Search - Mike Marshall, Jovino Santos Neto :: Serenata

The premise here is an interesting one: versatile American mandolinist Mike Marshall (whose roots are in bluegrass) and Brazilian pianist Jovino Santos Neto (who is a Hermeto Pascoal disciple) team up with an occasional guest for an album that surveys 13 of Hermeto Pascoal's 2500 compositions. Giving the official stamp of approval, Pascoal himself is on hand to play on a few of the tunes. But whereas the composer's own performances can be quite playful and even chaotic, Marshall and Neto find a more romantic, somber and harmonically rich vein in the master's Brazilian jazz pantheon while touching on Western classical (particularly the title cut) and other Latin styles. That it seamless blends together is tribute to the top-shelf musicianship of the two principals. The production quality is excellent as well, capturing the delicate timbre of the acoustic instruments and allowing the listener to savor each note of this exquisite music as if sipping from a glass of fine wine. --Tad Hendrickson