Album (EP) review: Oná Ensemble - Traces of Brazil, Voices of Toronto

Olivia Esther, Victor Prado (French horn); Sheba Thibideau (bassoon); Colleen Allen (reeds); André Valério (guitar, composer, arranger): Rich Brown (bass); Alan Hetherington (drums).

The instrumentation immediately drew my attention. I mean to say, 2 x French horns; 1 x bassoon; 3 x reeds (soprano sax, flute, clarinet) + guitar, bass, drums! Not the average line-up down at your local hot club.

Unless, that is, you live in Toronto where the Oná Ensemble are based. It's an ambitious and, ultimately, successful experiment. The voicings are harmonically pleasing teaming jazz and classical music over Latin rhythms into a musical rainbow. It's the sort of fusion first envisaged by forward thinkers such as Gil Evans, Claude Thornhill, Gunther Schuller, Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck. 

Valério's compositions maintain a steady balance between ensemble and soloist. I'm particularly impressed at how adaptable the dry tone of a French horn is to modern jazz. Likewise, and only slightly lesser, that of the bassoon. 

In its own sweet way, heard by the right people in the right places this could well be a 'sleeper' about to awake and become a jazz milestone. Give it a listen on BANDCAMP. Lance

Pro Olmir; Sem Você; Sentimental; Do Seu Olhar; Sambado