Anthony Wilson | Campo Belo
Album Review: Anthony Wilson | Campo Belo
by Brent Faulkner
(Advance Review: CD to be released April 5th, 2011)
On Campo Belo, composer/guitarist Anthony Wilson assembles a set of ten songs that are classifiable as ‘jazz,’ but transcend jazz itself. Filled with influences from classical music (minimalism most notably), Latin music, and even tinges of country/folk, Campo Bello is certainly a ‘melting pot’ to say the least. On this, Wilson’s eighth set as a leader, he assembles a set of capable musicians to carry out incredibly cerebral compositional ideas. Aside from lending his own compositional and guitar expertise, Wilson is joined by Chico Pinheiro (guitar), André Mehmari (piano), Guto Wirtti (bass), and Edu Ribeiro (drums). Overall, Campo Belo is an enjoyable set that yields some enjoyable listens.
The album opens with the solid title track, “Campo Belo,” which possesses a nice ‘low key’ vibe that contrasts the driving feel traditionally associated with jazz. As the solo section builds, so does the intensity. “March to March,” the sophomore follow-up cut, has a smooth sound about it, not completely unlike the spiritual timbre given off by say John Coltrane’s “Acknowledgement, Pt. 1.” Sure, “March to March” is not a classic the likes of the John Coltrane cut, but its complex, intelligible sound shows off Wilson’s compositional finesse.
“Edu” continues the lazy, ‘brainy’ vibe, though does so in a shorter duration that the first couple of cuts. What stands out is the unpredictability of Wilson’s compositions - just when you think you’ve discovered where Wilson is going harmonically, he throws a curveball. As always, the guitar playing is top-rate. “After the Flood” provides a contrast to tempo; the album needed the spark ignited by this cut. The mixing job by the engineer is superb and the improvised solos from guitar, piano, and bass are ‘spot-on.’ “Patrimonio” is first rate as well, opening with piano and guitar only. As always, the harmonic progression stands out. The sense of minimalism about this cut is a nice touch, not to mention when the full rhythm section enters to build upon the already present mysterious about this cut.
“Elyria” is creative possessing somewhat of a country-folk feel about it. The drawbacks - the cut ends up being a bit too sleepy. Some differentiation of ideas and perhaps a break from the consummate minimalism may have made “Elyria” stronger. “Valsacatau” is a stronger cut, ideally playing around with a mixed-meter groove established by the drums. Abstract as all other cuts, “Valsacatau” has much more appeal than other cuts from Campo Belo.
“Flor de Sumare” finds Wilson slowing down the tempo and exhibiting great interaction compositionally between guitar and piano. The lines of “Flor de Sumare” possess a certain angularity, but despite the jaggedness, the instrumentalists achieve this angularity with incredible smoothness - a musical contradiction. “Etna” opens with the typical moody ‘soundtrack’ that characterizes so many cuts from this effort. As always, Wilson plays on compositional interactions between piano and guitar, a highlight of this entire effort. Closer “Transition” is arguably the best cut, opening with a mysteriousness that clearly channels the jazz compositional genius of Wayne Shorter (think album The All Seeing Eye). The post-bop/avante-garde sound is a great contrast to some of the lazier cuts of this effort, ending the album with a ‘bang’ to say the least.
Overall, Campo Belo is a solid effort. There are moments where you wish that Wilson hadn’t dwelled so much on minimalist and static ideas, but for the most part, the pacing of this effort is solid. Compositionally, the selections are genius more often than not and as far as the level of performance from this great band of musicians - exceptional. With more than enough strong material, Campo Belo is a worthwhile contemporary jazz effort.
Brent Faulkner
The Urban Music Scene
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