Duduka Da Fonseca Trio: Rio Fantasia
Sunnyside Records

The long-standing rapport Duduka Da Fonseca shares with pianist David Feldman and bassist Guto Wirtti originated when the drummer formed the Brazilian-based trio in 2009. Jump ahead fifteen years and the three find themselves reconvening for their fifth album, Rio Fantasia, at the Biscoito Fino Studio on January 13th, 2024. If its eight tracks veritably ooze Brazil, it's accounted for not only by the identity they've forged over the years but also because the recording happened at a Rio de Janeiro studio. Being in the city naturally draws from the musicians an even more intense feeling for the country, a quality further enhanced by the presence of tenor saxophonist Paulo Levi on two tracks and singer Maucha Adnet, a ten-year member of Antonio Carlos Jobim's band, on one. The sensual and sultry allure of the music only deepens when their contributions are factored in.

While Da Fonseca's the trio leader and album producer, he's credited as the writer of one composition only, with Feldman credited with two and Wirtti one and the rest covers of Toninho Horta's “Soccer Ball,” Francis Hime's “Minha,” Johnny Alf's “Eu e a Brisa,” and Jobim and Chico Buarque's “Retrato em Branco e Preto”—a small yet fine sampling of Brazilian classics. Reflecting the chemistry the trio's developed, most of the tracks were first takes, the three coming to the session familiar with most of the songs but playing them in this trio arrangement for the first time. Adopting such a fresh approach often translates into inspired performances, and that's very much the case here.

Feldman's “Navegar” opens the album with an expressive composition that exudes moody elegance and serves as a terrific showcase for the pianist's graceful swing and his partners' responsiveness. Without interfering, Da Fonseca throws all manner of rhythmic curveballs at Feldman, who rides the ever-mutating wave like it's the easiest thing imaginable. In this case it's Wirtti who anchors the trio, but his playing's anything but static too. It's one of those instances where all three members play with abandon but never lose collective sight of where the performance's headed. After a scene-setting into, the trio quickly achieves liftoff in Horta's “Soccer Ball,” with all three swinging furiously, generating serious heat, and unleashing explosive climaxes. Energized too is Feldman's “Esqueceram de Mim No Aeroporto,” a freewheeling samba whose title translates to “forgotten at the airport.” All such performances only materialize when the players involved are assured and experienced.

Hime's “Minha” cools the pace for a wistful romantic reverie whose impact's enhanced by the trio's circumspect handling of space and dynamics. Even prettier is Alf's ballad “Eu e a Brisa,” which calls forth a lovely expression from Feldman, tasteful accompaniment by Wirtti, and sensitive brushes playing from the leader. While one could mistake the performance for a particularly nuanced one by Keith Jarrett's trio with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, Wirtti's breezy waltz “Santa Maria” calls to mind Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, and Paul Motian operating in a similarly spirited mode.

As her contribution to the rubato treatment of “Retrato Em Branco E Preto” shows, Adnet's got one of those voices where a life-time's worth of experience—joy, pain, and everything in between—is audible in every note. Hearing Levi purring alongside her only adds to the enticement, and to their credit the trio opts to complement their guests, not compete with them. On Da Fonseca's “Manhattan Style,” Levi's as smooth, though this time the tune's a breathless hard bop-styled workout dedicated to Claudio Roditi.

March 2025