There is a lot of action in Portugal, musically. This first album by multi-instrumentalist and producer Pedro Ricardo is another illustration.
Beyond Fado, the traditional song with which we automatically associate Portugal, there is a multicultural youth that propels the country into the 21st century.
Soprem bons ventos (Good winds blow) is deeply colored with Portuguese folklore, but also Brazilian and Cape Verdean, passed through a jazz and (very discreetly) electronic mill.
Pedro Ricardo is Portuguese. He lives in Berlin and is as much a DJ as a musician. He plays all the instruments, except the drums. There is a lot of piano, guitars and other string instruments. And vocals.
It’s pretty rare that this happens, but the title track, which starts the album, is not the most interesting in my opinion. Our interest starts really at the second track, called “Tema 1”, a vocal theme that will repeat and develop several times throughout the album.
Then comes “Déhéba”, where folklore, jazz and groove are courting. Then comes “Ode ao Gato” (Ode to the Cat), the most straightforward jazz piece on the record.
Afterwards, the softness and the more intense moments will alternate. The most electronic piece is “A Marcha que o Monte Parou” (The March that the mountain stopped). It is as if these many short pieces form different movements of a large musical quilt.
Soprem bons ventes is a great calling card for Pedro Ricardo.
What will follow should only be more exciting.
