Gato Barbieri: The Cat in South America

Gato Barbieri with the Escola do Samba do Niteroi - Marissea [Removed]
Gato Barbieri with the Dino Saluzzi band - Nunca Mas [Removed]
From Latino America: Impulse! IMP 22363 [Buy Here]

In 1973 Gato Barbieri, still hot from the success of his soundtrack for "Last Tango in Paris", was sent to South America to record an album with South American musicians.

What the hell was the record company smoking? Barbieri's paint-stripping post-Coltrane tenor fused with ensembles of largely unknown musicians from the pampas and favelas? Gato Barbieri was still a fully paid-up member of the avant-garde, having worked with Pharoah Sanders, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra and Don Cherry on Complete Communion: hardly a truly profitable proposition. And recording the entire juggernaut in the marginally less-than-stable-politically nations that were Argentina (Péron was about to return from exile) and Brazil (under military dictatorship) in 1973? The plan could have easily capsized at any moment.

Gato Barbieri in Portugal, 1975. Copyright Catedral.

Originally released on two LPs called Latino America, Chapters 1 & 2, the results of this improbable project were, naturally, astounding. Barbieri's playing is muscular, the melodic lines are drawn simply, and the various ensembles he plays with are nailing it. This is one of my absolute favourite albums, a veritable desert island disc.

When one thinks of the fusion of American jazz and Latin American musics, one turns reflexively to the Africanised strands - samba, salsa, mambo... Barbieri recorded several numbers with a samba school in Rio, (including Marissea available above). But Latino America also evokes the traditions of the indigenous "Indian" populations of the Andean cordillera - including instruments such as wooden flutes, arpa India, charango and other indescribable exotica. The effect is quite unique. And of course, as an Argentinian, Gato slips in an effortless nod to tango on Nunca Mas.

The reissue on double CD is accompanied by some highly entertaining liner notes by producer Ed Michel, who describes the whole enterprise with great relish.

Also worth checking out... Gunter likes french fries, a new mp3 blog (in French). Check out the latest post on conch master Steve Turré!