Pablo Sáez, Surensemble Review
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Pablo Sáez Cerpa is a drummer, composer, arranger and teacher living in Cologne, Germany. Surensemble is the second solo album by Cerpa. The record was mixed by ten-time Grammy® Award Winner Michael Bishop and mastered by the late Walter Quintus. Featuring: João Luis Nogueira: acoustic guitar; Alvaro Severino: electric guitar, Pablo Paredes: piano, André de Cayres: double bass, Pablo Sáez: drums, xylophone, arrangement, composition; *For “Arrullo” feat.: Marta Espirito Santo Hoppe – Cello. Cerpa explains “The songs on this record are part of a series of compositions that I didn’t want to just leave in the pages of our songbook. My band-mates, João, André, Alvaro, Pablo and I have been playing together for years in different groups, working on the development of what we call “South American Jazz.” It’s an extremely underground trend in Europe at the moment, but more musicians are appearing each year.” That’s the short of it!
Positives:
The approach on Surensemble is based less so in North American jazz, but instead a focus on baroque and contemporary classical music within a jazz arc.
Bottom Line:
The ensemble introspection is marvelous. The unique phrasing of each musician is the spark to moments that ache of beauty and compel with masterful performances. Cerpa explains “Surensembleis the fruit of everything I’ve learned at home, over thousands of kilometres of travel, from experience arranging other people’s music, and the beginning of a new stage in my life.” Surensemble is an eight-track record divided into four songs and four mantras, ripe with motifs, free passages and reinterpretations. The ensemble is emotive and sensitive to each member contribution, making for a meaningful listen. As a listener you will feel the sense of expression and gain a sense of purpose behind each piece.