Nu-Jazz - Irma style - and how Fantastic it is!
bordersj2 | Boston | 09/24/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a nu-jazz/slight bossa album by a group that mainly hails out of Japan called Soul Bossa Trio. This release came out on "moonbeatrecordgins" which is a member of IRMA records out of Italy. Irma's into nu-jazz, soundtracks, lounge and music from all over the world and have a particular interest in Brazilian flavored tracks.
This isn't Soul Bossa Trio's first album, but it's the only one that I own and having listened to it plenty of times I plan on checking out some of their older work and remixes too. It's great! Through and through, the CD has a rather mellow, dreamy vibe. From the opening cut, "Dolphins", you can feel the laziness in Ann Salley's voice as it lulls you in, accompanied by rhodes and distinct electronic effects. Things kick up slightly with "Words of Love" and another cool cut, the classic "Light as a Feather", which whisks you away like the original. Azymuth's classic "Cascade of the Seven Waterfalls" is given such a fresh remake, from the opening five seconds you can immediately picture a rainbow caused by the mist off of Iguazu.
I highly recommend this. But please note, this is not a cd in the mold of the popular schema artists like Gerardo Frisina or Nicola Conte or Break & Bossas. This is a far more nu-jazz flavored cd with a relaxing feel to it. In fact, I'd say much of this has a sort of 70's nostalgic wavey jazz sound; its easy to see that Soul Bossa Trio really respects Azymuth, who many consider the pioneers of nu-bossa. Oddly, the last 2 tracks on this, the bonus cuts, were to me the weaker addition. However that's not enough to knock this a star because they are add-ons, even if this would otherwise be an 8 track cd clocking in at just under 42 minutes. So check this out! And if you like this, you might also like Bobby Brazil, Bossa Nostra (same label), and of course the classic works of Azymuth."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1