A Kind of Zo
OZO
What happens when a classical pianist who loves jazz and free improvisation (Paulo Mesquita) join forces with a drummer coming from pop music, but with a special interest in electro-acoustic experimentation (Pedro Oliveira)? It happens what we hear in this surprising and wonderful debut CD by the duo OZO. The music presented here isn’t the simple crossing of what they both did before in their personal careers: this has no connections with Mesquita’s specialization in the language and processes of the composer Samuel Barber or with Oliveira’s work with the band Peixe.Avião, one of the top ones in the avant-pop field in Portugal, and collaborating with the new folk indie star Old Jerusalem. It’s something else entirely, and it defies any labeling attempts. The main focus is on rhythm, but if sometimes it sounds like The Bad Plus, it’s not really jazz. The pieces follow the song format, but if this means that there are very affirmative approaches to melody, the most important factor is harmony. All the narrative developments and the permanent dramatization link us to Erik Satie and the Impressionists, but again, this creative universe could only exist today. What is it, then? It’s OZO, and that says it all… (label PR)
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