Egberto Gismonti & Academia De Danças - Sanfona (ECM, 1981)

This post is by Scott

Egberto Gismonti (g, Indian org, p, vo); Mauro Senise (ss, as, fl); Zeca Assumpção (b); Nene (d, perc)

Recorded in November 1980 and April 1981

Sanfona is a two-disc set that features the Brazilian musician Egberto Gismonti in two different musical contexts.  Taken together, they amount to a tour-de-force, demonstrating the breadth of Gismonti's compelling and unique musical vision. 

Although I've long associated Gismonti primarily with the guitar, the first disc finds him at the piano for much of the set, playing with his superb quartet, Academia De Danças.  These are studio recordings, made in the Talent Studio in Oslo.  Although this music is heavily influenced by the sounds of Brazil (particularly choro), this is a jazz group.  As such, it's a readily accessible point of entry for those who are unfamiliar with Gismonti's sometimes uncategorizable music.  The expertise of the ensemble is obvious; these guys perform at an extremely high level.  Their interplay seems as spontaneous and natural as breathing.

I was familiar with reedman Mauro Senise and bassist Zeca Assumpção before I heard Sanfona, so I wasn't surprised when the quartet recordings appealed to me so much.  What did surprise me was how much I enjoyed Gismonti's solo work on the second disc.  I'd explored his recordings from the 1970s while conducting research for my blog focusing on that decade.  But I never gained a foothold on his music.  Maybe I just needed more time with it, more exposure.  I'm not sure.  In any case, this time Gismonti's solo work grabbed me immediately.  

Like the music of his fellow-countryman Hermeto Pascoal, Gistmonti's music is sui generis.  If you approach it expecting to find something familiar, you will be disappointed.  Jazz is a component of his music, but it's only one strand among many.  He was born in Brazil to a mother from Sicily and a father from Lebanon.  He studied classical music in Paris with Nadia Boulanger.  Given the diversity of Gismonti's background and training, it would be silly to expect him to make "Jazz" with a capital-J.  Instead, Gismonti pulls together many disparate threads and weaves musical fabrics unlike any other.