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1. Beatriz
2. Il barbone di Siviglia
3. Caprichos de Espanha
4. Guarda che luna
5. Luiza
6. O que será
7. Rosa
8. Canto de Ossanha
9. Oblivión
10. Apanhei-te Cavaquinho
Stefano Bollani – Piano
Hamilton de Holanda – Bandolim
One of my favourite young pianists – Stefano
Bollani – first met Hamilton de Holanda at a festival in Bolzano,
in South Tyrol, in 2009. Their rapport was immediately obvious,
and they have collaborated several times since. Hamilton, who
comes from Brazil, plays the bandolim, a ten-string mandolin.
Italian Bollani is already well-known as a
jazz pianist of immense virtuosity – a talent matched by the
bandolim-player. Their playing alternates between duetting and
accompanying one another’s solos. Stefano makes a very responsive
accompanist, often creating inspired, empathetic counterpoint
with Holanda. This is evident in such tracks as Guarda che
luna, which starts with a rhapsodic introduction by Holanda,
who is soon joined by Bollani, supplying a perfect accompaniment
to Holanda. Then they switch roles and Hamilton accompanies
Stefano’s glittering piano solo. One of them adds an ecstatically
ironic vocal commentary.
Luiza
starts with a piano introduction which suggests we are about to hear Honeysuckle Rose, but it turns into a piece composed by
Antonio Carlos Jobim. Several other tracks have a distinctive Brazilian mood – like Rosa and Oblivión, which are both
wistful ballads. By contrast, Canto de Ossanha is an animated tour de force, with both musicians playing as if their
lives depend on it – and adding their own percussion by beating on the wood of their instruments. Apanhei-te Cavaquinho is equally
sprightly, with echoes of Tico Tico. Hamilton’s skill is as astounding as Stefano’s.
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CD Reviews
ECM 374 0459
