Três Pontos: Três Pontos

A Promising Debut

When three friends from the Conservatório Dramático e Musical Dr. Carlos de Campos, in Tatuí (in the state of São Paulo) get together, you can expect some surprising things to happen. Musicians and actors from all over Brazil come to this prestigious school to develop their artistic skills. Students Dô de Carvalho (saxes), Sidney Filho (bass) and João Casimiro (drums) gained a special interest in improvised music. What’s a better thing to do than to join forces and express these musical ideas. The trio decided to do it the hard way: a pianoless trio that performs powerful jazz.

With a musical education like theirs, it’s not really necessary to tell that all three musicians have a perfect control over their instruments. They are in the position that they can converse via the instruments without bothering about technique. Like all good jazz musicians. During the first stage of its existence, the Três Pontos trio absorbed influences from all over Brazil and the United States jazz scene to create an own style. It’s in the US that they found examples of how to create that special trio (saxophone, bass, drums) sound. The band took part in various (university) festivals and performed all over the greater São Paulo area. Until it was time to record their first album.

On this self-titled album Dô de Carvalho, Sidney Filho and João Casimiro each deliver a couple of compositions in which they show their exceptional skills, both as composer as well as instrumentalist. It’s saxophonist Dô de Carvalho who seems to be the one everything is built around. After all, he’s the one playing the themes. Nevertheless, the two accompanying musicians play an as important role in giving the music an own identity. An identity that, according to pianist André Marques, has a foundation in the cururu, a Brazilian folkloric rhythm (música caipira). André Marques was a teacher of the trio and performs as guest on his own composition “E Tudo Começou com um Cururu” (Everything Started with a Cururu). André Marques is mainly known as pianist with the eccentric musical giant Hermeto Pascoal. It’s not only cururu, the music also has additional foundations in various other Brazilian music styles, such as samba, frevo and choro. Another guest on the album is guitarist Fábio Leal, also student from the same conservatory. He’s guest on the beautifully evolving ballad “7 de Junho com Minha Mãe.”

The album was recorded in a two-day period, giving it a rather spontaneous character. It benefits to the music and underlines the quality of the musical performance.

With this album the trio Três Pontos comes up with a most promising debut album. It shows guts to go on the road with this for Brazil rather unique trio setting.

ALBUM INFORMATION

Três Pontos
Três Pontos
Independent TP001
Time: 53’31”

Track list: