This number is marked by a solid electric bass solo and thrilling drumming, with Cardenas and Pinheiro combining their sounds to perfection.
The rhythmic magnetism keeps pulling us in, albeit from a different angle on “ The Chase”, which recalls Edu Lobo yet with a refined jazzified sensibility. On top of it, the guitarists control both harmony and melody with such clarity and such generosity, evoking the lyricism of Gilberto Gil and the easygoing fluidity of Os Mutantes. “ Safe Passage ” opens the album with catchy electric bass and the adroit sound of brushed skins and cymbals for a soft but steady pavement. They work their way through seven Allison originals and a reworking of Herbie Nichols’ “ House Party Starting”, which, glimmering with its recognizable haunting melodicism, emerges here coated with a gracious bossanova feel. Rounding out the group is the drummer Allan Mednard, who had contributed to his previous recording, Layers of the City (Sonic Camera Records, 2017). With those sounds in mind, he enlisted the reliable guitarists Steve Cardenas, a long-time collaborator, and the Brazilian Chico Pinheiro, a new associate that fits here like a glove. For this new outing, the founder of the Jazz Composers Collective changed things up, venturing into new sounds inspired by MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) and Tropicalia, an artistic Brazilian movement that took place in the 60s. First-rate bassist/composer Ben Allison consistently makes good records and he’s been doing it since the mid 90s with diverse ensembles (Medicine Wheel, Think Free, Herbie Nichols Project).
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