The most famous Brazilian composer of all, Antonio Carlos Jobim, dubbed his fellow countryman, João Donato, as a genius. João Gilberto claims that Donato invented the bossa nova beat. Yet, the explorative Donato, who was widely hailed as one of the best musicians in Rio at age 24, was too radical for what audiences wanted to hear and left the country in 1958, spending his time in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York before returning in 1973, to inspire a cadre of younger musicians.
Donato was playing fusion long before many others, was mashing up forms in hybrids, and eventually became a rather undefinable cat. His compositions are deceptively simple with arrangements that are harmonically complex. It often takes a few listens to appreciate the minute details. This technique, also involving colorful chord progressions, is to the liking of the Jazz is Dead duo of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, who collaborate with Donato on the seventh in their Jazz Is Dead series, João Donato JID007. (We covered the previous release JID006 with Gary Bartz on these pages.)
The Jazz Is Dead collaborators developed a set of tunes for Donato, who in turn wrote “Adrian, Ali, and Gregory” in their honor. Greg Paul is the drummer while the JID duo are multi-instrumentalists of the first order. Throughout Donato plays free-flowing, mostly joyous Fender Rhodes. On this tune, Younge and Muhammad added the flute melody after the basic track was laid down. To their credit, though, the duo included Donato as the third composer on all nine of the compositions here. It’s the core four of Younge, Muhammad, Paul, and Donato with vocalist Loren Oden appearing on the first six selections, including the opening “Nāo Negue Seu Coraçāo,” which translates to “Don’t Deny Your Heart.” The drums and bass, infused with percolating rhythm pops give it an interesting beat, not immediately identifiable as Brazilian, but Oden sings the romantic, swaying tune in Portuguese.
Loren has a smaller part, adding wordless vocals a la Flora Purim of Return to Forever to “Aquarius (Bring Her Home to Me)” and “Desejo De Amor.” Donato keeps it moving on Rhodes while the JID duo play a dazzling array of instruments that include B3, electric guitar, electric bass, flutes, alto, soprano, sopranino, and baritone saxophones, bass clarinet, percussion on drums on the former, the only tune where Paul sits out. Oden’s vocals capture the longing and romanticism of “Forever More,” while the rhythm section harkens back to the last album Donato recorded in Los Angeles 51 years ago, a jazz fusion forerunner full of pulsing polyrhythms and animated melodies.
Very heavy bass marks “Sua Beleza E Beleza” as well as monophonic synth, heard for the first time, continue through the remaining tracks. All these tunes are in the three-minute range, with the album clocking in well under 30 minutes. “Liasons” bubbles along joyously as does “Adrian, Ali, Gregory” with the B3 sturdily supporting Donato’s electric piano’s cascading melodies. “Vermelho Quente” features prominent percussion, synth, and driving rhythm while the closer while “Conexao” carries some fuzzy tones, an insistent beat, and for the first time the distinct sound of the marimba.
This music is likely rather unique both to jazz fusion fans and fans of Brazilian music. In keeping with Donato’s long earned reputation, it’s not easily defined or categorized but is highly creative, danceable, and uplifting – drawing its engaging rhythms from Brazilian music. Donato is in his mid-eighties now, still going strong and finally getting some of the well-earned due that eluded him early in his career. It just took the rest of us a while to catch up with him.
