Harvey Wainapel – Amigos Brasileros – JazzMission Records 7001-53:57 ****1/2:
(Harvey Wainapel – clarinet, soprano sax & alto sax, along with 44 Brazilian and Brazilian- influenced fellow musicians)
My familiarity with Harvey Wainapel, the gifted Bay Area based saxophonist /clarinetist, had been limited to his mostly straight ahead recordings, especially his work either playing with or recording a tribute to jazz piano legend, Kenny Barron. I was not familiar with Harvey’s love and study of Brazilian genres – samba, baiao, choro, etc. that are explored in Harvey’s self-produced labor of love, Amigos Brasileiros. Recorded in three different Brazilian studios (including Rio and Sao Paulo) as well as in Berkeley and San Francisco with American based Brazilian artists, this CD shines with Wainapel’s love for Brazilian rhythms. Harvey contributed two original tracks and with the exception of three tracks – Sambadalu, Baiao do Porao, and Nem Mais un Pio – all the other seven tracks have never been professionally recorded before. Wainapel could have relied on more familiar Brazilian standards, but as evidenced by his love of study of Brazilian musical forms since the 1970s, he decided to introduce new material to a largely unfamiliar American audience.
The effort and love for his Brazilian friends pays off handsomely. As a newcomer to this music, I cannot make educated comments on the Brazilian rhythms and melodies here, but can comment on the joyous music presented on this CD. Played in large ensembles and more intimate-sized aggregations, Harvey’s clarinet prowess is in large display and fitting with the music introduced to the novice American ear. On the opening track, Wainapel plays in counterpoint with the brilliant Brazilian guitarist Marco Pereira. It is contagious samba. The addition of two percussionists elicits pure joy. The addition of a glass marimba to Dando Risada was Harvey’s idea and Sergio Santos’ guitar composition brings out the African influence in Brazilian music. California-based Carlos Oliveira is among Harvey’s closest Brazilian friends. The string-focused The Toada is a simply gorgeous blend of guitar, Wainapel’s moody clarinet, and Guello’s percussion with two violins, viola, and cello.
The samba Procurando um Caminho introduces a younger-based generation of artists with the electric bass of Eneias Xavier and Andre Queroz on drums. This track will be among the more “modern” sounding to those unfamiliar with the genres explored and Wainapel’s alto sax keeps pace with the younger musicians. Seven-string guitarist Ricardo Peixoto and vocalist Claudia Villela will be among the most recognized of all the musicians featured on this CD, as they are West Coast residents who have been featured in local jazz festivals. Their tribute to Brazilian legends Pixinguinha and Guinga is explored on the track, Pixinguinga. Northwest Brazilian jazz chords and meter changes are presented on Baiao do Porao and Wainapel is along for a wild ride with his soprano sax. Filo Machado is prominent here on electric guitar and voice.
Choro is a musical genre that has been getting airplay on the East Coast by Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen, and Sempre Voltando is a Wainapel original choro that adds to this Klezmer sounding genre. Another Wainapel original is A Garota da Garoa, in which Wainapel’s friend, Teco Cardoso shines on the baritone sax.
Among the most intriguing tracks is Arvore de Maca, (Apple Tree, a pun on Wainapel’s name), in that it features a young super group of 11 members of The Itibere Orquestra Familia, who compose and arrange their repertoire on the spot. This track was composed and arranged in a five-hour rehearsal in Rio. It would match up well with most any American creative music ensemble, and is brilliant for such a short “birth” process.
Our tour of Brazil is closed with a duo of Wainapel on clarinet and Andre Mehman on piano on Vivo Entre Valsas. It has a waltz feel punctuated by rapid duo runs. Wainapel has created a compendium of a Brazilian stew of native musical genres sure to please anyone wanting to experience the best that this intriguing country offers to an American audience that has had little exposure beyond Bossa Nova.
TrackList: Sambadalu, Dando Risada, A Toada, Procurando um Caminho, Pixinguinga, Balao do Porao, Sempre Voltando, A Garota da Garoa, Nem Mais um Pio, Arvore de Maca, Vivo Entre Valsas
— Jeff Krow
