Paulo Morello / Tizian Jost

When a trio plays Brazilian music, it will always be compared to the great performers, since the history of this music is rich with troikas in those latitudes. Famous leaders on each of the given instruments instantly come to mind: Roberto Menescal (g), Walter Wanderley (org), Milton Banana (dr), just to name a few. Morello, Jost and Silva draw level with these eminent musicians - and add a different flavour to the tropical trio pedigree. No one is fronting here; all three musicians act as equal partners. Also the repertoire – most of it being original compositions by Morello and Jost - is unmatched in its variety, reaching out from Rio to the Northeast of the country and even making forays into fusion jazz. Says Morello: “We play Brazilian music in a unique way, because we do it on a bebop base, and at the same time our compositions are tailor-made for Brazilian rhythms.”

And when the question of a drummer arose, the name of Erivelton Silva immediately came up. Both Paulo and Tizian admired the drummer for his incredibly groovy playing with Rosa Passos. The musician from Rio de Janeiro has worked with many of the greats: Chico Buarque, João Bosco, Milton Nascimento, Roberto Menescal and Paquito D‘Rivera. He developed a virtuoso samba drumming style that is admired by his drum colleagues worldwide. After they managed to track Silva down the project was under way.

When a trio plays Brazilian music, it will always be compared to the great performers, since the history of this music is rich with troikas in those latitudes. Famous leaders on each of the given instruments instantly come to mind: Roberto Menescal (g), Walter Wanderley (org), Milton Banana (dr), just to name a few. Morello, Jost and Silva draw level with these eminent musicians - and add a different flavour to the tropical trio pedigree. No one is fronting here; all three musicians act as equal partners. Also the repertoire – most of it being original compositions by Morello and Jost - is unmatched in its variety, reaching out from Rio to the Northeast of the country and even making forays into fusion jazz. Says Morello: “We play Brazilian music in a unique way, because we do it on a bebop base, and at the same time our compositions are tailor-made for Brazilian rhythms.”

The landscape of those rhythms is breathtaking, comprising earthy samba funk, the heavily accentuated samba-de-breque, bossa nova, of course, chorinho, Rio‘s old-time music, and baião from the north east of Brazil. Listen to the intricate funkiness of “Let‘s Vamos” of which the trio presents two versions, one featuring German vibraphone master Wolfgang Lackerschmid and the other Morello‘s long-time companion, Kim Barth, on flute. Jost demonstrates his deep dedication to the Bahian culture, highlighted in the rustic “Santo Amaro”, in which guitar virtuoso Morello shows his rock influences. Organ wizard Jost – who was initially a church organist, by the way – also easily switches to the Fender Rhodes, delivering an amazing solo in Morello‘s bossa, “Na Hora Da Paixão”. “Rebuliço” has the trio re-inventing the chorinho genre, which romps away at double speed in the final section. And, talking of bossa, with “Você Vai Ver” the group pays an unusual tribute to Tom Jobim: the melody is relocated to the organ in Walter Wanderley style and is graced by fine embellishments from Hendrik Meurkens‘ harmonica. Close friend, bassist Dudu Penz, also dropped in to propel some of the tracks with a crisp earthiness.

“What about the fragments of the terrace song?” you may ask. Well, one day they rose up from oblivion again. While sitting in the afternoon sun with his guitar, Morello had been filmed by a journalist who showed him the document years later. Instantly Morello remembered the line, worked on it - and now the result fiercely stands as an opener in which the virtues of all three musicians are broadly displayed: Morello‘s inventive and virtuosic improvisation, Jost‘s steaming response to it and the compact, semi-quaver- laden precision of Silva. Don‘t be mistaken: a lazy afternoon in Rio might become very hot!