Pianist and composer Brian Marsella leads an all-star octet including Cyro Baptista, Mark Feldman, Jon Irabagon performing Marsella's lyrical and upbeat compositions inspired by classical, jazz, and folkloric Brazilian music and influenced by composers from Ernesto Nazareth, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Pixinguinha to Baden Powell and Egberto Gismonti; irrepressible!
"Brian Marsella is finally being recognized as one of the most talented and imaginative pianists of his generation. A veteran of countless bands including Banquet of the Spirits and many projects with John Zorn, his recent recordings have been some of the most exciting music coming out of the NYC jazz scene. Here he leads an octet to perform his scintillating compositions inspired by classical, jazz, and folkloric Brazilian music. Influenced by composers from Ernesto Nazareth, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Pixinguinha to Baden Powell and Egberto Gismonti, Marsella combines samba, bossa-nova, choro and more. The band is an all-star unit and the arrangements are red hot, filled with catchy dance grooves and plenty of soloistic fireworks. This is Marsella at his best. Essential!"-Tzadik
"Brian Marsella is a powerful and imaginative pianist and composer who leads an octet on this recording to play a wide range of compositions inspired by Brazilian music. The band some of the best players on the modern jazz scene, and they make the most of the music with excellent ensemble playing and fiery solo sections. "Marakashtu" opens the album with complex and interesting rhythm from percussion and piano along with swooping violin, horns and flute adding a further layer of interest. There is a flute solo over bubbling percussion, as the pace of the music increases and grows more frenetic, with swaying violin and soaring sounds from the full ensemble. A quieter section for piano and drums takes place, building speed bit by bit, in a fluid and organic manner, flush with color and vibrancy with a billowing saxophone interlude adding to the fun. Gently opened with vocals adding a lush feeling is "Lamento," taken at a medium tempo, using subtle and alluring long wordless passages with accordion to create deep texture. A supple saxophone solo in the midsection leads back to the deep melodic nature of the theme with the full band weaving together very well. "Fire the Pandeiro Player" has sweet uptempo band playing with flute at the front, displaying a warm and witty sound, keeping the music flowing as does a cascading piano solo from the leader. The undulating rhythm section is also key to the success of this track, giving a firm foundation for the soloists to soar over, and then everybody hits a wonderful double time passage to conclude the song. Rippling piano and drums open "O Balanco Das Corredeiras" leading to an abstract section of sound dynamically swooping and dropping. A nice section builds for acoustic guitar and percussion creating a nimble sound, then a soaring saxophone breaks out with a majestic sounding feature over complex accompaniment, before a then a lights out speed run for piano, bass and drums. "Meu Doce De Abobora" develops complex percussion, with many instruments including piano playing in excellent rhythm, flute adding further texture and depth, creating a moderately fast and very interesting groove. Another beautiful flute feature takes place with a clear tone and sound rising above the powerful rhythm section. Swaying quickly and then dropping down to a quiet and graceful guitar interlude, "O Touro Choro" is gracefully played with brushed drumming and soft piano which takes a fine solo of its own all before returning to the simmering theme. "Gratidao" concludes the album with a return to vocals with piano, creating an intimate duet before the rest of the band gradually enters, the music is graceful with guitar accents alongside accordion. This album worked quite well and it is clear that this was a full meeting like minded individuals. The group traveled through different styles and traditions of Brazilian music, but also keep in mind the improvisation based nature of the jazz tradition."-Tim Niland, Jazz and Blues Blogspot