Gira

Marcelo Frota, from Rio de Janeiro, has lived and recorded all over the world, but for his seventh album he decided on recording in London, more specifically at the Total Refreshment Center, the home of the renaissance of London jazz. Gira, meaning ‘swing’ or ‘dance’, is made for exactly that, shimmying grooves to move your hips. On the longer tracks a languid rhythm is established and given space to breathe, allowing the contributors to add their solos, but not in a show-offy way; they follow the nuances of the groove and let their instrument become part of the tapestry of the songs. For example, the interlocking percussion, horns and guitar of ‘Pára (feat Jessica Lauren)’ that turn into a live jam of synth squiggles and deep cello rumbles. There’s the sly mambo of ‘Passo de Avarandar’ with its cheeky wah-wah guitar and a chorus straight out of Rio’s current MPB scene, while the saxophone of Alabaster DePlume on ‘Oqueeei’ adds exotic touches of Ethiopian jazz.