Identity - Airto Moreira

Nov

10

Identity - Airto Moreira

≡ Category: 1970s, Highly Recommended, Reviews, World Fusion |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING

Rating:

Identity is rather typical in some ways of Airto Moreira’s mid 70s work in general, and of the collaboration between American jazz artists and Brazilian musicians during the 70s in general.

Identity was produced by Herbie Hancock and benefits from the excellent work of Wayne Shorter on soprano sax and trombone great Raul De Souza. Best of all is Egberto Gismonti, who contributes several compositions and arrangements, as well as sterling work on guitar and piano.

Gismonti composed the opening track, Magicians — it alternates between the sublime and the ridiculous. Gismonti plays both piano and guitar on the track, both very percussively. His conception is unique. That’s the sublime part. The ridiculous is Airto singing absurd lyrics in heavily accented English. Perhaps Airto thought that if he sang in English, he might have some crossover success in the American market. With lyrics like “Let me give you all my love, then you will understand what I mean; when you give me all your love, then we can fly away in the sky; when you feel so lonely, just communicate; you are free to call me anytime,” Airto was clearly delusional. Whatever those guys were smoking, I want some of that.

The second great song on Identity is Encounter, also written by Gismonti and greatly benefitting from his idiosyncratic guitar and piano work. Thankfully, the lyrics are sung in Portuguese this time around.

The last winner on Identity is Wake Up Song, again written by Gismonti, which once again owes much of it’s success to Gismonti’s excellent guitar work. Once again, the lyrics are in Portuguese.

Are you sensing a theme here? I guess I wasn’t aware of how completely this release owes it’s success to the presence of Egberto Gismonti.

But don’t get me wrong. Airto is all over this record with his trademark percussion style.

Here’s the bad news: for me, the rest of the record is pretty much filler at best, embarassing at worst. Even so, there are compensations. For example, there is a wonderful trombone solo from Raul De Souza on Flora on My Mind. And, if you enjoy that sort of thing, there is the unintentional comedy of Airto singing lyrics like “To know you is to know the world, you make me feel like a child again; every time I think of you, I see that the world was made for you and me.”

But the three songs that are good are some of the most powerful and unique Brazilian fusion that you will ever hear. For me, it was well worth the 30 bucks for the import. Your call.