The Room is a collaborative album by Brazilian LA-based guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento and LA-based saxophonist Sam Gendel. This is their first album together and an enthralling one, I must say. As a symbol of powerful artistic synergy and creative innovation, this album is the spice a listener should have in their musical palette. This album delivers exactly what two brilliant artists, driven by their desire to transcend conventional boundaries, would serve to the audiences as their first collaborative album.
The two met in 2011 while Fabiano was gigging with his Latin jazz group “Triorganico” at a restaurant owned by Sam’s cousin, who invited him along. Since then, both have built their reputation as seasoned artists and performers. Sam debuted as an instrumentalist in 2013. He once claimed that “putting out a ‘normal’ album just doesn’t work for him,” which aptly summarises his futuristic playing style. Brazilian Fabiano do Nascimento is well-known for performing on 6, 7, 8 and 10-string customised nylon string guitars and his ever-expanding style of music that stems from both the traditional native Brazilian music and the more contemporary and experimental jazz. Last year, he released “Das Nuvens” and “Mundo Solo”, which saw him moving into more ambient electronic territory.
In The Room, the pair presents us with a unique blend of folk music styles from parts of South America and contemporary modern jazz. With Nascimento’s strumming, finger-picking and clean harmonics on a 7-string, the crystal clear sound of Sam Gandel’s soprano saxophone melds perfectly, somewhat removing the typical experimental jazz for which Sam is known. This clarity is what creates harmony with an exceptional purity of sound, which is remarkable.
Another profound merit of this album is the clear yet unexpected direction in which each piece evolves. Both Nascimento and Gendel know how to bring out the nuances of their own instruments and simultaneously complement what their collaborator is playing.
The album starts with a bossa-nova-like tune called Foi Boto, which is embellished with a lush, flute-like haunting melody. The following track, Capricho, offers introspective and wistful melody lines over a relatively uptempo guitar accompaniment, i.e. comping.
With the next track, Astral Flowers, you will be taken to a utopian world of fairy tales through a flurry of sparkling guitar harmonics and the gossamer tone of the saxophone.
Kwere is one of the technically complex tracks on this album. It features quite an intricate interplay of instruments, encapsulating happy moments and lingering melancholy. Cores and Txera are the next two tracks, characterised by a faster tempo. The seventh piece, Até de Manhã, evokes a train of nostalgic memories. Nascimento’s classical-inspired playing is like the icing on the cake.
Technically sophisticated pieces Poeira showcases Flamenco-inspired strumming with impeccable grooves. Add in Gendel’s masterful lines with Nascimento’s groove; you will have a piece that stirs a stream of euphoria as if you have found your long-lost friend.
Although all the songs on this record have incorporated native Brazilian idioms, Tupi sounds like the music of native Brazil more than other songs.
The last track, Daiana, is an absolute gem. It sounds more like a jazz standard that has copious classical guitar-like movements. Daiana allows the listeners to relive the cherished memories from their distant and long-forgotten past.
The Room brings a variety of inventive and incredible musical methods to the table that are meticulously brilliant in every aspect. Refreshingly different and completely absorbing.
