STEINAR AADNEKVAM - Freedoms Trio
Losen LOS149-2
Steinar Aadnekvam: guitar ; Rubem Farias: bass, vocal; Deodato Siquir: drums, percussion, vocal.
The over-arching sound of this CD is Brazilian. This is not surprising, given Aadnekvam’s lengthy sojourns in North Eastern Brazil, or that Farias is from Bahia or, I guess, some shared Portuguese inspiration from Siquir’s Mozambique. Siquir’s percussion maintains the rhythms in a style not dissimilar to samba, but he plays around with the beat in interesting ways. Several of the tracks feature Farias singing a light tenor, with Siquir providing a lower accompaniment. It is not too surprising that Siquir and Farias could share their Portuguese languages, but the convergence of rhythm between the two and the interplay of their voices works really well. Around half the tracks (Vhuya Ka Mina, Terra Mae, Vem Nao Vem, Lamento and Mikombelo) feature wordless harmonies and simple, repeated phrases shared between the two singers. The singing is joyful but it is Aadnekvam’s guitar work that really makes this CD stand out.
Aadnekvam is a very expressive guitar player, with a powerful sound from his acoustic guitar. The nylon strings give a softness that has a light, lyrical quality in his picking and that yield nicely to his flamenco-like strumming. Given the rhythms and the singing it is possible to miss some of the complexities of the chord structures that Aadnekvam puts together. He has a marvellous sense of harmony and the shifts in chords are quietly intriguing. The opening track, A State of My Own, opens with birdsong before a mournful vamp on (what sounds to me like) Randy Crawford’s Almaz, which segues into the second track, Phlyde, with bass and drums shifting the theme to a stomping finale. I’m not sure if this illustrates the idea that solo playing is a form of tranquillity that is disrupted (or, perhaps, enhanced) with the arrival of other players, but the three players certainly play very intelligently off each other. If anything the bass playing is mixed a little low, mainly echoing the chord roots of the guitar playing, but this helps to emphasise the lines and chord sequences that Aadnekvam is developing and means that Farias’ main contribution to the sessions are in his singing.
In the sessions recorded on this CD, the breadth of styles carries us from South America to Spain and Portugal and back. The session was recorded over three days in Spain and the sound quality of Dani Castelar’s recording is crystal clear, capturing the interplay of the three musicians and the exuberance of their time in the studio wonderfully.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen LOS149-2
Steinar Aadnekvam: guitar ; Rubem Farias: bass, vocal; Deodato Siquir: drums, percussion, vocal.
The over-arching sound of this CD is Brazilian. This is not surprising, given Aadnekvam’s lengthy sojourns in North Eastern Brazil, or that Farias is from Bahia or, I guess, some shared Portuguese inspiration from Siquir’s Mozambique. Siquir’s percussion maintains the rhythms in a style not dissimilar to samba, but he plays around with the beat in interesting ways. Several of the tracks feature Farias singing a light tenor, with Siquir providing a lower accompaniment. It is not too surprising that Siquir and Farias could share their Portuguese languages, but the convergence of rhythm between the two and the interplay of their voices works really well. Around half the tracks (Vhuya Ka Mina, Terra Mae, Vem Nao Vem, Lamento and Mikombelo) feature wordless harmonies and simple, repeated phrases shared between the two singers. The singing is joyful but it is Aadnekvam’s guitar work that really makes this CD stand out.
Aadnekvam is a very expressive guitar player, with a powerful sound from his acoustic guitar. The nylon strings give a softness that has a light, lyrical quality in his picking and that yield nicely to his flamenco-like strumming. Given the rhythms and the singing it is possible to miss some of the complexities of the chord structures that Aadnekvam puts together. He has a marvellous sense of harmony and the shifts in chords are quietly intriguing. The opening track, A State of My Own, opens with birdsong before a mournful vamp on (what sounds to me like) Randy Crawford’s Almaz, which segues into the second track, Phlyde, with bass and drums shifting the theme to a stomping finale. I’m not sure if this illustrates the idea that solo playing is a form of tranquillity that is disrupted (or, perhaps, enhanced) with the arrival of other players, but the three players certainly play very intelligently off each other. If anything the bass playing is mixed a little low, mainly echoing the chord roots of the guitar playing, but this helps to emphasise the lines and chord sequences that Aadnekvam is developing and means that Farias’ main contribution to the sessions are in his singing.
In the sessions recorded on this CD, the breadth of styles carries us from South America to Spain and Portugal and back. The session was recorded over three days in Spain and the sound quality of Dani Castelar’s recording is crystal clear, capturing the interplay of the three musicians and the exuberance of their time in the studio wonderfully.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
