Contact Information:
Phil DeGreg
4439 Abby Court
Cincinnati, Ohio 45238
degregp@ucmail.uc.edu
(513) 556-3537

Song List:

Phil DeGreg
Brasilia
Strugglebaby Records

      Phil DeGreg is well known as a professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music; as pianist, composer and leader of the house trio at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club, where he is Music Director. Not long ago he went to Brazil to investigate the music and musicians of that country. The result is Brasilia, a CD recorded in Brazil with Brazilian musicians.
     The opening track is, as are several others, an Antonio Carlos Jobim composition, “Brigas Nunca Mais.” The melody is stated by trumpeter Moises Alves, who continues with the first solo. Alves’ tone is clear and bright, which describes the entire tune. DeGreg solos on electric piano and then Alves comes back with the melody and improvises on the out chorus.
     Next up is Hermeto Pascoal’s “Bebe”. This one features DeGreg’s piano throughout. His style is pleasing to the ear and his intricate chordal patterns on the ballad are exciting. Electric bassist Andre Vasconcellos takes a short solo, but it’s mostly DeGreg’s bebe.
     A DeGreg original, “Nicola,” opens with an almost martial beat by drummer Erivelton Silva. Alves’ trumpet is again in the forefront before a solo by DeGreg. Alves comes back for a solo with Silva’s insistent drumming behind him. The tempo builds, helped by DeGreg’s synthesizer in the background and then the tune abruptly ends.
     Jobim’s beautiful ballad “Caminhos Cruzados” has become well known through numerous recordings. It is a sweet tune, taken at a leisurely pace by DeGreg. Vasconcellos has a solo which seems like an extension of what DeGreg has been playing and then the pianist comes back for the melody. It’s one of those things that you hear a lot but can never think of the name.
     The tempo picks up with another Jobim composition, “Triste,” which is played at a brisk pace. Again DeGreg takes charge, but Vasconcellos and Silva get their licks in behind him. The drummer then takes a solo with the bassist keeping time. DeGreg returns with the melody and it ends with vigorous chords.
     Another DeGreg original, “Julia’s Swing,” begins with the ensemble playing the head. The pianist then takes the first solo, interspersing block chords with his swinging musicality. It finishes with the ensemble again, although Alves gets a little time for a trumpet cadenza as the tune fades out.
     “Estamos Ai,” written by M. Einhorn, is a bouncy tune featuring Alves’ trumpet. After his solo, DeGreg comes in with fingers dancing over the keyboard. The trumpeter and pianist then trade fours with the drummer. Alves takes it out.
     A little-known Jobim tune, “Retrato em Branco e Petro,” begins with a haunting piano with percussionist Leander Motta contributing to the mood with his shaker and then retreating to his percussion kit. The tune ends with Motta’s shaker alone.
     The recording concludes with two American pieces, one a show tune which has been played by many jazz musicians, the other a jazz classic purportedly written by Miles Davis. Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low” is played by Alves’ muted trumpet with a Brazilian beat underneath. DeGreg follows with a straightforward piano solo, which shows off his jazz chops. The tune then ends the way it started, with muted trumpet over the Brazilian beat.
     “All Blues” opens with DeGreg playing what is usually played as a bass line. Alves plays the head and DeGreg takes the first solo, again playing hard jazz. It’s refreshing to hear it played at a fast tempo, rather than the usual dirge-like speed. Alves then takes a spirited solo and Vasconcellos also plays his longest and best solo of the session, with DeGreg comping behind him. It ends with Alves again playing the head and then the rhythm section fading out     As the liner notes say, DeGreg “took on the task … not as an intellectual exercise, but as a deep process of internalizing and codifying (the music’s) syntax and grammar.” One listen to this recording will have you agreeing with that.

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