MÁRIO COSTA — Mário Costa, Cuong Vu, Beno​î​t Delbecq, Bruno Chevillon : Chromosome (review)

MÁRIO COSTA — Mário Costa, Cuong Vu, Beno​î​t Delbecq, Bruno Chevillon : Chromosome album cover Album · 2023 · 21st Century Modern Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
snobb
Modern Portuguese jazz took the European scene by storm at the very beginning of the new Millennium, in big part with a support of the domestic label Clean Feed Records, established in 2001. For a decade or more, Portuguese jazz musicians were responsible for many of the most inventive, fresh and fearless recordings in Europe, now this wave descends though. Then, it's really great to see a country's young generation artists who sounds as if they could rebuild the high reputation of contemporary Portuguese jazz again.

Portuguese drummer Mário Costa just released his first studio albums as leader, and "Chromosome" is a really strong one. Mário is not a newbie on the European jazz scene, for some years he collaborated with leading continental artists such as Émile Parisien, Joachim Kuhn, Michel Portal, Vincent Peirani and others. In 2018 Mário released his first (live) album as leader with Frenchmen guitarist Marc Ducret and pianist Benoît Delbecq. This new work, "Chromosome", is recorded by a quartet with the same Delbecq, plus Vietnamese-American trumpeter Cuong Vu and French veteran acoustic bassist Bruno Chevillon.

Different from Mário's more free debut, "Chromosome" contains tightly composed modern sounding music, bright and elegant, played by highest class professionals. Some compositions are dreamy, as "Adamastor", with Vu's trumpet solos flying over Delbecq's acoustic piano, with slowly growing tension and drumming intensity. Other, as "Chromosome", are almost funky, with complex, but still elegant, rhythms and light electronic loops filling the space here and there. "Moonwalk" contains tender trumpet and double-bass dueling, framed by drummer's unorthodox rhythmic constructions.

The entire album is full of different tunes, different tempos, which sometimes change even in the same song, and very volatile interplay between quartet members. Throughout the album, the music changes unexpectedly, but never disappoints. At the end there is a feeling like one just watched a stylish and clever art movie.

Very promising release in many sences.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Symphonic Blues No. 6 Third Stream
CORKY SIEGEL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Recut Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop
SKALPEL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Yuval Cohen Quartet : Winter Poems Post-Fusion Contemporary
YUVAL COHEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Just Nu Jazz
JIM HART
Buy this album from MMA partners
Skrifum Post-Fusion Contemporary
JON BALKE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

SOLSTICE album release • Duo Russo - Holst
PAOLO RUSSO
js· 74 minutes ago
Akiko Yano & Hiromi - Kawarushi (Official Audio)
HIROMI
js· 1 day ago
All I Want For Christmas Is You
DAVID HAZELTINE
js· 1 day ago
Chicken
QUATUOR EBÈNE
js· 2 days ago
Det er en egen lomme
THE LEIF
js· 2 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed