Chuck Bernstein – Delta Berimbau Blues – CMB Records CB102844, 61:09 ****1/2:
(Chuck Bernstein – berimbau, gunga berimbau, vocal; Dennis Broughton – viola berimbau; Bira Almeida-Media – berimbau; Greg Douglas – guitar; Paul Ledo – guitar; Ricardo Peixoto – guitar; “Sister” Debbie Sipes – guitar; Ian Faquini – guitar; Sam Bevan – bass; George Marsh – bass; Robert Kyle – tenor sax; Roswell Rudd – trombone; Lisa Kindred – vocal)
San Francisco percussionist Chuck Bernstein knew nothing about the berimbau, a Brazilian one-stringed percussion instrument, until he heard his friend Shelly Manne play it during a 1979 set at the Matador Club in his home town. After that, he became obsessed with it. Problem was, hardly anyone in his in the area knew anything about it, let alone could teach him how to play it. Then a percussionist friend recommended he get in touch with Dennis Broughton.
After arduous months of study, Bernstein developed a modest proficiency on the ungainly instrument. As he experimented with various bows, tunings, and string tensions, he had a remarkable insight: the berimbau might be a natural instrument on which to play Delta blues. Hence, this recording.
Consisting of solo, duet, and multi-instrumental numbers, Delta Berimbau Blues pretty much covers the country-blues/Brazilian waterfront. Not surprisingly, the most successful numbers are the ones featuring the berimbau set against a variety of blues guitar stylings, whether it be the slide guitar of Greg Douglas (“Delta Berimbau Blues,” “Flight of the Golden Dragon”) the righteous finger- picking of “Sister” Debbie Sipes (“Drop D,” “Kelly Blues”), or the more Brazilian-oriented tracks by Paul Ledo and Ricardo Peixoto (“All Your Desires”) and Ian Faquini (“Contenda”). These for me, with “Plunger in the Funk,” featuring the inimitable Roswell Rudd, work best. The solo or duet berimbau numbers, as well as the berimbau-bass and -drum numbers work less well, primarily because of the instrument’s extremely limited tonal and timbral range: it’s meant to be an accompanying, not a lead instrument. Nevertheless, whatever the setting, there’s a deeply delved mesmeric quality to its primordial sound, which conjures up ancient spirits and forgotten tribal sensibilities.
An analog to this music might be the various Water Lilly Acoustic outings that pair similar East/West/jazz/blues/folk/world music encounters, against which Delta Berimbau Blues holds up very well. Entirely worth checking out for the adventurous listener.
TrackList: Delta Berimbau Blues, All Your Desires, Dawn in the Delta, Kindred Spirits, Drop D, Viola Foot Stompin’ Blues, Delta Spirit Dance, One Grain of Sand, Plunger in the Funk, Blues Para Guinga, Darling Cory, Bahia Trance Blues, Free to Grind, Contenda, Kelly Blues, Flight of the Golden Dragon
– Jan P. Dennis
