Path to Artistic Tranquility
— A couple of years ago I was pleased to review Dan Costa‘s 2016 debut solo album, Suíte Três Rios. The album was a solid debut with a strong presence of guest artists supporting the amazing music Dan Costa had created. Two years later, Dan Costa comes back with his second solo effort, Skyness.
Produced, composed, and arranged by Dan Costa, Skyness features Costa on piano with original music exploring themes about sky and its “unifying strength,” as he describes it. The album also continues to blend North American Jazz, Portuguese Fado, Brazilian music, and Spanish Flamenco with unparalleled sensibility and competence we had already experienced in Costa’s first album. Costa says the music we hear “is also an ode to the idyllic Cycladic islands in Greece, where most of the tracks were written.” With the right inspiration and his artistic excellence, it is no surprise that Skyness is leading Dan Costa into a solid career.
Skyness features another excellent roster of Brazilian and European musicians playing side by side with Costa. Roberto Menescal is on acoustic guitar, Jorge Helder brings his double bass, Teco Cardoso is on flute, Custódio Castelo adds the Portuguese Guitar, Romero Lubambo contributes with his acoustic guitar, Nelson Faria adds his electric guitar, and Seamus Blake closes the admirable guest musician list on tenor saxophone. All of these outstanding artists, along with Costa on piano, elevate the music in Skyness to great heights.
After the short “Prologue,” we hear Bossa Nova icon Roberto Menescal and bass whiz Jorge Helder featured in “Tempos Sentidos.” A soft bossa, “Tempos Sentidos” sets the tone for the wonderful music we are presented in the album. The tranquil mood and feel of this track is magical, as Menescal and Helder breeze through the recording. More exciting music keeps the tempo going. Teco Cardoso’s flute solo in “Compelling” is vibrant and peppy. Piano and flute showcase a delightful interplay. To change the mood a notch, nothing more evocative and touching than a Portuguese guitar solo in “Lisbon Skyline.” Custódio Castelo pours his heart out on this track. You can almost see the Tagus River with the Lisbon skyline in the background as these two musicians show their art. Two other guitarists join hands with Costa on “Sete Enredos” (featuring Romero Lubambo) and “Lume” (featuring Nelson Faria). Lubambo and Faria need no introduction; they are household names in Brazil and abroad. Costa shines in both tracks as these accomplished guitarists add entrancing solos to his piano work. In closing the album, Seamus Blake and his tenor sax complete this path to artistic tranquility with the amazing title track. You can catch a glimpse of this track in a video in Dan Costa’s website.
Skyness is a remarkable follow-up to a superb first album. Costa is in full command of his art, and Skyness fulfills every expectation you might have for excellent music and exceptional artistic quality.
ALBUM INFORMATION
Dan Costa
Skyness
Independent (2018)
Time: 40’00”
Tracks (all music by Dan Costa):
- Prologue
- Tempos Sentidos – w/ Roberto Menescal & Jorge Helder
- Compelling – w/ Teco Cardoso
- Lisbon Skyline – w/ Custódio Castelo
- Intracycle
- Sete Enredos – w/ Romero Lubambo
- Iremia
- Lume – w/ Nelson Faria
- Skyness – w/ Seamus Blake
Dan Costa records “Skyness” at Arte Suono studios in Italy, an invitation to outer harmony and inner peace. It features sax player Seamus Blake, flute player Teco Cardoso, bassist Jorge Helder and Portuguese guitarist Custodio Castelo as well as guitarists Nelson Faria, Romero Lubambo and Bossa Nova icon Roberto Menescal, paying homage to the style on its 60th anniversary.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Stefano Amerio, Italy
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