Quiet yet powerful. Controlled yet freed. Electrified yet not. Last night’s show at the fabulous Jazz Alley, featuring the inimitable Bill Frisell and Vinicius Cantuária, was a performance in dichotomy. Frisell, long-time Seattle resident, and Cantuária, a Brazilian New Yorker, have played together off and on for 20 years. Together, on stage, guitars in hand, these two sound as if they were separated at birth.
Cantuária is a one-man band. Over his 30+ year career, he’s become known as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, drummer, and percussionist, centering around Brazilian jazz and the Bossa Nova sound. These varied influences and sounds manifested themselves on stage last night as little clicks and “tch!” sounds, staccato-like during the bridge of songs, as well as drumming and slapping on the body of his fully-acoustic 6-string guitar, miked for amplification.
Frisell is well-known around these parts. He moved to Seattle from New York in the 80s, and even though he spends 320 days a year traveling and performing, Seattle is his home. And we’re glad to have him. I count 36 non-collaboration albums listed in his discography, from 1983 to now. That’s more than one album a year. And there are 16 collaborations in there as well, bringing the total album count to 52, over a 31 year span. We need a new word, as “prolific” doesn’t really do justice to this incredible body of work. And sure, some of it is better than others, but the average in this bunch is way better than most of the music being released today. Frisell is a brilliant guitarist. The path his melodies wander down, the directions they lead, are often untrodden. He surprises you at nearly every measure.
Together, Cantuária and Frisell are in complete sync. Frisell’s electrified sound, sometimes fuzzy, often full of reverb, blends seamlessly with Cantuária’s acoustic chords. Add in the quiet Brazilian Portuguese lyrics being sung by Cantuária and you have one of the most pleasant-to-the-ear performances I’ve heard in ages. The duo released an album together in 2011, Lágrimas Mexicanas, on the French indie label Naïve Records (also home to M83, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Pink Martini). Their 90 minute set, including two 1-song encores, stemmed mostly from this beautiful album, and translated well to the live stage.
It was a gorgeous set of music. And lucky for you, they’re doing another performance tonight, again at Jazz Alley, and tickets are still available. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest internet-connected console and make a reservation today. If you’ve not been to Jazz Alley before, prepare for a lovely evening of fine dining and fantastic acoustics. You will not be disappointed.
