Sep 19 2015
Recommended: Carlos Falanga – “Gran Coral”
There’s an anthemic quality to Gran Coral, of embraceable songs that could thrive in the mainstream even while expressing the peculiarities and personality traits that target the ears of listeners who crave something a little different. On his debut, drummer Carlos Falanga and his quartet carry this out by leading with potent melodies, the kind that sound familiar from the very first moment, and a series of inviting cadences that make it so simple and fun to follow right along.
Opening track “Tilos” is immediate evidence of this approach, possessing an infectious, playful bounce for a tempo and a melody that serves as both grand statement and launching pad for further exploration. Title-track “Gran Coral” stays that course, as the quartet shifts down a gear and slips into an easy gait that is more representative of this body of work.
The way that Marco Mezquida switches between piano and organ is particularly appealing. When piano, it’s a precise beauty cut from stone and when organ, it’s a hazy beauty shaped from clay. In both instances, he relays the melody with a care and attention that speaks directly to the music’s immense charm.
On “Lombardo,” Mezquida’s piano turns the melody into an elastic object and Falanga’s drums prod the pianist on further by retrofitting the tempo to lock in to a framework that possesses an irresistible looseness, as if it the song might shake loose from its emerging form and become something else dramatically different. “Blonde” does this, too, and adds a bit of twang to the mix, giving the beaming melody a wry smile.
It’s refreshing how Jordi Matas articulates the melody with short, crisp bits of dialog, shaping notes with his electric guitar as a series of stand-alone sounds that just so happen to string together and form a catchy little melody. It occurs too often on too many recordings that the electric guitar is unleashed and then it becomes no longer about the melody itself but the intensity generated by eclipsing it. Matas never lets that scenario play out on Gran Coral, and the album is much stronger for that decision.
Even on “Azul,” the sole album track that really shakes things up, the display of uninhibited expressiveness on electric guitar remains on the same page as the rest of the quartet on a song that is all about cool blues.
“59” is especially arresting in the way the quartet keeps building the song up by layering variations of the same melodic fragment, and giving the ear something familiar to hold onto while anticipating the slight changes the next expression will bring. This, added to the buoyant tempo that maintains a casual ease even while moving at a brisk pace makes the tune something bordering on addictive. “Memory of Water” takes a similar approach to layering, but it’s the harmonic washes that make it so compelling, and instead of addictive properties, it is far more likely to enchant.
On “Snus,” bassist Jaume Llombart makes his presence felt by answering the falling rain of Matas’s guitar with big splashes through the puddles. They both follow the melody’s path, taking turns with organ as to whom grabs the role of recitation while the other writes the next chapter of the melody’s story.
The endearingly casual tempo and alluring, catchy melody of “Grown Garden” finishes the album off with the same qualities that served it so well throughout. The concluding song adds a bit of a melancholy tone, providing a nice touch of dark clouds to these bright and sunny songs.
Just a real likable album, and for a debut, a very strong statement of promise for what’s to come.
Your album personnel: Carlos Falanga (drums), Jordi Matas (guitar), Marco Mezquida (piano, organ) and Jaume Llombart (electric bass).
Released on Underpool Music.
Listen to more of this album at Underpool’s Bandcamp page.
Jazz from the Barcelona, Spain scene.
Available at: Bandcamp | eMusic | Amazon
Sep 20 2015
Jazz in Kentucky: São Paulo Underground at Dreamland
If you’re in or around Louisville, KY today, you’ll want to catch the São Paulo Underground at Dreamland. This Sept. 20, 2015 show starts at 8pm. It’s likely to be one of the best shows you’ll see all year.
The SPU are a trio of Rob Mazurek, Mauricio Takara and Guilherme Granado performing an updated version of 1960s Brazilian Tropicalia music, blended with modern post-rock and modern jazz dynamics, and boosted with a mad scientist mix of laptops, effects, looping, and electronica. Mazurek will primarily be blasting away with raw power on cornet, Takara will be adding the guitar-like rhythmic action of the Brazilian cavaquinho and the enthralling melodicism of the rabeca (basically, a Brazilian fiddle), and Granado will be running down the grooves and boosting the effects on his various keyboards and armory of electronic effects.
This is dance hall music for the mosh pit crowd. It’s frenetic music with a thrilling groove… music with which to bounce off the walls of a tiny space. It’s celebratory music that isn’t afraid to fight for its joy. And most important, this is fun music that translates to a fun time at a live show.
You want to know what you’ll be getting? Hit the play button below and let the musicians tell you…
The show is being held at Dreamland, which is located in Louisville’s NULU neighborhood. Tickets are twenty bucks. Doors open at 7:30pm, music starts at 8:00.
More details at the Dreamland site (LINK).
Dreamland is located at 810 East Market Street. Here’s A LINK to a google maps page for directions.
Here’s something I wrote when the SPU played at a different Louisville venue a few years ago (LINK). And here’s something I wrote when Mazurek came through town earlier this year with a slightly different ensemble. This particular show was also at Dreamland (LINK).
Go check ’em out. It’ll be the best twenty bucks you’ve spent all year.
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By davesumner • Announcement - Music, Jazz in Kentucky • 0