CARLOS BARRETTO

It has been said that Carlos Barretto plays in the Neo-Bop African-American style. This observation is well justified, and can be heard on his recordings with his quintets (Impressões - Groove/Movieplay and Going Up - Challenge/Dargil 96). Always on the lookout for new directions, and sensitive to questions of cultural identity (he is Portuguese, southern European and Latin), Carlos Barretto felt the need to create a different musical universe; one made up of other rhythms and other colours, with a certain Portugality, something from a meridional Europe. His music contains Arabic and Celtic influences and also (and why not?), Fado, contemporary and rock. His work is about improvising with frameworks that say something to us as Europeans.

Barretto has devoted himself to composing pieces for electric guitar, double bass and drums or percussion. Mário Delgado and José Salgueiro were the natural choice to play them. These two musicians are from a jazz background, but are equally at home in musical areas as diverse as ethnic, Portuguese, Lusophone, contemporary, pop or rock. This fact was vital for the leader's musical project.

The Carlos Barretto Trio (Carlos Barretto, double-bass; Mário Delgado, guitar; José Peixoto, drums) was established in 1997, rehearsing and playing live, and culminating with the recording of the CD Suite da Terra in early 1998. In the same year, they performed live in venues all over Portugal, including various shows at Expo-98 and a trip to Macao for a concert season.

Since 1999 the trio has developed and become more experimental, daring and abstract, with its aesthetics leaning more towards spontaneous improvisation. The results are really absorbing and audiences' interest in the trio's music has steadily grown. The trio's latest work, Silêncios, was hailed by the specialist press as one of the best jazz records of 2000.

Discography:

Mal Waldron / Thierry Bruneau Quartet: "Serene" (Serene)
Carlos Barretto Quintet: "Impressões" (Groove / Movieplay)
George Cables Trio: "Alone Together" (Groove / Movieplay)
Carlos Barretto Quintet: "Going Up" (Challenge)
Carlos Martins Quarteto: "Passagem" (Enja)
Carlos Barretto Trio: "Suite da Terra" (BAB / Dargil)
Bob Sands Quartet: "Jumpstart" (Fresh Sound)
Carlos Martins: "Sempre" (Emi / VC)
Carlos Barretto 4: "Olhar"(Up Beat)
Carlos Barretto Trio: "Silêncios" (Foco Musical)