Record Reviews

DIVINA INCRENCA ~ DIVINA INCRENCA EDITIO PRINCEPS 14 (Barcode: 7898901556145) ~ BRAZIL ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1980 Released: 2007 This is a reissue of the only album recorded by pioneering Avant-Garde Brazilian Jazz trio Divina IncrencaFind albums by this artist, which comprised of multi-instrumentalist Felix WagnerFind albums by this artist, bassist Rodolfo StroeterFind albums by this artist and drummer Azael RodriguesFind albums by this artist. The album also features three guest musicians, who play on selected tracks: saxophonists Mauro SeniseFind albums by this artist and Roberto SionFind albums by this artist and flautist Claus PremeFind albums by this artist. In addition to the eight tracks included on the original LP album, this remastered edition also includes five previously unreleased outtakes from the original sessions and one live track. All the music is original and all was composed by the trio members. Together with such early Brazilian Jazz ensembles like Grupo UmFind albums by this artist and Pé Ante PéFind albums by this artist, Divina Increnca basically shaped to Brazilian Jazz an Jazz-World Fusion scene for years to come, creating for the first time original Brazilian Jazz rather than Bossa Nova music, which was more associated with Brazilian Folklore and adapted to Jazz by musicians from outside of Brazil. Divina Increnca was clearly the most advanced of these ensembles as far as Avant-Garde and Free Jazz is concerned and most of this album can be described as belonging to the searching music, which puts the individual freedom at the centre, but maintains a strong ensemble mood and presents clearly coherent melodic motifs. Dominated by Wagner´s excellent piano parts, the album presents all the trio members and their guest as excellent instrumentalist, who are clearly able to swing when needed and to develop freely improvised passages, which are inspired and interesting. Although Free Jazz reached Brazil about a decade after it exploded in the US and Europe, the Brazilian response to the challenge was formidable, even if only within a small sphere of musicians. Albums like this are sacred pieces of music history, which deserve to be preserved and brought back to life. As far as Brazilian music is concerned, the small Editio PrincepsFind albums on this label label made a superb job of it and its releases are all worth their weight in gold!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 13/04/2018

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

GRUPO UM ~ MARCHA SOBRE A CIDADE EDITIO PRINCEPS 01 ~ BRAZIL ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 1977 - 1979 Released: 2002 This is the reissue of the debut album by legendary Brazilian Grupo UmFind albums by this artist, which was the pioneering Jazz-Rock-World Fusion ensemble in the country. The group was founded by musicians who played with legendary Brazilian figures like Hermeto PascoalFind albums by this artist and Egberto GismontiFind albums by this artist and consisted of brothers Lelo NazarioFind albums by this artist (keyboards) and Zé Eduardo NazarioFind albums by this artist (drums), bassist Zeca AssumpcaoFind albums by this artist, percussionist Carlinhos GoncalvesFind albums by this artist and saxophonist Mauro SeniseFind albums by this artist. This reissue presents the original album (six tracks) with two bonus tracks, one being an outtake and the other originating from the first attempt to record this album two years earlier, which features saxophonist Roberto SionFind albums by this artist. All the material is original and was composed by the ensemble members, mainly by the Nazario brothers. Stylistically the album is close to the early Weather ReportFind albums by this artist albums, but with more emphasis on the Brazilian folkloristic accents and in many respects with more freedom and space. Of course this was almost a decade after the early Weather Report albums were recorded and the influence took its time to reach Brazil, but Grupo Um really showed they can do it as good if not better and with vengeance. Some of the free form passages on this album are among the best ever in this particular idiom and in retrospect leave many contemporary ensembles way behind. Although it might sound pompous or over exaggerated, this album is an absolute classic of the Jazz-Rock-World Fusion idiom, with very few equals and in almost forty years since it was recorded there was hardly anything better recorded in this style than this album. It took me ten years to get a copy of this album (courtesy of Zé Eduardo) but it was more than worth the wait. It is an eye (ear) opener of a monumental scale and although it´s impossible to find, try to get it!

Updated: 08/08/2016Posted: 08/08/2016

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend