João Donato – João Donato JID007 (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

João Donato – João Donato JID007 (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 26:50 minutes | 553 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Jazz is Dead

On the first day of recording, João Donato was so flattered that to learn Younge and Muhammad had crafted some tunes for him to grace that on the second day, the maestro showed up to the studio with a composition in honor of his new musical partners: ‘Adrian, Ali and Gregory.’ Gregory (aka Greg Paul) delivers an effortlessly buoyant rhythm to support Donato’s whimsical and wistful Fender Rhodes. Younge and Muhammad added the flute melody after the sessions, a perfect tribute and compliment to this master arranger, sweet and melancholic at the same time.

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Younge along with Ali Shaheed Muhammad of a Tribe Called Quest are turning once again towards Brazil. For the seventh edition of their Jazz is Dead series, they are rekindling the flames of old legends of groove, from the 70s in particular. After Marcos Valle and Azymuth, they set their sights here on the somewhat unhinged genius João Donato. At 86 years of age, the carioca jazz pianist who has supported Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and Caetano Veloso, among others, has lost none of his funk, and offers up a smart mix of groovy bossa and jazz fusion, with just a touch of lounge and psychedelia. It was surely Donato’s more rhythmic, early-70s output, from albums like A Bad Donato and Quem é quem, which won over his American friends. Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad lead their elder into a more soulful furrow, which he makes bloom with the electric bossa of yesteryear without ever sounding old-fashioned. There is a little bit of retro here, but not too much. Ali Shaheed asked Donato to reprise his song Aquarius, first recorded in 1968 for Cal Tjader’s album The Prophet. A Tribe Called Quest raided this same album for a sample that provides a recurring theme on their album Midnight Marauders. And so we come full circle! – Marc Zisman

Tracklist:

1. Adrian Younge – Não Negue Seu Coracão (03:10)
2. Adrian Younge – Aquarius (Bring Her Back Home) (03:14)
3. Adrian Younge – Desejo de Amor (03:28)
4. Adrian Younge – Forever More (03:03)
5. Adrian Younge – Sua Beleza e Beleza (03:00)
6. Adrian Younge – Liasons (03:01)
7. Adrian Younge – Adrian, Ali and Gregory (02:23)
8. Adrian Younge – Vermelho Quente (02:20)
9. Adrian Younge – Conexão (03:06)

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