Search - Dom Um Romao :: Saudades

Tasty and imperfect

P B | Fairfield, IA United States | 04/14/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Brazilian percussion. New York jazz. Not always sophisticated, it's often tribal, organic, Dom's voice running alongside an instrument (which I like sometimes and on other songs it's almost irritating). Saudades means something akin to yearning, longing, something deep and sad, but the music doesn't feel that way to me, especially anything samba-like. Chico Freeman's saxophone can go in that direction, but with Dom at the percussive helm, you can end up in the jungle with parrots and tinkling shells, not what you would hear in the Santa Barbara church where WaterLily Acoustics recorded this session. It's the kind of integration of cultures and holistic recording that WaterLily likes to do, pure analog with no limiters like equalization or noise reduction. . It isn't slick like Jon Hassell's "Fascinoma"; it can be delicate, subdued, imperfect (sometimes the horn actually sounded a bit "off" to me). Dom has a varied and impressive list of stars with whom he has played, from Edith Piaf to Gil Evans to Cannonball Adderley. It's fun to hear the array of percussion instruments he uses on his solo " The Messenger Has Arrived". Saudades is intimate, organic fare. It won't be on my daily menu, but one I'll play when I want flavor and spice."