v.a.: granito ii
Francisco Espregueira
Porto-based Jazzego Records just released Granito II, the second volume of the series and a compelling sequel of Granito I (2022). This compilation, featuring nine original tracks, serves as a vibrant snapshot of Porto's contemporary jazz scene, showcasing its diversity and vitality. From the collaborative debut of Fiasco's "Que seja," composed by a group of musicians gravitating around Porto’s live music mecca Mr. Bean’s, to the international homage of Nørus & Max Mortel's "Dona Zuleide," dedicated to a São Paulo jazz record collector, the album paints a rich tapestry of musical narratives tied together not only by geography but by an ethos in musical creation (which makes the record consistent while diverse).
Therefore, Granito II is not merely a collection of individual tracks, but a cohesive exploration of musical fusion and collaboration. Brian Blaker's "Steadfast" is a reflection on resilience and contrasts with Cat Kin Cool's myterious progression in "Gratitude," a tribute to José Luis Changuito Quintana, a drumming reference. Nelembe's "Plasir" demonstrates the power of bringing together diverse musical backgrounds in a truly outstanding and unconventional take that interchanges spiritual jazz references with psychedelic spirals of sound, while Gaztween’s "Firewater" captures the spontaneous energy of studio collaboration bringing in two superb vocal features by B.Ghost and Black Lavender.
Nile Valley's "Dusk Memory" starting point was a live performance piece that the trio then turned into a splendid neo-soul, jazz r&b theme, transitioning to Future3's "No Slip," which delves into an intense soundscape of intricate instrumentation. The album culminates in MALVA's "A Dor Pelas Ruas," a sensory journey evoking the Portuguese coastline. Through these diverse contributions, Jazzego Records' Granito II showcases an array of acts connected to Porto, each with their own type of connection to the city and each in its own moment of artistic development - as the city changes quite drastically and the future reveals itself with positive and negative traces that maybe we weren’t ready for. Which maybe is what makes these projects even more important, enabling us with more tools to understand what is around us (being from Porto ourselves). Granito II is available on vinyl - fantastic piece of collection.
About Jazzego:
Jazzego is a record label from Porto founded by André Carvalho, Hugo Oliveira (Minus & MRDolly) and Rui Martins.
Jazzego is a made-up term which plays with the portuguese word “jazigo” that means tomb. Therefore, intends to bury the music industry ego’s and be the place to lay dead genre boundaries. This mix of influences is the compelling sound of the Jazzego Record Label.
Jazz, but not really.