Description
Reviews
Warm, salty sea breezes redolent with Latin spices and floating over light, melodic guitar ripples; balmy nights where your head sways on cool cocktails of icy jazz and samba; the sparkling laughter of children playing beside a bright blue sea.
Eric Roberts' music is a treat for the senses, taking you wholly into exotic locations and drawing aural scenarios. His guitar melodies are beautiful: interesting enough to listen to intently, yet so unobtrusive they can also be a relaxing back drop.
"Brazilian Morning" is light and uplifting. The introduction paints a picture of dawn and the piece then moves at a moderate pace that imitates the movement and mood of morning activity. The melody is quite busy and intricate, with a pronounced flute that engages you intellectually. It has a nice, satisfying shape, building to a climax and rounding off without feeling too long or too short.
"Gentle Breezes" is very evocative of a seaside scene. It is beautifully cinematic, moving at a pace that makes the listener feel like they are panning over a landscape aurally. There are a few different melodic ideas developed, and once again various instruments are featured. There is almost complete departure in the middle section before we return to the central theme which is repeated in gentle waves towards the finish.
It's hard not to start tapping your feet and swaying right from the opening bars of "Flying Free". It's probably one you'll want to dance to. "Children's Song" has a fun playful feel with a very lyrical melody and a central theme that is developed through several movements. Its skip-along pace imitates child's play and once again, draws a picture for its listeners.
"Brazilian Nights" is a change of pace and mood into something more sombre and intense - a smooth and intoxicating tune - very cocktail lounge. Again, well structured with a mellow introduction moving into a more settled pace and feel. The alternating lead instruments and improvisations prevent it from sounding repetitive and help develop the musical "story" so that we feel a sense of journey. "Swiss Samba" with its classic jazz feel is familiar yet fresh. Nicely textured with an instrumentation that's not too heavy, the shift to different lead instruments provides a variety of colors for the melody. It's got an upbeat, swinging pace with lots happening in the rhythm to keep fingers and toes busy keeping time.
This is a varied and interesting collection of pieces, slotting into the jazz/latin/chill-out genre. It would be great as a cocktail party CD or mood setter and some of the tracks could easily be placed as theme music for TV.
-Songsalive! Album Review
Heading in a different direction than the introspective and more tone-poem approach that he displayed on 2001's 'In a Silent Place,' acoustic guitarist Eric Roberts sets sail for the soft ocean breezes and sun-soaked beaches of Brazil (as interpreted through the moods and motifs of accessible smooth jazz) on 'My Brazilian Heart.' The six-song EP does indeed contain some Spanish musical influences, notably the sensual Latin rhythms of "Flying Free" and the sexy Spanish flavors of "Swiss Samba," but the majority of this CD is resplendent with the best elements of smooth jazz with literally none of the vapidity or shallowness that sometimes creeps into the genre. Putting it succinctly, this is a killer EP of both mellow and cookin' jazz licks played by Roberts and his guest artists.
Those guests are well-known ambient artist Paul Avgerinos, here contributing on funky soulful bass, Nick Bariluk on keyboards, noted woodwind player Bill Harris and drummer/percussionist Barbara Merjan. Everyone involved plays with finesse, style, and gusto (when it's called for). It's hard to believe these cats haven't been jamming for a long time, to be honest, as their musical chemistry and sense of simpatico is self-evident from the first listen.
One of the comparisons I kept coming up with as I listened to this excellent CD was to Chick Corea's early incarnation of Return to Forever, circa Light as a Feather,' because both recordings share a joyous exuberance mated to a refined musicianship and a carefree playfulness as well. 'My Brazilian Heart' is a hugely entertaining recording and I never tired of it over many playings before writing this review.
"Brazilian Morning" starts things off in a spirited manner with a nice piano intro spiraling into Roberts' guitar side-by-side with Harris' flute. Lively but not overly so, the song sounds like a picture-perfect sunrise! "Gentle Breezes" captures the titular reference with a midtempo rhythm and perfect amalgam of assorted musical elements--Avgerinos' bass, Merjan's trap kit drums, Bariluk's keyboards and Roberts' guitar. "Flying Free" sizzles with tropical heat tempered by jazzy undertones and the resultant blend produces just enough fire to get your fingers snapping and toes tapping but is counterbalanced with a giddy effervescence to lighten the mood. "Brazilian Nights" is, paradoxically, the most "American," i.e. urban, cut on the EP, with sexy sax and vibrant piano supported by the solid rhythm section as well as adroit soloing by Roberts.
I've often written of my belief in the adage "quality over quantity" in reference to EPs, and Eric Roberts' 'My Brazilian Heart' is another example of the veracity of the phrase. I certainly wouldn't have minded more of the same on this recording, but if these six dynamite tracks are what the musicians settled on as being their best efforts, well, that's more than good enough for me. If all smooth jazz recordings were this good, the genre would never have gone out of fashion. Who knows, maybe Roberts and company can even breathe new life into it?
- Bill Binkelman, Zone Music Reporter
It's not often that guitarist Eric Roberts makes a new CD but when he does it's clearly worth a listen. Back in 2005 Roberts released his CD debut, a fine instrumental showcase for his guitar skills called In A Silent Place. Now in 2009 the Colorado based guitarist follows up with a newly recorded 6 track CD (EP) entitled My Brazilian Heart.
Everything about this new CD release speaks qualityfrom the studio recording sound down to the eye-catching cover artwork. Whereas In A Silent Place found Roberts in the studio recording a stellar mix of jazzy and reflective yet upbeat New Age guitar instrumentals, with My Brazilian Heart he also sounds influenced by the tropical sounds of Brazil combined with smooth jazz.
Roberts recorded In A Silent Place in the studio with former Paul Winter Consort cellist David Darling and fittingly, Roberts lists a number of players among his chief influences including Paul Winter guitarist Ralph Towner, as well huge Brazilian music legends like Charlie Byrd and Baden Powell. In addition to the comparison with the early Paul Winter Consort sound, there's also a neoclassical jazz music sound in the mix with a sublime Jean Pierre Rampal meets Earl Klugh vibe in play on My Brazilian Heart, often mixing within the same track!
If there's one minor aside here it's that the disc only contains six tracks but the music is so good you'll find yourself reaching for the replay button to hear it again more than once. If enough people get to hear it, I'm sure Roberts will consider a volume two in the future. A number of players appear backing up Roberts on these six guitar masterpieces including Paul Avgerinos (bass), Bill Harris (woodwinds), Nick Bariluk (keyboards) and Barbara Merjan. My Brazilian Heart makes a fine spin for jazz and Brazilian music lovers that can also serve a (drums/percussion).
Easy on the ears, uplifting guitar based instrumentals, My Brazilian Heart makes a fine spin for jazz and Brazilian music lovers that can also serve as a cinematic and reflective musical backdrop for your weary ears.
- Robert Silverstein of Music Web Express 3000
Tracks
1. Brazilian Morning
2. Gentle Breezes
3. Flying Free
4. Children's Song
5. Brazilian Nights
6. Swiss Samba
ERIC ROBERTS is an accomplished guitarist and bassist as well as composer, and has been playing professionally since the age of 16. He holds a B.A. in Music from Ithaca College and a Master's in Music from the University of Miami. He has enjoyed a successful career playing in Broadway shows, backing up name entertainers, performing solo guitar concerts, giving music workshops, and providing music for every type of occasion. His repertoire ranges from classical to jazz, brazilian to new age and nuevo flamenco. He works as a solo performer with tracks, as a guitar/flute duo and with a quartet.
His debut CD, "IN A SILENT PLACE", featuring world renowned cellist, David Darling, has been receiving accolades the world over, and most recently the track "Flowing" became a finalist in the "new age" category of the 2009 Independent Music Awards and the track "Cella's Song", written for his wife, won first prize in the "instrumental" category of the 2007 USA Songwriting Competition. His music can currently be heard on XM Radio as well as Comcast's "Music Choice" channel on their "Soundscapes" program.
His new EP, "MY BRAZILIAN HEART", features many of his smooth jazz and brazilian compositions.