Another Feeling

"...His compositions...are beautiful. But they are also gentle, hypnotic, bewitching and beguiling." The Boston Globe _____________ ANOTHER FEELING Excerpts from a Letter to Dexter Payne "II've been listening to Another Feeling. It really grows on you. I'm just terrifically impressed with the whole production. I think it is probably the recording of the year for me. I liked it from the start... But when I listened to it I was more and more taken with it, until finally I was listening to it every day. Right now, I think my favorite piece is the title piece ... But the whole record is deeply satisfying. I love that low register clarinet. But ... I'm especially pleased by the alto ... so relaxed and low-key, yet play[ed] with such intensity. Thiago de Mello must be quite a guy. As a matter of fact, everybody on this record sounds great – Ithamara Koorax has a great voice, great style, and I love all of those piano players. Thiago has a great spirit... I think the folks need to know more about this great record." Jon Jackson, writer/commentator, Missoula, MT (Hear Jon Jackson on kufm.org:"Jazz Sessions" 2-4pm the last Thurs of every month.) ____________________________________ ANOTHER FEELING Jazz Hot, # 637 (March/ 2007) France A little time has gone by (see Jazz Hot n0 628; April/2006) since JSR re-edited Thiago de Mello's first record, Amazon, released in 1973. Time passes, and Thiago continues. The music has changed a great deal since then but the person, the multi-instrumentalist, the poet, the Man are still here. This newest disc is moving, a kind of Latin blues, not just Brazilian, even though the music is a blending of good jazz and Brazilian music‹it is another feeling, soaring over Payne' s clarinet or alto saxophone. After an introduction, a nostalgic evocation of his younger years, Thiago traces his life‹Life. An homage to Gil Evans ("A Hug for Gil Evans") for the awareness that he raised to the music of Brazil; a gospel hymn ("An Evening Prayer") sung by Itamara Koorax, reminding us that in a very Catholic Latin America, some minorities opted, with difficulty, for other churches‹like Thiago's family, influenced by American missionaries who had made their way into the Amazon. This same theme is echoed in the bonus track "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." And de Mello's life continues; his life and his invovements told in two lovely renditions: "Another Feeling," written in 1967 when Che Gueverra was killed in Bolivia, and "The Exile Song," an homage to all the victims of the Latin American dictatorships from Nicaragua to Chile. Itamara Koomax, once again, is excellent in these two pieces. "Kimbolian Dawn" and "Two (or Too) Good Notes" along with "What About That?" are the most lively on this disc‹and they swing. "Lonely Piano" and "Mar Aberto" form a duet evoking the nostalgia of a period when Thiago was living in downtown New York City. Jazz Hot, # 637 (March/ 2007) France ___________________________________________ "When I heard Mr. Thiago de Mello play his works on the guitar, I was truly amazed! His perfect conception of harmony in coordination with the proper bass is simple remarkable! This precious gift, this rare ability to sense and to feel every minute harmonic changes in supporting the melody was so expertly executed, that I received the utmost pleasure when listening to Mr. Thiago de Mello's playing. A truly unique talent!!!" Jacques Press, conductor and composer __________________________ "Bravo! Recently I heard the guitar playing of the musician-composer Thiago de Mello and was struck by the incredible purity of sound emanating from his instrument. It sounded, in softer sections, like the gentle strummings of a lute. In the more bravura parts, it had a strong, rich guitar quality.... Again, 'bravo'." George Kleinsinger, composer/conductor (Deciphered Leonardo da Vinci's music) _________________________ "Another Feeling" 4-star review on All Music Guide Prioridade: Alta “Another Feeling” Thiago de Mello & Dexter Payne (JSR 6052) Rating: **** Review by Michael G. Nastos Veteran Brazilian percussionist Thiago de Mello (then in his early 70s) long a neglected figure alongside younger more acclaimed players as Airto Moreira, Naná Vasconcelos, and Guillerme Franco, has finally hit resonant notes for the general public to hear on this beautiful recording, with clarinetist Dexter Payne as his main foil and accompanying pianists and occasional vocals. As you'd expect, there's a lot of authentic samba played, and it is done right. Basic sensual rhythms and melodies are the centerpiece for "Tal Como o Vinho," "Too Good Notes" (a play on "One Note Samba" with DeMello on acoustic guitar), the heavy-handed "Mar Aberto," and roomy "No Wolf at the Door." The beautiful singing of Ithamara Koorax is heard on two ballads, but also on the night hymn "An Evening Prayer," as well as the excellent African highlife-flavored title track, dedicated to Che Guevara, which is very close stylistically to what Abdullah Ibrahim and Carlos Ward would do. Payne's playful clarinet empowers the trio, swinging lightly in jazz fashion à la Eddie Daniels during the lyrical "Kimbolian Dawn," he plays pretty during the neo-classical "Rede de Cabocolo," and switches to alto sax for the dancing 6/8 framework of "What About That?" (for Sharon Isbin). The dance theme is further emphasized on "A Hug for Gil Evans," starting with DeMello on the berimbau, and then going for samba rhythms with a Native American chant tacked on. Haroldo Mauro, Jr. is the pianist on six selections, and he's one to pay attention to, while another three feature Richard Kimball, a longtime associate of DeMello. Fans of Brazilian music will want this, but it should also appeal to a broader base of world music lovers, as the diversity, bright spirit, and clear camaraderie between the musicians is evident from start to finish.”