CD Review: Peter Scharli Trio featuring Ithamara Koorax - O Grande Amor

CD Review: Peter Scharli Trio featuring Ithamara Koorax - O Grande Amor







Peter Scharli's O Grande Amor is an unusual album. This is brazilian music played beautifully by a trio of swiss musicians. That fact alone is not so unusual, brazilian music is played by musicians all around the world.

The odd thing here is the format of this trio. Peter Scharli on trumpet, Thomas Durst on bass and Hans-Peter Pfammatter on piano. Something missing? Right, no drums and no percussions. Everybody knows the importance of the percussion on brazilian music. So it is a challenge for these master musicians, mostly for the pianist and bassist to keep the rhythm. And they did a wonderful job al throughout especially on the sambas "Sandalia dela", Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes' "Deixa" and "Zum Zum".

Peter Scharli gorgeous, rich sound and well constructed solos on trumpet is a perfect match with the trio secret weapon, Ithamara Koorax. Among all the great talented singers out of Brasil Koorax is without a doubt one of the best. Koorax is a singer equally comfortable singing traditional brazilian music or jazz.

Few singers conveys the emotion of Antonio Carlos Jobim lyrics like "Fotografia" and "O Grande Amor" or ballads like Ivan Lins "Setembro" with the tender feel and elegance of Ithamara Koorax. Koorax also brings the most out of each note on the slow arrangement of Ary Barroso "Pra Machucar Meu Coraçao".

One of the highligths of the album is Hans original "Wediletto", a composition that allows Koorax to show her amazing vocal range singing high notes in unison with Peter Scharli on trumpet.

Tracks: Fotografia, Sandalia Dela, Setembro, Wedileto, O Grande Amor, Deixa, Pra Machucar Meu Coraçao, Zum Zum

Musicians: Ithamara Koorax - vocals, Hans Peter Pfammatter - piano, Thomas Durst - bass, Peter Scharli - trumpet