by Pico
If you’ve followed this space the last couple of months, you’ve might have first noticed the warm reception that Brazilian bassist Leonardo E. M. Cioglia got here for his majestic debut Contos. And if you missed that, perhaps you detected the album’s prominent mention in the “Best of 2008” traditional and modern jazz picks.
But we’re not quite done yet with Mr. Cioglia and the fruits of those Contos sessions.
You see, Leonardo created a little problem when he went into the studio to record this album: he brought in too much good music with him. Forced to trim his roster for Contos by one song, the unfortunate tune that got voted off the island was “Equidista?ncia.”
Continuing with the same vibe found on the proper album, this composition is modern, sophisticated but melodic jazz with just a hint of that Brazilian undercurrent flowing underneath. A mid-tempo groover with a clearly defined melody stated by saxman John Ellis, the highlight is Aaron Goldberg’s superb piano solo. Pat Metheny Group drummer Antonio Sanchéz follows later with some power fills that bring the song to a strong conclusion.
The main revelation about “Equidista?ncia,” though, is that Cioglia’s chaff would rank as fine wheat for most of his peers. It’s plenty good enough to maintain the high quality level of songs that did make the cut. Ultimately, Cioglia decided to make this song available to all in the form of a download, free of charge. Since it’s pretty representative of the album it got bumped from, the giveaway presents a great opportunity to make an informed decision on whether it’s worth springing for Contos (that is, if for some silly reason you don’t trust my word on it).
To grab your own free mp3 of this track, just go to Cioglia’s Quizamba record label site.
“One Track Mind” is a more-or-less weekly drool over a single song selected on a whim and a short thesis on why you should be drooling over it, too.
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- Thollem – ‘Worlds In A Life, Two’ (2024) - April 8, 2024
- Oceans And [Tim Berne, Hank Roberts + Aurora Nealand] – ‘Lucid/Still’ (2024) - April 3, 2024
