Alma Brasileira - Viagem Nova

Alma Brasileira is a real journey. A joyful and surprising pilgrimage through Brazilian music, and a singular way of feeling this culture. They stroll along paths which have been opened by jazz, moving smoothly through improvisation, recreating themselves in the interaction of the musicians, and thus giving birth to an album which is alive.

Edu Lobo (Casa Forte open the album, with a firm declaration of intent), Moacir Santos, Carlos Lyra, Tom Jobim (Mojave, a rare and precious waltz), Chico Buarque (Chão de Esmeraldas, the first of the three vocal pieces of music, in the bright voice of Ramiro Pinheiro), giants of composition are harmoniously accompanied by the works of Àlvar Monfort (Qué te voy a decir, Olga, a samba-choro that sounds deeply familiar), Piero Cozzi (La Única, another samba, that carries scents of something a little more jazzy) and Ramiro Pinheiro (closing the album, the evocative baião Viagem Nova).

In this exhibition of landscapes and rhythms there is, at the same time, an homogeneous concept, a unity which breathes diversity, a varnish which gives it all a unique brightness. It is an album that resembles a journey, a Viagem Nova.

-Ana Rossy (from the inside liner notes)

Tracklisting:
01. Casa Forte (Edu Lobo) 5:56
02. Que te voy a contar, Olga (Àlvar Monfort) 3:54
03. Chão de Esmeraldas (Buarque-De Carvalho) 4:22
04. Mojave (Tom Jobim) 4:50
05. La Única (Piero Cozzi) 6:55
06. Samba da Pergunta (Pingarilho-Vasconcellos) 4:54
07. Amphibious (Moacir Santos) 5:23
08. Se é tarde me perdoa (Lyra-Bôscoli) 3:50
09. Viagem Nova (Pinheiro-Guimarães) 3:09

Total time: 43:00 min. approx.

Alma Brasileira are:
Àlvar Monfort (trumpet & flugelhorn), Piero Cozzi (alto sax), Jaume Vilaseca (piano), Ramiro Pinheiro (voice & guitars), Rodrigo Balduino (bass), Pedrinho Augusto (drums).
Special guest: Pablo Giménez (flute on #3,4,6).
Arrangements by Piero Cozzi, except #2 & 6 by Àlvar Monfort, #7 by Rodrigo Balduino, and #9 by Anibal Martínez.
Recorded at Estudi Laietana, Barcelona, July 27-29, 2016

Engineered & mixed by Jordi Vidal
Mastered by Pieter De Wagter
Photos: Flávio Coddou & Ramiro Pinheiro
Art: Érica Takenouchi
Liner notes: Ana Rossi

Produced by Rodrigo Balduino
Executive producer: Jordi Pujol