An Album with Character
The nicest moments for music fans are the ones when they’re blown away by surprise. This new album by Delia Fischer might create such a moment of happiness for many music hungry souls. Presente is a CD on which surprises follow in a pitiless tempo. Its originality reveals the wonderful talent of the pianist, singer, composer and arranger from Rio de Janeiro. Instead of writing about this work, I would rather just give the advice to listen. But, OK…
In her early teens, Delia Fischer (1964, Rio de Janeiro) started to take piano lessons from Saloméa Gandelman (mother of the renowned saxophonist, Léo Gandelman). For four years, until 1990, Delia formed a piano duo with Cláudio Dauelsberg. As Duo Fênix and with two albums on their credits, they gained success all over Brazil, as well as in Europe. The artistic talent of Delia Fischer didn’t stay unnoticed; more and more musicians invited her for various projects. In 1999 the first solo album, Antônio (named after her son) was released on the prestigious German ECM jazz label and produced by Egberto Gismonti. In 2009 Delia was awarded, together with Jules Vandystadt, with the Prêmio Shell de Teatro for their arrangements (vocal and instrumentation) for the musical “Beatles num Céu de Diamantes” (Beatles in the Sky with Diamonds). Meanwhile Delia was working on her second solo album which is now released, Presente.
The album fascinates from the opening note till the beautiful last ones. It opens with “Vozes no Mar” which immediately sets the tone. The pianist shows she’s a talented singer as well, gifted with a beautiful crystal clear voice. Together with the soulful percussion by Sebastian Notini, this song easily brings you in a deep Brazilian mood. On track two, the samba “Das Plantas” Delia takes place behind a funky Fender Rhodes piano, accompanied by percussion. Just when you think to know how the song might evolve, Hermeto Pascoal shows up with a solo that he creates out of a glass of water. My mother used to tell me to drink the water instead of bubbling with it, but you can leave it to Hermeto Pascoal to make an instrument out of it. At the end of the song Hermeto returns with one of his inimitable solos on the melodica. Next on line is Ricardo Silveira, who delivers a wonderful acoustic guitar solo on “Aluvião.” A violin (Pedro Mibielli) suggests hints to Brazilian’s north-eastern region. The album gets an international touch with “Nascimento da Vênus,” a lovely ballad on which the Swedish singer Lisa Nilsson (Stockholm, 1970) is a guest. Accompanied by piano, acoustic bass, percussion and a string quartet, she sings her part in her own language. Delia met Lisa Nilsson in 2005 during a Brazilian project she did in Scandinavia. What follows is another big surprise: “Das Águas” from Marcio Bahia. 
The song was recorded on an undoubtedly sunny day in the swimming pool. In the cool water the splashing percussion took shape for the accompaniment of the vocal choir and the sound of cicadas. Another guest appearance is by singer Ana Carolina who surpasses herself with a beautiful feature in “Flor da Noite,” accompanied by Delia on piano. There’s one instrumental, a dazzling improvisation for piano and percussion. Although acoustic instruments are used, the sound at moments gets special effects by means of engineering. It’s used in this track to give extra power; it’s modestly used throughout the cd in order to provide the songs with an extra dimension. The quality of the pianist Delia Fischer comes fully to right in “O Mar e a Sereia,” on which we hear her play in a very lyric and joyful way. And it ain’t over yet…
The title track “Presente” features Egberto Gismonti on the 12-string guitar (4×2+4). His presence on any recording is always impressive, but here it sounds as if he dedicates his unique talent completely to the music of Delia. He creates a beautiful landscape around the piano and vocals. The instrumentation on “Dona do Parque” is another lesson in good taste: piano, accordion, violin, cello and vibes. It’s again a very special song with a strong character.
Character is the word that could describe this album to the bone. The musician Delia Fischer has a strong character and is gifted with this wonderful talent to transform character into music. Presente turns out to be a most impressive album, worth all the attention it can get.
You can find Delia along with some of her music on MySpace.
ALBUM INFORMATION
Delia Fischer
Presente
Dubas Universal 60252720781 (2010)
Total Time: 51’01”
Tracks:
All compositions by Delia Fischer & Thiago Picchi, except where noted.
- Vozes no Mar
- Das Plantas
- Aluvião (Delia Fischer – Sérgio Natureza)
- Nascimento da Vênus / Venus Födelse (Delia Fischer – Camila Costa)
- Das Águas (Marcio Bahia)
- Sozinheza
- Mercado
- Araçagy (Daniel Fischer)
- Flor da Noite
- Dona do Parque
- O Mar e a Sereia
- Presente
- Minha Avó
