Bem Brasileiro

Album Review

There are many talented improvisers who, unfortunately, don't record often enough. But that was not a problem for Gaudencio Thiago de Mello in the 2000s, a decade that found the veteran Brazilian percussionist/composer recording frequently. Of course, quantity for the sake of quantity is not a good thing, but a musician who has a lot to say musically should be documented on CD a lot — and de Mello had a lot to say musically in the 2000s, offering both quality and quantity. One of de Mello's solid albums of the 2000s is Bem Brasileiro, Com Alguns Sotaques, a 2005 release that de Mello co-produced with violinist/guitarist Flavio Goulart. The musicians on this 72-minute Brazilian jazz CD (many of them based in Brazil, some of them based in the United States) vary from track to track, and de Mello is joined by a long list of noteworthy soloists that includes, among others, Goulart, trumpeter/flugelhornist Nilton Rodrigues, trombonist Roberto Marques, alto saxophonists Idriss Boudrioua and Carlos Malta, and pianists Haroldo Mauro, Jr. and Cliff Korman. But de Mello is in the driver's seat; he wrote all 14 of the tracks himself, and he does more than anyone to set the tone of the entirely instrumental album. De Mello sees to it that Bem Brasileiro, Com Alguns Sotaques is rhythmic (in a distinctly Brazilian way) yet melodic; the performances swing, but not aggressively — and lyrical solos are the rule on inviting tracks like "Saltimbanco," "Brother, Give Me a Hand," "Todo Azul," and "Tem Zodó No Meu Xaxado." Accessibility always prevails on the consistently pleasing Bem Brasileiro, Com Alguns Sotaques.