EGBERTO GISMONTI — Solo (review)

Album · 1979 · World Fusion

5/5 · 2025-02-17
Moshkiae

Egberto Gismonti Solo 1979

The way that a guitar can do somethings by itself, is more often than not done simply by a few songs, and just before it gets better, the song is over. If that's why you listen to Egberto's hands on a guitar, you probably do not want to sit through the first piece which is over 20 minutes long, and superb ... "Selva Amazonica/Pau Rolou" is an incredible piece that is far out, and its movements are so special, that you wonder where else is this going ... and it doesn't stop. There are a couple of parts and changes, but it continues and it never feels like it doesn't belong. Likely an improvisation, the continuity of this piece is one of the best acoustic guitar things I have ever heard. Special. The guitar work, on his 8 String is a true masterpiece, even in composition.

In "Ano Zero", Egberto switches to a piano, and it is no less pretty than his work on his own guitars. It features the quietness and touch for which Egberto is known, and it shows up on the piano as much as it does on the guitar, and you gotta hear it to believe it ... there is a smoothness in it, that is uncanny, that you would expect him to have been at the piano all his life, and his guitar work is no different. And your ears, will be enchanted by some of this touch ... there really is no better.

"Frevo", is a theme that appeared in part on the "No Caipira" album. And, here. it is complete, and piano driven, and has some of the playful attitude that was found in "No Caipira", in its touch. Egberto plays the piano here, and brings the theme home. It's different than the previous part used in the other album, but it is much more interesting here, although the moods that it is used for it in "No Caipira" makes it more interesting, but here you get to find out what the whole piece is about.

"Salvador" is back to the guitar in a piece that seems to be more about his composition than it is about his flowing and flying style that we love to hear. Still nice. Though, by now, in this album, you and I have already fallen for the free flowing feeling, that is so exciting to hear.

"Ciranda Nordestina" starts with some percussion and his piano touching up the feeling. The percussion items used are said to be "cooking bells", and if that is the theme the anticipation of what the feijoada (Brazilian dish!) will bring to your stomach is ... something that you look forward to. However, his touch is so slight and careful, as to bring this music into something else that you can't specify, but you can certainly hear it and appreciate. Beautiful in ever sense, and maybe quite different from what a "song" is normally defined as ... things here just managed to develop into something else that takes your attention with very well.

The album notes specify that there were no overdubs, or touches in the recording of this whole album, which makes it even more insane and pretty ... to have that ability to simply just go for it, non-stop, and bring these pieces to you. And, above all, I doubt that you will find a better person improvising on his instruments than Egberto Gismonti ... and somehow, you have the feeling that he never once lost the theme that drove his material which is a testament to his talent and concentration level during the playing of his material.

Without a doubt a masterpiece that should be in everyone's collection. Not sure I think of this as "jazz: at all since the flow is so fluid and well played that the often ideas in jazz are nearly non-existent here, which makes this material very special, and not something that you listen to because it is jazz, but something that you listen to ... and close your eyes and fly ... soar would be more like it for me.