Egberto Gismonti, 'Sol Do Meio Dia' LP (ECM Records)
Sunday, November 21, 2021, 7:24pm (full listen)
EG is someone I've been aware of for probably 20 years, mostly as someone who made at least one record with Charlie Haden in the early 2000s, when I was starting to get obsessively into jazz and ECM Records, but I had no idea what he did/does, or even what instrument he plays, and it wasn't until I started taking chances on curious-looking ECM LPs at a nearby used record store that I started to rub up against his actual presence on records. It turns out he's primarily a guitarist, nylon string for the most part (and here, and 8-string one), but he also plays piano and also likes to throw in vocals, wood flutes, and other small instruments, and has a bit more of a folk music vibe generally, rather that overt jazziness. This album is a mixed bag of him playing with a variety of ECM regulars like Jan Garbarek, Ralph Towner, Nana Vasconcelos, and Colin Walcott (I'm a fan of Oregon, too, which features RT and CW, and also Codona, which features NV and CW alongside good ol' Don Cherry), so it was likely going to be a good listen, and it was, although my attention was not fully focused on it, so while I liked what I heard, I definitely need to revisit; a promising introduction to EG's work as a leader.
