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Lisbon guitarist Joel Xavier has always been full of surprises. Being born
on the day of the "Carnation Revolution"; playing football / soccer in his
youth beside future superstar Luis Figo; ranking among the most famous Latin
guitarists of the world at the age of 23. It was from this kind of
astonishingly diverse background that he continued the steps of his career.
But Joel was not content with sharing the scene as virtuoso partner of Larry
Coryell, Bireli Lagrene or Tomatito in the US, Havana or Barcelona. Four
years ago he completely re-invented himself - in an acoustic way. The "new
musette" style, created by his friend Richard Galliano, inspired him to
devise a language that links jazz and fado in an intimate context and talks
in a new Portuguese idiom. It is this idiom that has given birth to the nine
miniatures that you can witness on this recording.
"When I composed the last bars, out of the blue the name Ron Carter struck
me. I was convinced that only his bass would suit the mood of these songs",
recalls Xavier. "Songs" not "pieces", mind you, since Xavier is a singer
through and through. You get the impression of listening to a wistful
"fadista" when he begins to play a theme. Never would he - contrary to most
of players of his generation - cast a cloud over a melody by starting to
improvise too early. The melody first - and then the virtuosity, that's his
"old-fashioned" way.
It might be a little bit presumptuous to contact the "best bass player of
the world" and invite him to be the guest on your next CD. But Xavier was
convinced that on the other side of the Atlantic he possessed a kindred
spirit, a "singer" on his instrument - just like him.
Rhythm, swing and especially melody - Carter's playing assembles all these
virtues. He is familiar with the duo situation, of course - just think of
his masterpieces with Jim Hall from the 1970s. And certainly he knows the
heartbeat of Latin music: his recordings with Jobim, Airto Moreira and
Hermeto Pascoal are legendary. But it was still a surprise when Carter
agreed to do the session. Xavier sends his compositions and then is welcomed
in a New York studio. Moments later a wonderful, three hour-long dialogue
begins: "In spite of the enormous difference in age, Ron treated me as an
equal musician", says Xavier. "Originally I had planned to add a second
guitar track into the arrangement. But soon I realized how intimate the
atmosphere of our playing was, how much space it opened. Ron was a very nice
guy, we laughed a lot about musical jokes - and since then we are close
friends."
So here we can witness a unique, close collaboration: Xavier"s "neo fado"
with its different cantabile variations joins with Carter's flexible basis,
at times stepping out in a relaxed swinging manner. Listen how the quiet,
foklore-like pathos of the guitar goes together with the glissandi of
Carter's cheerful interlude in "Moments". The bitter-sweet "saudade" is
reflected in the minor-major change of "Maria" - nostalgic memoirs of an
exile in the New World. And in "Destiny" the plaintive melody dissolves into
a lively swinging cadence of improvisation. The transatlantic friendship is
sealed; the Portuguese soul firmly anchored in the jazzy heart of America.
Never have the waters of the Hudson River listened to sounds like these.