Features
Frisell Teams With Cantuária
Music lovers thirsting for something truly unique will want to mark Jan. 25 on their calendars. That’s when a collaborative album by Bill Frisell and Vinicius Cantuária lands in stores followed by a short tour.
There’s really no way you can pigeonhole Frisell. The 59-year-old multi-instrumentalist is known for working in multiple genres, including jazz, folk, country and classical. Meanwhile, Brazilian-born Cantuária, while closely associated with his country’s jazz and Bossa Nova music, is known as a virtuoso guitarist as well as for his singing and playing drums and percussion.
Although both artists have played together during the last quarter century and have guested on each other’s albums, Frissel and Cantuária have never actually collaborated on an album before. But all that changes when Lagrimas Mexicanas drops next January.
The story behind the album is as original as the music. After moving from Brazil to New York City, Cantuária became enthralled with the sounds of the city’s streets, particularly the various flavors of the Spanish language spoken by Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Mexicans and others, with the verbal melting-pot of sounds ultimately leading him to begin writing what would become Lagrimas Mexicanas.
By collaborating with Frisell the finished work is described as a combination of traditional Latin rhythms with improvisational jazz, with Frisell playing electric and acoustic guitars and Cantuária handling vocals, percussion and acoustic guitar.
The two musicians will also embark on a short tour, playing Yoshi’s in San Francisco Feb. 16-17; New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge Feb. 19 and Minneapolis’s Cedar Cultural Center Feb. 22. More dates are expected to be announced.
