VOLÚPIAS by Gabriel Ferrandini
The Portuguese (but born in California 1986, from a Mozambican natural and a Brazilian of Italian heritage) drummer Gabriel Ferrandini is usually found in freely improvised music contexts (those, for instance, of Red Trio and Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio in the celebrated Lisbon scene and with an impressive international collaboration history: Alexander Von Schlippenbach, Axel Dörner, Evan Parker, John Butcher, Nate Wooley, Peter Evans, Sten Sandell or Thurston Moore, among many others) but three years ago he decided to turn himself to composition and started the new approach with an artistic residency in one of the most prestigious Portuguese venues for music, ZDB. To turn ideas and notations to sound he invited two of his most near companions, tenor saxophonist Pedro Sousa (his partner in the PeterGabriel duo) and double bassist Hernâni Faustino for that task, the same playing in “Volúpias”. The record you have here is result of one year residency at ZDB. Maybe because of that, the titles of the pieces are the names of Lisbon streets, the ones that lead from Ferrandini’s house to his studio and then to ZDB. Curiously enough, if Ferrandini sounds here more jazz-oriented than ever (this process went through the creation of an extended version of “Love Song”, by Tony Williams), two of the tracks are arrangements of compositions by an electronic musician, also Portuguese (Ondness), who combines dance beats with exotic soundscapes, very far from what we call jazz. The message underneath is a delight, warning us that this commitment to the jazz format isn’t necessarily “conventional”. Nothing done by Gabriel Ferrandini is, thank the gods…
Tracklist
| 1. | Rua Nova da Piedade | 2:28 |
| 2. | Travessa de São Marçal | 1:25 |
| 3. | Rua de São Marçal | 1:28 |
| 4. | Rua Academia das Ciências | 6:22 |
| 5. | Rua de O Século | 3:34 |
| 6. | Rua João Pereira da Rosa | 4:05 |
| 7. | Rua dos Caetanos | 3:27 |
| 8. | Travessa dos Fiéis de Deus | 5:15 |
| 9. | Rua da Barroca | 10:35 |
Credits
Gabriel Ferrandini - Drums and Percussion
Hernâni Faustino - Double Bass
Pedro Sousa - Tenor Saxophone
Recorded February 2017 in Fonte Santa, Alandroal
Recorded and mixed by Cristiano Nunes
Mastered by Tó Pinheiro da Silva
All music by Gabriel Ferrandini except: Rua de O Século e Rua dos Caetanos (originaly by Ondness) / Produced by Sérgio Hydalgo / Executive Production by Pedro Costa Cover photo by António Júlio Duarte / Booklet photo by Vera Marmelo / Artwork by Claudia Lancaster
Thanks to all my close friends and family. Manuel Mesquita and the dogs, ZDB crew, Pedro Costa, Sara Rafael, Vera Marmelo, Antonio Júlio Duarte, Filipe Felizardo, Pedro Alfacinha, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Pedro Gomes and Manuel Mota.
A very special thank you to Sérgio for making it possible and with
loads of energy, love and hope during the residency and the recording
of this album. Without him this would not exist or it wouldn't be as
fun! Another big one is for Cláudia for all the art work during the
one-year residency at ZDB and here on this object. Huge thanks to Hernâni and Pedro for jumping in the boat with me and sailing towards the unknown and believing in me and puting up with me. RESPECT! Love To Bruno Silva aka Ondness for being one of the beautiful musicians in romantic Lisbon, but here in special for being an inspiration for one of the six concerts from the residency in ZDB and for some of the tunes in this album were he kindly let me do my one arraignments.
Finally thank you to master Cris on the sound: what a beauty.
