Michael's Jazz Blog | Jazz Music – Jazz Concerts

Swedish guitarist and composer Tobias Grim has released a new album with his new international group called ‘Derupeto’. The band was put together for a gig in Stockholm and the musicians felt that they could create something unique and started to play together as a band. The album was officially released on November 12, 2020 and it is available on all major streaming platforms since December 29. The line-up is:

Tobias Grim : Guitar ( Sweden )
Deodato Siquir : Drums & Vocal ( Mozambique )
Rubem Farias : Electric Bass ( Brazil )
Peter Knudsen : Piano ( Sweden )

The album starts with ‘Bahia’ one of the six originals by Tobias Grim, with vocals and guitar playing the melody nicely together over a great grooving band. We hear an excellent bass solo by Rubem Farias and a fine guitar solo by Tobias Grim.

‘Brazil Lines’ a composition by Tobias Grim and Marcia de Souza comes next and it has a great solo guitar intro. Deodata Siquir is featured as vocalist and Peter Knudsen is the soloist playing a fantastic piano solo.

‘Diorio’ comes next and this instrumental song composed by Tobias Grim is in contrast to the first two songs a modern Jazz composition with my favorite electric Jazz sound with a Fender Rhodes piano, electric bass and electric guitar. Outstanding and one of the highlights of the album.

The next song is called ‘Habari’ and the theme of this song shows the influences of African music, however the solos speak a different language and the dialog between guitar and piano with the pushing bass and drums is another example that we have here some great musicians enjoying what they’re doing.

‘Vanessas vals’ a waltz by Peter Knudsen comes next. Peter switches to acoustic piano and guitar, piano and vocals play together in unison the melody. This song is in European classical music tradition and features again the fantastic bass of Rubem Farias.

The album continues with ‘Funk do misterio’ by Rubem Farias. The melody of this instrumental song is played by the guitar. The first solo goes to Tobias Grim who is initially accompanied only by bass and drums. Rubem Farias plays the second solo and shows again his perfect rhythmic precision.

‘Tid’ another original by Tobias Grim comes next. This song captivates by its soft melody and smooth harmonies.

‘No bar’ by Deodato Siquir returns to the Brazilian side of the band. Vocals and piano play the melody together. Every musician gets the chance for a solo including some nice drumming by Deodato Siquir.

The last song ‘Lifeline’ continues in the samba feeling. After a synthesizer bass intro the melody is played by guitar and vocals. Solos from bass and guitar and a relaxed but pushing rhythm section close the album.

‘Derupeto’ is a fantastic band with excellent musicians and the album is a fine collection of originals played in perfection. The band has been able to play live in 2019 and found their unique voice during that time. The songs on the album are all nicely arranged and recorded and gave me warmth and sunshine during some of those dark and cold winter days.

As we all hope for better days ahead the band is looking for more live performances in spring. Until then enjoy this album.

More information on the band is found on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Derupeto/

And here comes the album as a Spotify playlist:

The last album I would like to present this year comes from Warren Wolf, the Baltimore based vibraphonist and composer. His album ‘Reincarnation’ was released in February 2020 and it found it’s way to my ears just some weeks ago.

Reincarnation represents a rebirth of Warren Wolf’s love for the R&B and soul hits from his formative years in the 1990s.

‘I realized I was about to turn 40,’ explained Wolf. ‘I was 21 when I first went out on the road as a pro. So, for almost half my life I’ve been playing straight-ahead jazz. But that’s not how my dad, who was my first teacher, raised me musically. Jazz was always a part of it, but he wanted me to play everything: classical, R&B, hip-hop, ragtime, pop – but those things eventually faded away. Looking toward the second part of my life, I realized I need to bring those aspects back to life.’

The songs on the album are all Warren Wolf originals with the exception of one Isley Brothers hit. He searched and found a group of musicians that share his experience to be equally versed in the jazz tradition and the spirited feel of vintage R&B.

The line-up is:

Warren Wolf – vibraphone.
Brett Williams – Fender Rhodes and piano
Richie Goods – electric and upright bass
Mark Whitfield – guitar
Carroll “CV” Dashiell III – drums and percussion
Imani-Grace Cooper – vocals
Marcellus “Bassman” Shepard – vocals

See this little promotion video for some more insights:

The album starts with a smooth intro presenting the “new” Warren Wolf followed by the first highlight of the album.

‘For Ma’ is a beautiful song with a steady groove and great melody, switching to kicks in the vibraphone solo before picking up and going back to the steady groove and the head. This song features Warren Wolf and his vibraphone.

‘Vahybing’ is in contrast a jazz tune, a bass vamp lays the foundation of this song and piano and vibraphone are pushing each other plus the drummer adding extra tension. The second half of the song starts with a sole piano followed by a riff that allows the drummer to play a solo.

The next song ‘In the Heat of the Night’ features the vocals of Imani-Grace Cooper and Marcellus “Bassman” Shepard in a highly sensual dialog of a lovers rendezvous. Incredible Fender Rhodes sound by Brett Williams plus some tasteful guitar by Mark Whitfield create an outstanding ambience.

‘The Struggle’ is a song where Warren Wolf reflects the suffering faced by several of Wolf’s loved ones from a horrendous car accident affecting his ex-wife to the troubles of Baltimore streets. Nevertheless, great music perfectly played with another fantastic vibraphone solo.

The Isley Brother song ‘For the Love of You’ comes next and this song features again Imani-Grace Cooper on vocals. Another great groove song with the killer Fender Rhodes sound and some rhythm guitar by Mark Whitfield. The outro of this song features one more time Carroll “CV” Dashiell III on drums and percussion.

‘Sebastian and Zoë’ is a tribute to the two youngest children of Warren Wolf. Imani-Grace Cooper’s singing is again commented by Marcellus “Bassman” Shepard adding this special vibe to the song which we heard before and which is one of the main characteristics of this album.

‘Livin’ the Good Life’ provides a warm summation of the album’s theme and of Wolf’s current happiness. Nice to hear the extra backing vocals added. The setup is pure jazz – vocals, vibraphone, piano, upright bass and drums. The vibraphone solo switches to swing rhythm – just a brief detour for a single minute, to prove to longtime fans that Wolf hasn’t abandoned his straight-ahead chops.

‘Come and Dance With Me’ comes next and this song features Warren Wolf on vibraphone and Brett Williams on piano in a Jazz waltz composition dedicated to Waren Wolf’s wife, a ballerina and teacher who he hopes will use the song in her classes.

The ‘Smooth Outro’ ties the album up to the intro and closes the set. Nice idea and another opportunity for Marcellus “Bassman” Shepard, aka “The Man with the Voice,” to add an old-fashioned radio-style farewell.

‘Reincarnation’ is a fantastic album that contains perfectly played music with great taste and incredible groove. The performance of these musicians is outstanding and the combination of jazz musicians who have sucked in R&B music when being breast fed make this album so precious.

More information on Warren Wolf is available on his website:
http://www.warrenwolfmusic.com/

And here comes the complete album as playlist: