John Patitucci's fourth Concord release is a sprawling, ambitious affair, employing 18 musicians over the course of ten tracks. Playing both upright and six-string electric basses,
Patitucci continues to explore Afro-Cuban and Brazilian sounds -- to greatest effect on the vibrant "Choro Luoco," featuring the wordless vocals of
Luciana Souza.
Patitucci's compositions are brought to life by some of the best players around: pianists
Brad Mehldau, Ed Simon, and
Bruce Barth; saxophonists
Joe Lovano,
Tim Ries, and
Chris Potter; drummers
Brian Blade and
Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, and more. Some of the cuts are less than memorable ("Isabella," "Misterioso"), and the stronger ones succeed more in terms of orchestration than melody. Highlights include
Tim Ries' overdubbed woodwind snippets on "Calabria" and
Branford Marsalis' soprano sax feature on "Communion," framed by
Mehldau and a string quartet. ~ David R. Adler