Samuel Quinto Trio: Salsa' N Jazz

There is something about Brazilian-born pianist Samuel Quinto that strikes a vibrant chord in the inner ear. Perhaps it has to do with his wonderful grasp of the joy that abounds in the Brazilian northeast... his sense of "alegria." Perhaps it also has to do with his mature approach, wonderful use of dynamics, his expression and his innate ability to allow the tonal center of his music to shine. He has an exquisite ear and his hands are independently controlled by his mind that separates melody and harmony when required. Quinto, as a result, makes his fingers tingle on the keys, rumble and guffaw and cry with chords from which he wrings laughter and sadness and pure joy.

On Salsa' N Jazz he plays with primal hypnotic rhythm calling out to the roots of his music that reach the deepest Africa, via the folksy corners of Brazil and Spain—which means the nooks and crannies of the Mediterranean of the Middle East, India and Europe. The result is a record on which these cultures come together in a flash point that warms the blood of the soul. His playing is muscular and intuitive and smacks of an artist who likes to invent on the fly, to constantly evolve.

At the starting point of Quinto's playing is also a deep symbiotic relationship with forro music in all its vibrant glory—baiao, xote and arrasta-pe—all elegantly captured and twinkling when his fingers touch the ebony and ivory. The most joyous and memorable display of this is his interpretation of Victor Young's "Stella by Starlight," which is given a rousing forro treatment and reaches fever pitch as the choruses of the song unravel. It pays to mention that on this song—as on the others on this record—Brazilian bassist, Marcos Borges and Cuban drummer, Manuel Santiesteban shine with their wonderful interplay.

Samuel Quinto is also an accomplished composer and shows maturity and a sense of adventure with the rhythmic variety that he presents here on a rumba, "Quinto's Rhumba"—which, incidentally, is played in a delightfully chopped style reminiscent of Thelonious Monk. "Jaci" is an exciting, dancing song that crosses Cuban rhythms with a hint of Brazil. "Bolero To Preta," a loving sketch of the pianist's mother suggests that he has plenty of inner clave. "Ficou No Meio" is simply wonderful forro that turns giddy as Quinto, Borges and Santiesteban gloriously rumple the harmony and rhythm. "Voo Da Andorinha" is a chorinho that, quite simply, reveals Quinto's "Alma de Nordeste." And "Isabel (Para Voce)" is a beautiful ballad that glitters and glimmers as its emotional tonal colors begin to unfold.

"Salsa' N Jazz" is a flagship song that captures all that is unforgettable about this record: A pianist with the ability to dazzle quietly as right hand flies exotically and left hand constantly invents harmony and rhythm. Here is a pianist of great promise—who carries with him his rich Brazilian tradition and indeed all Latin America into an exciting new musical landscape.

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