O que será

Stefano Bollani, Hamilton de Holanda

O que será
Release date: 23.08.2013 ECM 2332
CD18,90 €out of print
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Italy’s creative piano virtuoso Stefano Bollani meets Hamilton de Holanda, Brazil’s peerless master of the bandolim, the 10-string mandolin. O que será is a summery celebration of the joy of music-making, radiating an irresistible enthusiasm, and raising the bar for trans-idiomatic instrumental interaction. Bollani, acknowledged as one of the most prodigiously-gifted soloists of jazz, is matched every step of the way here by de Holanda, and the exchanges between the musicians are frequently breathtaking. Repertoire draws upon the rich heritage of South American music – including Jobim, Piazzolla, Chico Buarque, Baden Powell, Ernesto Nazareth and more, plus original compositions by the protagonists. O que será was recorded live in Antwerp in last August before an audibly-delighted audience at the Jazz Middelheim Festival.

Ein sommerliches Fest der Freude am Musizieren: Italiens Klaviervirtuose Stefano Bollani trifft auf Hamilton de Holanda, Braziliens Großmeister der 10-saitigen Mandoline. „O que será”, live aufgenommen vor einem hörbar entzückten Publikum beim Jazz Middelheim Festival in Antwerpen, strahlt einen unwiderstehlichen Enthusiasmus aus, ob in Stücken von Jobim, Piazzolla, Chico Buarque und Baden Powell oder Originalkompositionen von Bollani und de Holanda. Bolani, der als einer der am erstaunlichsten begabten Solisten des Jazz gilt, findet in dem Südamerikaner einen gleichrangigen Partner – ihr Austausch ist mitunter atemberaubend.

Featured Artists Recorded

August 2012, Jazz Middelheim, Antwerp

Original Release Date

23.08.2013

  • 1Beatriz
    (Chico Buarque, Edu Lobo)    03:25
  • 2Il barbone di Siviglia
    (Stefano Bollani)    06:27
  • 3Caprichos de Espanha
    (Hamilton de Holanda)    03:04
  • 4Guarda che luna
    (Gualtiero Malgoni, Bruno Pallesi)    06:51
  • 5Luiza
    (Antonio Carlos Jobim)    06:18
  • 6O que será
    (Chico Buarque)    05:26
  • 7Rosa
    (Otávio de Souza, Pixinguinha)    03:36
  • 8Canto de Ossanha
    (Baden Powell, Vinícius de Moraes)    08:53
  • 9Oblivión
    (Astor Piazzolla)    04:35
  • 10Apanhei-te Cavaquinho
    (Ernesto Nazareth)    05:24

With its ingenious interaction and breathtaking virtuosity, its playing of deep feeling and improvisational daring, and its moments of high humour, “O que será”, by Stefano Bollani and Hamilton de Holanda makes a great case for the art of the duo. The first audio document of a priority project for both players, this CD was recorded live at the Jazz Middelheim festival in Antwerp in 2012. The musicians’ enthusiasm is contagious: you can hear the audience being swept up by it.

Stefano Bollani, the uniquely gifted Italian pianist, first encountered Hamilton de Holanda, Brazilian master of the bandolim (the 10-string mandolin) on stage at a festival in Bolzano, in South Tyrol, in June 2009. On that occasion they played just two pieces, compositions of Baden Powell/Vinícius de Moreas and Egberto Gismonti, but the empathy between them was immediate and unmistakable. That meeting – which can be seen and heard on YouTube, incidentally – left the players hungry for more. In August 2011, they reunited for their first complete show together, in Ischia, Italy, (working up a full programme of material after de Holanda arrived from Brazil – by air, sea and land – on the afternoon of the performance). The Ischia show established a blueprint for further concerts in Brazil and Europe. Trust and improvisation are the watchwords of this duo, and the decision to record live also reflects their wish to maintain the sense of spontaneity and risk that animates the shows.

Bollani’s love of Brazil is well-known. Several of his previous ECM releases, including the duos with Chick Corea (“Orvieto”) and Enrico Rava (“The Third Man”) and the trio album “Stone In The Water” have incorporated music of Brazilian composers. Amongst many other attributes, the pianist is able to creatively integrate aspects of Brazilian musical culture in an affectionate and original manner. In the encounter with Hamilton de Holanda he is allied with a true representative of Brazil’s musical heritage. Their programme includes original pieces by both protagonists, as well as a salute to Argentine tango Nuevo master Piazzolla, but draws most deeply on the Brazilian greats – Ernesto Nazareth, Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Pixinguinha – and the rhythms of Choro, Samba, and Baião.

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