(November 2014)
Release of the project’s debut album, that Christos recorded together with Greek musicians in 2010.
An album dedicated to Brazilian composers such as: Tom Jobim, Edu Lobo, Pixinguinha and Dorival Caymmi. It is now available for mp3 download on iTunes, Amazon and eMusic. Soon it will be also available as a CD.
Musicians:
Spiros Mihael – guitar, arrangement
Miranda Verouli – vocals
Amalia Kountouri – flute
Stavros Parginos – cello
Petros Klampanis – double bass
Christos Asonitis – drums, percussion
Sound engineer: Giorgos Trantalidis
About the album (words from Spiros Mihael):
“At presenting this project, mostly on Antonio Carlos Jobim’s but also on other great Brazilian composers’ work, my partners and I attempted an original and honest approach towards this music which is an amalgam of spontaneous popular creativity, classical education, and harmonic elements emanating all the away from impressionism to jazz. Studying Jobim’s work in particular, one will encounter a melodic depth and an harmonic structure of incomparable inspiration and great knowledge, equal to that of the great classical composers. The album includes compositions as “Sabiá” with its glorious harmonic weaving, “Luiza” with its dramatic style that takes us to Chopin’s world without copying him one bit, “O Amor em Paz”, “Corcovado” & “A Felicidade” with their expressive melodic lines, “Surfboard” where Jobim uses rhythm and melody in a genious way in order to describe the surfer’s effort to tune his movement to that of the wave’s, and manage to float on it. Also Edu Lobo’s beautiful “Canto Triste”, which I chose to present in the minimal formation voice/guitar, due to the song’s astounding simplicity, as well as “Rosa” by Pixuinginha, written when the composer was twenty years old for his first love, which transfers us to the romantic ambience of the ‘30ies. Moreover, popular hits as “Garota de Ipanema” and “Wave” that preserve their verve and dynamics, having acquired by now the value of an all-time classic. The elements mentioned above demand from an arranger to be cautious enough as to avoid the typical approach on a bossa nova or jazz piece, if they want to reveal the treasures that are hiding in this music, for which I believe the formation flute/cello/classical guitar is ideal. Jobim favored the use of these instruments in performing his music, and often played the flute himself, while he had a close collaboration with cellist/arranger Jacques Morelenbaum. This project could not have been completed without the presence of Miranda Verouli with her charismatic voice, her sensitivity, and her deep knowledge of the Brazilian language and culture, as well as the rest of the friends and colleagues (Amalia Kountouri/flute, Stavros Parginos/cello, Christos Asonitis/drums, percussion) who believed in this project and gave their best, devoting a lot of time and effort in it. I would specially like to refer to the young and talented double bassist Petros Klampanis, whose feedback in the arrangements has been crucial for some tracks such as “Chovendo na Roseira” and “A Felicidade”, as well as the priceless presence of sound engineer George Trantallidis in editing and mixing the recorded material.”
