ANGRAJAZZ 2017 [DAY 1 & 2] - TERCEIRA ISLAND, AZORES, PORTUGAL, OCT 4-5

• photography by © Clara Pereira / text by Filipe Freitas

The 19th AngraJazz, which happens on the beautiful Terceira Island in the Azores, Portugal, ran from October 4th through 7th with renowned artists and a cozy, friendly atmosphere. The beautiful Centro Cultural e de Congressos de Angra do Heroísmo, a former bullfight ring transformed into a cultural center, was the stage for seven packed performances that brought the thrills of jazz in its most varied shapes to both unconditional devotees and occasional listeners of the genre.
For the very first time, the main event was complemented with ‘Jazz na Rua’, a program featuring jazz performances from Portuguese groups at smaller venues around the city. Joining the local bands, Wave Jazz Ensemble and Sara Miguel Quartet, was Mano a Mano, a guitar duo composed of the brothers Bruno and André Santos, who took the opportunity to introduce their new album Mano a Mano Vol.2

DAY 1 - oct 4th

ANGRAJAZZ ORCHESTRA

On Wednesday, the local big band AngraJazz Orchestra opened the festival with 13 renditions of classic tunes composed/recorded by unavoidable jazz giants such as Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Tadd Dameron, Ella Fitzgerald, and Lena Horne (each one of them celebrating his/her centennial), plus the one-and-only big band wizard Duke Ellington.
Danish-born, Lisbon-based maestro Claus Nymark, who shared the musical direction with the Portuguese tenor saxophonist Pedro Moreira, conducted a collectively solid band that kicked in with Dameron’s “Lady Bird”, but insisted more on the Monk’s music. They embarked on a melodically sparse interpretation of “Bemsha Swing”, a warm harmonization of “Round Midnight”, a collective fun take on “I Mean You”, a slightly more conservative exposition of “Let’s Cool One”, and an ambitious arrangement of “Epistrophy”.
Vocalist Sara Miguel lent her voice to a handful of tunes, including the celebrated “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Sweet Georgia Brown”, here shaped with the swinging verve and effusive arrangements popularized by Ella.

BAPTISTE TROTIGNON & MININO GARAY

For the second act of the night, we had an eclectic duo composed of the French pianist Baptiste Trotignon and the Argentine percussionist Minino Garay.
Blending South American dynamics and a sophisticated straight-ahead jazz, the pair crafted a few interesting moments, mostly based on pieces from their 2016 album Chimichurri. The indefatigable rhythmic wallops of the pianist, left and right, attained an impeccable synchronization with the percussionist’s versatile manipulations.
After describing how the duo met in Buenos Aires, where both were playing at a jazz festival with their respective groups, Garay announced the beautiful tango “Sus Ojos Se Cerran”, a composition by Carlos Gardel that earned a few enthusiastic ‘bravo’.
Many of the extended tunes acquired forms of lyrical chants and unconfined rambles, here and there flavored with the suaveness of the bolero or the hasty propulsion of the Brazilian choro. Still, one of the most impactful moments of the well-received concert happened when Trotignon, exploring the broad tonal range of his instrument, veered into bluesy balladry and played a solo medley initiated with “The Nearness of You”.

DAY 2 - oct 5th

CHARLES TOLLIVER TENTET

Also with Monk’s centennial in mind, the Charles Tolliver Tentet attempted to reenact the pianist’s historic 1959 Town Hall concert, but wasn’t so successful as many would expect, stirring mixed feelings with an uneven performance, the only one scheduled for Thursday, October 5th.
Veteran pianist Kirk Lightsey, filling in for the first announced Stanley Cowell (absent due to prolonged illness), started the concert with a rubato solo rendition of “In Walked Bud”. A few minutes later, bassist Devin Starks and drummer Darrell Green joined him to redefine “Blue Monk”. The trio was then expanded into a quartet with the addition of tenor saxophonist Stephen Gladeney, who designed “Rhythm a Ning” with a fervent articulation. 
The remaining members of the tentet thickened up the sonic textures from this point on, already under the direction of bandleader/trumpeter Charles Tolliver, who only picked up the trumpet once for a brief improvisation. While the adventurous alto saxophonist Todd Bashore and trumpeter Josh Evans reinforced the pungent first line of the horn section, the baritone saxophonist Patience Higgins, tuba player Aaron Johnson, and trombonist Stafford Hunter were entrusted with the deep-toned embellishments.
Some tunes worked better than others, and the sheer intensity of “Thelonious” (featuring notable solos by Bashore and Evans) or the arresting, improvisation-less “Crepuscule with Nellie”, opposed to the not so effective celebrations of “Off Minor” or “Little Rootie Tootie”.
The uncommunicative Tolliver, whose back was constantly turned to the audience, only introduced the musicians during the brisk closing tune, “Trinkle Tinkle”.