Album Notes

Phil DeGreg is well known in the mid-west as the house pianist at Cincinnati's famous Blue Wisp Jazz Club, author of the text "Jazz Keyboard Harmony", and professor of jazz studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. This project, his seventh CD, is an uplifting collaboration with some of Brazil's finest players, recorded in Brasilia. Jovino Santos Neto, grammy nominated Brazilian jazz pianist, composer, and author, wrote these notes to the CD: "Some of the most successful musical discoveries of recent times have taken place by the combination of elements from different cultures, exploring the contrasts and similarities between them. This happened at first within national borders, as with the blend of African and European musical languages in New Orleans which gave birth to jazz, or with the more complex mixtures which led to the many styles of Brazilian music. More recently, we can hear the results of further blends of those elaborate languages among themselves, creating yet more subtleties and colors than were ever thought possible. Phil DeGreg has added another layer to this story. An accomplished jazz pianist, composer and educator, he took on the task of absorbing the essence of the music from Brazil not as an intellectual exercise, but as a deep process of internalizing and codifying its syntax and grammar. Many other American musicians have tried this blend, with differing degrees of musical and critical success. In my opinion, Phil has done the right thing, by seriously studying the rhythmic structures underlying much of Brazilian music before he even went to Brazil. This avoided an all too common pitfall, which is American jazz musicians playing bebop lines over a generic "Latin" beat, definitely not the case here. Next, he chose his repertoire well, combining known and not-so-known standards by Jobim (Triste, Brigas Nunca Mais and the beautiful ballads Caminhos Cruzados and Retrato em Branco e Preto), mining from the deep well of Brazilian jazz samba (Estamos Aí), exploring the baião grooves in Hermeto Pascoal's classic Bebê, a couple of all-time jazz favorites (Speak Low and All Blues), plus adding 2 of his own originals (Nicola and Julia's Swing). This eclectic sampling could easily have become a patchwork without musical continuity were it not for Phil's solid piano style, revealing his personality, whether in the tasteful solos or in while accompanying his band mates. Here, again, Phil chose very well, inviting some of the most vibrant players of the new generation: Moisés Alves on trumpet, André Vasconcellos on bass, Leander Motta on percussion and one of my favorite drummers, Erivelton Silva. From the first seconds of opening track, you can hear the difference in the way the 16th. notes are delivered. Yes, this is the real deal... The collective interaction and joy is evident in all the tracks. Phil leads, but allows for ample room for everyone to expand and delve deep into the solid grooves. He does not hide his musical voice in the name of empty stylistic authenticity, but combines the best of both worlds into a cohesive project that will definitely please listeners on both sides of the Equator. Parabéns, Phil!"