PIXINGUINHA DE BOLSO

One of the highest moments in Pixinguinha’s body of work are the recordings where he played the saxophone along with Benedito Lacerda’s flute, made by the mid-40s. The embroidery of solo and counterpoint by the two instruments that weave the melody/harmony web and still anticipate the rhythm is revisited in this essential album, where the match between Henrique Cazes’ cavaquinho and Marcello Gonçalves’ 7-string guitar comes out perfect. The agreement between the two is the abolishment of the soloist, in spite of the instruments’ opposite natures: the cavaquinho is high-pitched, and sort of takes over the low keys of the guitar, as it had happened with the flute and the saxophone. Sometimes, though, the cavaco goes down the key and the guitar goes up, as in Ingênuo, which Pixinguinha regarded as his best composition of all times. On other livelier examples, like Um a Zero and Tapa Buraco, the cavaquinho is ever-present and the guitar covers the "holes" suggested by the counterpoint. The repertoire combines renowned pieces, like the above-mentioned, as well as Os Oito Batutas, Proezas do Solon; the waltzes Sensível and Glória and the obscure maxixe Os Dois se Gostam, recorded by the choro master in 1919 in an album that did not feature his name. Minimalist and relaxed, free from pointless adornments, the CD testifies that there are no limits to enjoy Pixinguinha.(Tárik de Souza)