Entre Mundos – Alexandre Silvério Quintet (2015)

With his new album entitled Entre Mundos, the Alexandre Silvério Quintet brings to both Brazilian and international jazz scenario the unique experience of featuring the bassoon as the soloist instrument.

In a certain way, we can understand that a strong characteristic of the 20th Century music was the contribution amongst the different art expressions as well as the process of creation. From one side, the Modernism of the European classical music stood out exploring textures, sounds, and all sorts of effects that until that point, were never thought to be in the traditional orchestral and chamber music. From the other side, especially in the United States of America after World War II, a gradual process of consolidation of a popular jazz tradition prioritizing solo improvisations was established. Being executed in a high level, the abilities of a strict interpretation of written music and the instant creation through improvisation were in charge of different musicians who were perfected in different environments and in different contexts.

Alexandre Silvério holds the position of the first chair bassoonist of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, which is considered to be the main orchestra both in Brazil and South America. Throughout his career Alexandre received several important awards in Brazil and had the opportunity to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra when studying in Germany. What is surprising is the fact that Alexandre also dedicated himself to practice specific abilities of jazz and Brazilian music. Examples of these abilities are the full domain of subtle and creative improvisation processes as well as accomplishing a solid sense of rhythm that is particularly required by the jazz. All of that was accomplished without giving up a fine care with the sonority and expressiveness of the bassoon in all of its range.

Alexandre’s popular world can be better appreciated now in his new album, Entre Mundos This album’s project was awarded by the São Paulo Culture Secretary of State through a program that supports the arts. An attentive hearing will reveal as an album of popular instrumental music, with singular resolving ways to each arrangement, contrasts of density, and alternation of functions between the instruments in a constant dialogue. 

The album opens with the strength and the swing of a samba entitled Saudade (by Alexandre Silvério), asserting the quintet’s Brazilian musical utterance. The quintet is formed by Fábio Leandro (Rhodes and piano), Vinícius Gomes (guitars), Igor Pimenta (double bass), and Sergio Reze (drums). Alexandre is the composer of the new bossa tune entitled Tarde em Berlim (track 4), the virtuosic jazz post bebop tune Gordus Power (track 5), the lyric Ballad for Klaus (track 6) – dedicated to his former professor Klaus Thunemann; lastly the choro-samba Meu Fagote Chorou (track 9) is also Alexandre’s composition.

Since jazz is a musical activity which the process of creation is collective, in Entre Mundos Alexandre gives room to compositions of his quintet partners in different styles and genres. Such compositions are Valsa para Bill (by Vinícius Gomes) dialogues extremely well with Very Early written by Bill Evans; Cromática (Fábio Leandro) that features echoes of the complexity of Thelonious Monk in Blue Monk; the last contribution by one of the quintet members, is the tune written by Igor Pimenta entitled Um Tango para El Chico. Um Tango para El Chico has a remembrance of Astor Piazzola and gives warmth to the final atmosphere of this album. There is also a special incursion in the world of the standards of the cool repertoire of Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Gerry Mulligan. Alexandre Silverio Quintet accepts the challenge of playing the master work My Funny Valentine (Rodgers/Hart) in a classy and creative funk style.

Entre Mundos is the album of a complete musician that besides his notoriety in classical music, expresses himself with fluency in the also sophisticated popular instrumental music of the 21st Century, taking risks by radically exploring nuances and particularities.

Curiously, this musician plays the bassoon, and this musician is Alexandre Silvério.