Dani Turchetoґs samba has the smile of tradition and the look of modernity. His second album “Madeira Torta”ґs beautiful cover gives the first clues to this clever hybrid. Posing in front of a natural landscape altered and transformed into a digital collage, Dani Turcheto holds his favorite samba instrument, the classic cavaquinho, a small string instrument of Portuguese origin with four wire or gut strings* … In the title song that opens his new work, the idea of renewal becomes clear: Dani plugs his cavaquinho into a wah wah pedal and thus transforms it into a cavaco-wah.
“Madeira Torta” is the natural follow-up to “Sobremesa” (Dessert), Daniґs 2009 debut album of modern samba-jazz which brought back the sounds of the 70s mixed with contemporary electronic timbres, and included tracks from Daniґs whole musical career.
The new work, however, had a much shorter gestation period and is “very now”, in his authorґs own attempt to describe the freshness of the tracks. The album was recorded in Sгo Paulo at studios Navegantes and Capitгo Monga, and in New York at Grand Studio. It includes 11 tracks and was produced by guitarist Joгo Erbetta, according to Turcheto, “a rocker producing a samba album” . Nathan Rosborough was in charge of mixing and Tim Gennert was responsible for masterization.
Five songs were recorded in New York, such as “Um samba em Cada Esquina” ( A Samba in every corner), and “Coraзгo de Gato” (Catґs Heart), which include the clarinette , violin and arrangements of multi-instrumentalist Dennis Lichtman, and keyboards by Jon Cowhere (a contemporary jazz pianist who records with the new artists from the Verve label), “In the 60s, there was a lot of samba with keyboards”, says Dani about the time when bossa nova started to show signs of fatigue and people like Cйsar Camargo Mariano and Zimbo Trio began to expand the genreґs instrumentality. This explains the presence of a Hammond B3 on tracks such as “Enchente” (Flood), “Tempo de Voar” (Time to Fly), and “Atol” (an inspired composition partnership with Fernando Gurman). However, this keyboard is played in a different way “somewhere between jazz and gospel” according to Dani, imparting yet another unique flavor to his samba.
The third “imported” musician is Brazilian Mauro Refosco. a percussionist who tours with David Byrne and has gone on stage in surprise-shows with Thom Yorke, of Radiohead, and Flea of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Muro plays in every song of “Madeira Torta” except for “Amor de Lбgrima” (Love and Tears), a duo between Dani Turcheto and female singer Dani Luppi that is simply accompanied by a guitar. Another great voice duo is with singer Lu Horta, in the beautiful co-written “Deu Zoeira” (What a mess).
The repertory is completed with Daniґs reinterpretation of Chico Buarqueґs “Amanhв ninguйm sabe”, which Dani discovered when Chico Buarqueґs first album was reissued to be sold at newsagents in Brazil. It is a beautiful example of how Dani brings the old classic sounds of samba into a new era.