Robertinho Silva

On his fourth album as a leader, Silva puts together a highly percussive (naturally) series of sessions mixing American jazz standards and jazz-rock idioms with Brazilian instruments and material. The results sometimes resemble fellow percussionist Airto Moreira's fascinating electric Brazilian jazz recordings of the '70s, though Silva's tracks are more disciplined in structure. A solo flute or saxophone, mostly in the capable hands of Mauro Senise, rises above the ensemble a la Wayne Shorter, and seven different keyboardists, including Silva himself on "Festa De Terreiro," sprinkle notes or lay down electronic textures. Aided by Silva's sons Ronaldo and Vanderlei on percussion, "Ceco Aderaldo" has a dense, rapidly fibrillating underbrush of Brazilian percussion sounds propelling the music, and Silva puts forth a thundering, hypnotic 7/4-meter display on the tom-toms in "Barra 200." In the American material, "Bemsha Swing" receives a quasi-samba treatment while also emphasizing the tune's strong roots in the blues, and "Nefertiti" rarely departs from the usual Miles Davis-oriented approach. Indeed, in the latter tune, the versatile Silva does a pretty good, meter-shifting Tony Williams impersonation. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide