Anthony Wilson | Campo Belo

Album Review: Anthony Wilson | Campo Belo
by Brent Faulkner

(Advance Review: CD to be released April 5th, 2011)

On Campo Belo, composer/guitarist Anthony Wilson assembles a set of ten
songs that are classifiable as ‘jazz,’ but transcend jazz itself. Filled
with influences from classical music (minimalism most notably), Latin
music, and even tinges of country/folk, Campo Bello is certainly a
‘melting pot’ to say the least. On this, Wilson’s eighth set as a
leader, he assembles a set of capable musicians to carry out incredibly
cerebral compositional ideas. Aside from lending his own compositional
and guitar expertise, Wilson is joined by Chico Pinheiro (guitar), André
Mehmari (piano), Guto Wirtti (bass), and Edu Ribeiro (drums). Overall,
Campo Belo is an enjoyable set that yields some enjoyable listens.

The album opens with the solid title track, “Campo Belo,” which
possesses a nice ‘low key’ vibe that contrasts the driving feel
traditionally associated with jazz. As the solo section builds, so does
the intensity. “March to March,” the sophomore follow-up cut, has a
smooth sound about it, not completely unlike the spiritual timbre given
off by say John Coltrane’s “Acknowledgement, Pt. 1.” Sure, “March to
March” is not a classic the likes of the John Coltrane cut, but its
complex, intelligible sound shows off Wilson’s compositional finesse.

“Edu” continues the lazy, ‘brainy’ vibe, though does so in a shorter
duration that the first couple of cuts. What stands out is the
unpredictability of Wilson’s compositions – just when you think you’ve
discovered where Wilson is going harmonically, he throws a curveball.
As always, the guitar playing is top-rate. “After the Flood” provides a
contrast to tempo; the album needed the spark ignited by this cut. The
mixing job by the engineer is superb and the improvised solos from
guitar, piano, and bass are ‘spot-on.’ “Patrimonio” is first rate as
well, opening with piano and guitar only. As always, the harmonic
progression stands out. The sense of minimalism about this cut is a
nice touch, not to mention when the full rhythm section enters to build
upon the already present mysterious about this cut.

“Elyria” is creative possessing somewhat of a country-folk feel about
it. The drawbacks – the cut ends up being a bit too sleepy. Some
differentiation of ideas and perhaps a break from the consummate
minimalism may have made “Elyria” stronger. “Valsacatau” is a stronger
cut, ideally playing around with a mixed-meter groove established by the
drums. Abstract as all other cuts, “Valsacatau” has much more appeal
than other cuts from Campo Belo.

“Flor de Sumare” finds Wilson slowing down the tempo and exhibiting
great interaction compositionally between guitar and piano. The lines
of “Flor de Sumare” possess a certain angularity, but despite the
jaggedness, the instrumentalists achieve this angularity with
incredible smoothness – a musical contradiction. “Etna” opens with the
typical moody ‘soundtrack’ that characterizes so many cuts from this
effort. As always, Wilson plays on compositional interactions between
piano and guitar, a highlight of this entire effort. Closer
“Transition” is arguably the best cut, opening with a mysteriousness
that clearly channels the jazz compositional genius of Wayne Shorter
(think album The All Seeing Eye). The post-bop/avante-garde sound is a
great contrast to some of the lazier cuts of this effort, ending the
album with a ‘bang’ to say the least.

Overall, Campo Belo is a solid effort. There are moments where you wish
that Wilson hadn’t dwelled so much on minimalist and static ideas, but
for the most part, the pacing of this effort is solid. Compositionally,
the selections are genius more often than not and as far as the level
of performance from this great band of musicians – exceptional. With
more than enough strong material, Campo Belo is a worthwhile
contemporary jazz effort.

Brent Faulkner

The Urban Music Scene