Sergio & Odair Assad, guitarists – Jardim abandonado – Nonesuch 278140-2, 57:47 Nonesuch 278140-2 ****:
The Assad brothers have tended to depart from the normal guitar duo repertory in most of their albums. They also toured and recorded gypsy-flavored music together with violinist Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg. This collection is a mix of two-guitar transcriptions from French composers such as Debussy and Milhaud, four Brazilian works by Antonio Carlos Jobim, and four originals by one or the other of the Assads. A fresh and inviting two-guitar version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue is by far the longest work in the program. The album’s title comes from one of the Jobim pieces. Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche Suite has long been by favorite work of that composer, in both the versions for clarinet and piano and for two pianos. Its two lively movements dropped into this program and arranged for two guitars work equally well. The original of the Octet by Adam Guettel was obviously for eight instruments, but the two-guitar version sounds complete as it is, without any overdubbing.
The Assad brothers have tended to depart from the normal guitar duo repertory in most of their albums. They also toured and recorded gypsy-flavored music together with violinist Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg. This collection is a mix of two-guitar transcriptions from French composers such as Debussy and Milhaud, four Brazilian works by Antonio Carlos Jobim, and four originals by one or the other of the Assads. A fresh and inviting two-guitar version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue is by far the longest work in the program. The album’s title comes from one of the Jobim pieces. Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche Suite has long been by favorite work of that composer, in both the versions for clarinet and piano and for two pianos. Its two lively movements dropped into this program and arranged for two guitars work equally well. The original of the Octet by Adam Guettel was obviously for eight instruments, but the two-guitar version sounds complete as it is, without any overdubbing.
The very natural acoustics of the recording probably are due to it having been made in two church environments. Nonesuch seems to be copying the ECM habit of providing no notes in their note booklets, but the music program is a delight.
TrackList: Trem Para Codisburgo, Chora Coracao, Brazileira (Scaramouche), Menuet (Suite Bergamasque), Laranjeiras, Tahhiyya li Ossoulina, Jardim Abandonado, Milagres e Palhacos, Octet, Arcos da Lapa, Central do Brasil, Vif (Scaramouche), Passepied (Suite Bergamasque), Rhapsody in Blue, Prelude (Suite Bergamasque)
– John Sunier
