Mané Fernandes

As much a curriculum vitae as a comprehensive statement, Portuguese guitarist Mané Fernandes demonstrates his skills on this set of 13 original compositions. The Lisbon-Porto journeyman, part of groups with the likes of João Barradas and Pedro Melo Alves, is backed by a core quartet and numerous guests here, with the emphasis on versatility not vision. Too often a track that seems to call for firmness ends up instead glossy and serene. Many times the default for alto saxophonist José Soares for instance is a Paul Dcesmind-styled coolness. This fits Fernandes’ relaxed and wide tones, swift and sliding pianism from José Diogo Martins and bassist Luca Curcio and drummer Simon Albertsen’s responsive cadences, but the result seems to melt away without making much of an impression. As well there are a couple of brief sequences  where the quintet’s electrified samples and effects swerve into harsh rumble and pulses without much point. The space would have been better used to extend other tracks.

Not all sounds are adverse however as sonic dimension contributes to inspiration. On “Desert fire” for instance, as Maria Antónia Santos Leite’s words emphasize music’s benefits music, the piece becomes a foot tapper whose fluidity emphasize realized sound extensions. Wave form pulsing and unobtrusive, guitar flanges extend string textures further out and speed the exposition  to presto tempo. Linked to solid bass and drums coordination, liquid reed trembles join reflective piano comping.

This designated comping comes into its own on the linked “Lost Vibes (II and III)” and “Lost Vibes (IV and V)”. Building up to full keyboard slides, Martins’ dynamics are the closest to modern Jazz on the session. Soon the piano sets up a distinctive exposition of  distant reed honks and slurs that slowly come to the forefront and join accentuated guitar frails and crunches. Reaching full out swing, the piece bounces between reed vibrations that are squeaky as well as straight-ahead, and Fernandes’ thick strums and stops. Piano dynamics and synthesized waves finally confirm the tonal expansion.

Other pivots to more aggressive drum pops, threatening double bass resonations, jittery guitar string flange plus realized spatial situations show that the mettle for a stronger session exists. Although the guests varied motifs may demonstrate Fernandes’ and the band’s adaptability, the core exists group could have created more cohesive and challenging fare. Hopefully next time out this can be demonstrated in fewer more extended and tougher tracks.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Bang_bang 2, comporta de uva americana 3. Liquid Penta& 4. House de Três Marias 5. nirVana 6. Desert fire# 7. NO PLASTICS HERE+ 8. continuous: abstract 9.cRush 10. Lost Vibes (II and III) 11. Lost Vibes (IV and V) 12.fire desert 13. intuit_ out_of_it*

Personnel: Susana Santos Silva (trumpet)*; José Soares (alto saxophone); José Diogo Martins (piano and synthesizer); Mané Fernandes (guitar and effects); Luca Curcio (bass and sampler); Simon Albertsen (drums and sampler); Ricardo Coelho (percussion)+; Almut Kühne and Mariana Dionísio (voices)& and Maria Antónia Santos Leite (words)#