Throughout the past 40 years, Antonio Adolfo has had a busy career as a pianist, composer and arranger. A jazz pianist since the mid-1960s in Brazil, Adolfo worked with such major singers as Leny Andrade, Flora Purim, Elis Regina and Milton Nascimento and has recorded more than 25 albums as a leader. A major name for decades, his music combines together Brazilian rhythmic styles with jazz. His previous recording, Antonio Adolfo “HYBRIDO – From Rio to Wayne Shorter,” was a 2018 Grammy finalist. As a bandleader, Antonio Adolfo has mostly been featured with small groups that showcase his music and his solo abilities. However he has long considered it a major goal to someday record an album with a larger ensemble, a big band that had a full understanding of both Brazilian music and jazz. So, when he attended a concert being performed by Orquestra Atlantica, a Brazilian jazz orchestra formed in 2012, he knew that he had found the right musicians to work with.
The result is 9 of Adolfo’s own compositions, plus “Milestones” by Miles Davies, are given the Brazilian big band treatment. With up to 7 horns at his disposal, plus guests, it has allowed Adolfo to push his music to its limits as he combines his delicate and melodic piano with the backing of musicians who are all used to playing together within this style. The only thing that really lets this down are the wordless vocals which feature on the first few tracks which are reminiscent of 70’s cinema advert music and I could really have done with that. But, luckily they are absent for the rest of the album, which is fully of joy and sunshine, a perfect summer jazz album which makes me smile. It is easy to listen to, without ever becoming easy listening, as samba, bossa nova and other South American styles make themselves fully at home in jazz.
Rating: 7/10
