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| Jon Gold: Guanabara Eyes: Azurea Records |
The pianist/composer Jon Gold is a new name to me. A look at his bio reveals a diverse path. Originally from the San Franciso Bay area, Jon had music in his life from an early age. He started piano at age twelve. His brother Jay worked in recording as a GM of Mushroom Records. Jon performed with Palo Alto School District Jazz Band where he met and performed with bebop trumpet master Dizzy Gillespie, and as a studying youth, he performed locally with jazz tenor titan Joe Henderson. Jon's eclectic mind would often inspire multiple interests. One such interest, wine-making, led him to pursue a degree in chemistry at U of C at Santa Cruz. He continued his graduate work ultimately receiving his PhD at Cornell. After achieving his academic goals, Jon's proficieny on the piano and his love of Latin and Brazilian jazz music, brought his musical career to the forefront. He moved to Rio de Janeiro where he became an educator. The experience allowed Gold to absorb the country's rich musical culture and meet some of Brazil's famed musicians like Jobim and Pascoal. Ultimately returning to the US, he settled in New York within an hour's drive of NYC. Gold got the opportunity to work with some of the country's best jazz talents, and he continued performing and composing in the fields of film, television scoring, and the symphonic orchestra arena.
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| Jon Gold (photo credit J) |
His latest release, Guanabara Eyes, on Azurea Records, is a pure explosion of beauty, a rendering of his love for Latin and Brazilian music influenced by his classical and jazz background. His writing and orchestration emotes sensitivity and romanticism. On the thirteen songs on this album, Gold employs an array of textures, rhythms, and colors to paint his joyful tapestry of sound.
The music finds the pianist/composer in close collaboration with Brazilian master drummer and percussionist Mauricio Zottarelli, who co-produces this record and plays on all but one of the songs. The pianist employs a dazzling array of additional Brazilian master musicians. Itaiguara Brandão stalwartly anchors the music on bass. Rodrigo Ursaia's saxophones and flute glimmer throughout. Vocal standout Marina Marchi is heard on three songs, recalling to me a voice reminiscent of a young Flora Purim. Juan Lucangioli lends his own vocal flexibility to two other compositions. In addition to Gold's piano and keyboards, Zottarelli's drums, and Brandão's bass, the orchestrated music skillfully employs voice, guitar, saxophones, horns, cellos, violin, French horn, flute, and an accordion to create a melodically vibrant set of music that is like an aural transport to your own private tropical retreat.
"Guanabara Eyes" is the lush title piece that starts out with Gold's ostinato piano setting the delicate entre. The music repeats with Brandão's buoyant electric bass and Zottarelli's splashing drums create the pace, as the strings mix symbiotically with Marrchi's airborne voice. They create a floating, atmospheric sound that seems to cross a little into the realm of modern chamber music. Gold's piano re-introduces a repeating refrain, introducing Ursaia's beautiful punctuating flute line carrying the tune along with the voice and strings in support to the fading coda.
Gold's "Squirrel Samba' is a playful, jaunty dance that has some precise, complex, and synchronous playing on voice, bass, and flute from Marrchi, Brandão, and Ursaia. Impressive mastery and control in an almost fusion-like approach. Zottarrelli's drum fills are sympathetic and on point. The string section adds another patina to the picture setting the stage for a robust tenor solo by Ursaia. This one has an infectious, joyful vibe.
Some facile fingerwork by guitarist Vladimir Gapotsev accompanies Gold's probing piano lines and Zottarelli's sensitive drum and cymbal work on the folk-inspired "Sumidouro."
"Ivaniando" is a breezy composition dedicated to Brazilian master composer Ivan Lins. With the haunting combination of Damiano Della Torre's accordion, a Nascimento-inspired vocalese by Juan Lucaniolgi, and some synth additions by Gold, the music has a tropical feel. It embraces the listener like a warm light breeze accentuated by the sounds of strings, cello by Kateryna Mytrofanova and viola by Alexey Zavgorodniy.
The other songs include the drone-driven "Alem do Azul," and the violin-led romp" "Balacobaco."
Gold's probing solo piano exploration and dedication to his other collaborator Luis Riberio titled "For Luiz." The cinematic "An Old Story 1 & 2," includes sounds of nature (thunder, birds) before changing pace and including the vocal suppleness of the wonderful Marchi.
The pianist's vibing tribute to his drummer co-producer Zottarelli "Theme for MZ," has a Brazilian funk swing to it and features a sax solo by Bryan Murray.
The delicate "Lost Minuet," features Gold's piano, Zottarelli's drums, Brandão's bass, Gaponstsev's guitar work, flute work by Dario Cei, and some English horn work by EmaTLKH.
The joyful "Big Friends" has a bit of Americana feel to it and employs Grammy-winning violinist Zach Brock as the principal voice to great effect.
"Hymn Noire" is a solemn piano piece, a dirge-like composition.
The bonus track "Heptane", a brief 2:38 min romp, is probably the most raucous and fun of Gold's ditties on the album. Opening with a screaming muted trumpet and driven by the rhythm section of the impressive Zottarelli, bassist Stefano Napoli, and ripping guitarist spot by Fabrice Le Court, the song was implemented by Gold on organ and a Tower of Power type horn section sound created by Will Allen Jr. Wow! That changed the romanticism of the rest of the album.
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