This duo of Italian pianist Bollani and Brazilian bandolim player de Holanda positively fizzes with almost furiously dynamic invention, good humour and dazzling virtuosity. The bandolim (I had to look it up, too) is a 10-stringed mandolin, close in pitch to the conventional instrument but with more tonal warmth, de Holanda is clearly a master of his chosen instrument, and he has worked with expert jazz improvisers before, among them accordeonist Richard Galliano and banjo player Bela Fleck. Bollani’s fluid and endlessly inventive playing has been a delight at concert and on record for many years, and this latest venture is a valuable addition to his previous ECM creations. The duets were recorded live at the Jazz Middelheim festival in Antwerp last year, and the atmosphere is quite extraordinary, the audience clearly revelling in every brilliant musical interchange.
John Watson, Jazzcamera
Was sofort ohrenfällig wird, ist das phänomenal gute Zusammenspiel der beiden. Absolut synchron bieten sie verzwickte Läufe dar, wie aus einem Atem heraus werden Steigerungen gestaltet, dabei ergänzen sich der perkussiv brilante Klang von de Holandas Bandolim und der samtig warme Klavierton Bollanis, der manchmal beinahe an ein Fender-Rhodes-Piano erinnert, ganz ausgezeichnet. Dramaturgisch ist das Album gekonnt zusammengestellt udn bietet viel Abwechslung (…) Da wäre man gerne live dabei gewesen.
Mario-Felix Vogt, Fono Forum
Virtuosity abounds in this live recording from the Jazz Middelheim festival in Antwerp in 2012, but overriding the impressive technical display is the sheer joy inherent in these performances. The ability to play anything and go anywhere on their instruments, rather than a hindrance, is a tool that is used with much good taste and exhilarating results that are never flashy for the sake of technical wizardry. […] A nicely balanced programme of delicate duo interplay interspersed with the dazzingly complex lines that the two musicians weave in the uptempo pieces. Virtuosic this music may be, but the end results justifiy the means as the pair seek to push the music to the heigth of their considerable abilities. The end of the album may leave you breahtless, as indeed it did the audience present at the concert, but this is duo playing of astonishing quality where the two musicians explore mutual musical ground and then push themselves further, always looking for the next level, and frequently finding new things to say.
Nick Lea, Jazz Views
A dazzling display of instrumental prowess but, more importantly, a gorgeous album of music.
Peter Bacon, The Jazz Breakfast
Pianist Stefano Bollani and guitarist Hamilton de Holanda are caught at a 2012 concert in Antwerp and mix passion and melody, with an alarmingly attractive interplay between the two. Delicate moments of ‘Beatriz’ highlight romantic empathy, while frenetic fingerwork are on display on the rousing ‘Caprichos De Espanha.’ A bit of a Neopolitan traffic jam occurs on ‘Il Barbone Di Siviglia,’ but they dance like long lost friends on the title track. And if you’re looking for serenades, go no further than the lovely ‘Rosa.’ I hope this wasn’t a one-off affair, as these guys play like compadres. Encore!!
George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
In ihrem beherzten und beflügelten Spiel spielen die Partner genüsslich den Charme eingängiger Melodien aus, um dabei Schmelz und Sentimentalitäten parodistisch zu überhöhen. Das kongeniale Interplay, das sich manchmal wie ein Trio ausnimmt (weil die Hände des Pianisten je eigenen Funktionen übernehmen) strapaziert die Formen mitunter aber auch: Das Duo bricht dann aus i freie Dialoge, in denen sich die musikalische Zweisamkeit über alle Regeln und Genres großartig hinwegsetzt.
Üeli Bernays, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
There seems to be a growing group of totally amazing soloists on instruments which previously were not considered legitimate solo instruments in either classical or jazz: ukelele, banjo, erhu, harmonica and now—with performers like Chris Thiele—the mandolin. Hamilton de Holanda, of Brazil, is the world’s master of the bandolim, a ten-string mandolin. He and his cohort, the Italian jazz pianist Stefano Bollani, have an absolutely amazing empathy, and their enthusiasm for what they are doing is contagious and most exciting. […]It was a mark of the performers’ confidence in their trust and improvisational chops that they decided to record this album live. They obviously want to maintain a feeling of spontaneity and risk in the recording that must be present in spades at their live performances. And of course Manfred Eicher has preserved the duo in the best possible fidelity.
John Henry, Audiophile Edition
