Mika Brasil Big Band
November 6, 2014B Flat
Mika Mori (piano, leader)Saxes: Steve Sacks, Gustavo Anacleto, 鈴木雅之, 浅川弘樹, 長野次郎Trumpet: 高瀬龍一, 田中哲也, 鈴木正晃, 宮本やすしTrombone: 池田雅明, 上杉優Bass: 加瀬逹Drums and percussion: 久米雅之, 石川智
Click on the photos to enlarge
The Tokyo jazz scene never felt like such a crossroads as in early November when the Mika Brasil Jazz Big Band took the stage at B Flat. Digging right into their unique Brazilian rhythm called frevo, and then layering on top big band jazz charts, the well-tuned dancers got up and started to move from the second song. That was enough of a polite wait, one song. A big band built on frevo is one that is built to move, march, dance and groove.The frevo rhythm is a nimble carnival marching rhythm from Pernambuco, a large state in the middle of eastern Brazil. The beat is infectious, not unlike New Orleans Mardi Gras rhythms, and is designed to get people moving. The big band at first felt too huge to sway over the neat, quick rhythm, but after a song or two, the entire edifice was up and marching with ease. From there, momentum took over!The horn section brought in reed and horn stalwarts of the big band scene in Tokyo, but the drums, bass and piano were pure Brazil. The exuberantly lunging bass lines kept everyone up and down the line anchored together while the rolling triplets from leader Mika Mori’s piano added accents and an extra pump-up to the grooving energy. Originals mixed together with Brazilian standards, each one orchestrated perfectly.In between stoking the flames, Mori also added modern jazz touches. Her piano playing was central to the sound, on both the fast tempo numbers and the more intricate rhythm-ready numbers. The drums and percussion were like oxygen-rich air everyone breathed in to keep on moving with the big, open, optimistic feel of the music.The whole band was tuned into the special, salsa-like call-and-response, horns answering each other, and the piano pushing them all. The band kept the samba and jazz blend just right. This big band’s charts, mostly by sax player Anacleto, were perfectly written, bringing in the lovely harmonies of Brazil dosed with jazz and flavored with the rhythm of the street at carnival. The corners of the room, as well as the front of the bandstand, were filled with well-practiced dancers who had been at their share of carnival dances.The horn section took short, but well-considered solos that spiced every song so well that the musicians were applauding and laughing at each and every solo. Soloing on top of the quickly shifting Brazilian pulse can be challenging, like crossing a river on a rolling log, but once locked into the rhythm, the horn section’s rotating solos came across unhurried, easy and satisfying.The band only comes together from time to time, but it is a joyous celebration that should happen much, much more often, like every night. Don’t miss them when they do.