Author: Mark Sampson
View album and artist detailsArtist/band: |
Grazie Wirtti & Matias Arriazu |
Label: |
Carmo |
Magazine Review Date: |
Jan/Feb/2020 |
ECM's Carmo imprint is named after the birthplace of one of the parent company's most prolific artists, Egberto Gismonti. After discovering this duo of Brazilian singer and lyricist Grazie Wirtti and Argentinian guitarist and composer Matias Arriazu, Gismonti invited them to perform with him in Buenos Aires in 2017, then offered to produce their album. It's a minimalist, meditative affair that demands patience and concentration: the 11 numbers are stripped down to just voice and (one of the producer's favoured instruments) eight-string acoustic guitar. As Wirtti's airy vocals flutter about Arriazu's delicate accompaniments, the pair achieve the kind of musical symbiosis that recalls the Portuguese singer Maria João's intimate duets with pianist Mário Laginha. Individually and in total, the numbers bear certain hallmarks of Gismonti's singular take on Brazilian music and ECM's esoteric brand of jazz. If there are times – such as on ‘Iarare’ and ‘Verde Limão’ – when things get a tad mired in the singer's mannerisms and you yearn for a little more instrumental variety, there are also frequent moments of rarefied fragile beaut. ECM aficionados and fans of Gismonti especially should check out an album that merits attention.
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