"Sunny and upbeat, lushly orchestrated and produced but not sugary... Harmonic nuances abound, along with richly layered choruses and tight ensemble playing. ...[Exceto Nos is] Goosebump worthy." Jazz Times, December 2004"Guitarist Ed Johnson just made the year's best Brazilian pop-jazz album recorded in the United States by non-Brazilians. ...There's wonderful chemistry at work here, resulting in smooth jazz that isn't dull, mellow pop filled with creative playing, and very authentic Brazilian music that's technically not. Just an accident of geography."DJ Johnson, Cosmik Debris, November 2004Movimento is Ed Johnson's third solo recording of vibrant, original contemporary jazz with a Latin feel and a refreshing emphasis on harmony vocals and horn arrangements. Movimento includes seven original compositions and three covers, including the classic Jobim/De Moraes samba A, Felicidade and a rocking take on O Bom Alvinho by Gerry Mulligan and Jane Duboc. Five of the tracks are vocal pieces sung in Portuguese, Spanish and English. The five instrumentals include up-tempo Brazilian Baiaos, several straight ahead numbers and a classic medium swing. The CD features Johnson's seven-piece band, Novo Tempo, a tight ensemble that evolved from Johnson's previous release, the critically acclaimed Over That Wave.
Novo Tempo features brass man JOHN WORLEY, woodwind player KRISTEN STROM, and guitar/mandolin wizard SCOTT SORKIN. The rhythm section features bassist RENE WORST, drummer MARK IVESTER, and percussionist JEFF BUSCH. Canadian pianist and songstress JENNIFER SCOTT teams up with Ed for distinctive, vocalese duets reminiscent of Tania Maria. GUIDE to MOVIMENTO "Movement within change/movement wonders and miracles/ it all happens without our noticing/leaving us only the mystery ..." 1) Scotch Baiao (5:05) - Exciting, up-tempo treatment of a classic Brazilian rhythm form, sung in vocalese. Transitioning from Baiao to Samba and back again. The scat is evocative of Tania Maria.
2) Movimento (5:31) - Sung in Portuguese, a medium samba in 6/8 time. Opening with a folkloric nylon-stringed guitar duet and building to soaring vocals. Note the soprano sax and flugelhorn playing in two against three. 3) Exceto Nos (6 :11) - A sophisticated yet funky bossa sung in Portuguese. A good dance number. 4) Light's Return (7:35) - Another Toninho-inspired tune, this up-tempo instrumental features vocalese and the distinctive cuica drum. The piece cascades from one solo to the next.
5) Remembrance (Para Freyda) (6 :51) - Sung in Spanish and English. A moving song of gratitude that stylistically bridges Brazilian and Venezuelan music. 6) O Bom Alvinho (5:53) - Pronounced oo Boon All veen yo. A rocking take on the lighter, original baiao by Gerry Mulligan and Jane Duboc with parade-like, carnival percussion. A tribute to Brazilian musician Hermeto Pascoal, "the sweet albino."7) For T (5:32) - A samba cancao with a spiritual quality, this moderately paced instrumental tribute to Brazilian guitarist Toninho Horta by Scott Sorkin gives us a mystical flight of fancy.
8) Tara (5:43) - Unlike anything else on the album, a classic medium swing instrumental inspired by Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDeveer. Straight ahead jazz evoking strength and poise. 9) A, Felicidade (6:55) - Sung in Portuguese. The classic Jobim/De Moraes samba (from Black Orpheus) with an up tempo twist. Opening with a free form finger style nylon-string guitar solo and building to lush vocal harmonies that mirror the horn figures.
10) Silent Heart (6:01) - A languid jazz ballad sung in English with a bossa beat.
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