Just gotta say, Mr. Hermano's album, "Free As The
Morning Sun," is most definitely one of my top albums
of the summer. The title track -- a reworking of the
Santana classic with a 32-member gospel choir -- has
made many DJ playlists already but it's the nine other
cuts on the album that really showcase this duo and
their collective of musicians.
Think Da Lata strained through a great jazzy filter
and touched up with frentic, explosive rhythms from
the likes of Rainer Truby or Jazzanova. Except this
has such a live feel to it and the piano workouts by
Mark Edwards are beautiful and blistering! The warm
Mediterranean uncorked.
I can't say enough good things about this LP. Ben
Mitchell (from Sao Benitez) and Chris Fleming (Laws of
Motion) have produced an amazing modern bossa soul
album. My standout right now is Jugando Con Fuego Pts
I & II -- a well over 10-minute combo track that
builds slowly from Edwards' soft piano licks and the
flamenco-esque guitar work of Enrick Adams to a
rolling percussion fest then back to its subterranean
beginning. Billie Godfrey on vocals is breathy and
hypnotic in the background.
While in Chicago this past weekend, I also picked up
their first album, O Globo, which doesn't feature
Edwards on piano and tends to be a bit more abstract
jazz. But there are some great downtempo numbers too.
Bottomline: This album is a must for any collection.
Enjoy.
-B-
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Aug 06 2001 - 23:59:50 CEST