4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
short but OH so sweet, April 19, 2006
This review is from: Tropical (Audio CD)
this is a rare brazilian album re-issued last year by whatmusic. it's been remastered and the sound quality is breathless, even on cd. it's not a cheap album and at a scant 28 mins length it's a lean record but not a single moment is wasted.
as purveyors of a new offshoot of the sixties bossa nova movement, meirelles e os copa 7 explored what they called 'samba jazz' -- which is a bit of a misnomer as there really is more akin to european jazz-fusion and blue note era latin jazz than the brazilian samba school. but check out meirelles on that flute, man -- the guy is up there with yusef latif and eric dolphy.
if you're following the sounds coming out of italy, especially the schema label, then you'll certainly feel at home with this gem. it's clear in the music that while these new jazz players are indebted to the likes of sahib shihab and horace silver, there is much of the latin influence on their sound to be found decades ago in the recordings of acts like meireles e os copa 7. the latin rhythms and deep grooves found here are very reminiscent of what is happening in the new jazz sounds that are heating up in small scenes all across europe.
horace silver, in fact, is clearly a big influence here as well -- two of his tracks, 'the jody grind' and 'the gringo', are given gorgeous and groovy arrangements. we also get 'on green dolphin street', made famous most notably by miles davis, given a beautiful treatment. the arrangements on this record are in fact quite something -- just check out the barely recognizable 'summertime', and wait till you hear what meireles does with 'taboo' ... stan kenton musta been jealous.
if i have any complaints it's that the album is too damn short, and tied to that is that the musicians don't get to flex their muscles quite enough -- the arrangements are quite concise. meireles gets plenty of flute time but it would have been nice to hear some of others do a bit more soloing. the horn section in particular gets short shrift. one feels that the album would have been an even more satisfying listen if many of these 2 and 3 minute tracks had been padded out by some soloing.
but it's a minor complaint. i can listen to any number of jazz musicians play and improvise at great length elsewhere. what's of paramount importance with 'tropical' is the grooves, distinctly latin and surprisingly cool. snag a copy for yourself before it's out of print again -- they say this is one of rarest brazilian records ever recorded, and who knows when someone will licence a new run.
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