Fabiano do Nascimento and Sam Gendel – ‘The Room’ album review: a world unto itself
THE SKINNY: Maybe we’re living in unprecedented times, or maybe it has always been a little hairy out there, but one definite trait of modernity is how bogged down in it all we are. The workplace looms large, as does the beck and call of devices, responsibilities, and everything else in between. We’re more ‘on’ than ever, so why not switch off with Fabiano do Nascimento and Sam Gendel’s gorgeous jazz offering, The Room?
The Rio-born guitarist and American saxophonist whisk you away from any woes and plonk you down on a sidestreet in Lisbon on a dusky evening where the beer flows smoothly, and a frisson of passion is afoot. With humble parts, The Room dazzles in a quilted, cosy manner, proving that floating notes alone really can paint expressionist pictures. Such a seamless feat renders the record a timeless addition to our dismal daily lives.
Gendel is an unbelievably prolific collaborator, and Nascimento is no slouch either, but with The Room, they’ve found each other in the way that Clifford Brown and Max Roach found each other before them. Wandering along on the same whims, they tesselate their muses into wondrous, pillow-propped jaunts along lamp-lit cobbled streets. The result is a musical womb of profound comfort.
The offering is stripped back to the bare bones of a seven-string acoustic guitar and soprano saxophone, but the warmth of the production makes it mightier than that minimalist constitution. These musings might only last 34 minutes, but in that time, they go some way towards re-invention of traditional Brazilian instrumentation as the classical plucking is blended with Gendel’s almost free-form ways that lend a slight bassy quality. Together, these parts create a world unto itself.
The duo met serendipitously ten years ago when Nascimento’s old band, Triorganico, played at a restaurant owned by Gendel’s uncle. This fortuitous meeting has woven its way into the enigmatic mingling of their distinctive ways. They both grew up listening to Getz/Gilberto and in some ways, The Room feels like a modern, original counterpart to that classic record.
More so than the music, it even conjures the message of the era in a subtle repositioning of the classic motto: turn on, tune in, drop out.
For fans of: Making tea for the act of making it as much as the tea itself.
A concluding comment from Tom’s mother: “Of course, I can hear that it’s beautiful son, even a deaf person could hear that, but like a fondant fancy, a bite is enough before I’m onto something more substantial like cheddar or Simply Red.”
Release Date: January 26th | Producer: Fabiano do Nascimento & Sam Gendel | Label: Real
World
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.