Imagine if iconic
jazz
pianist
Bill Evans
recorded an album with Brazilian guitarist
Vinicius Cantuaria
and you'll have a slightly overblown notion of pianist/accordionist
Tino Derado
's
Luminescence
. Combining
tango
,
bossa nova
, and
Derado
-- 31 at the time of this release -- has in reality crafted a beautiful, soft, accomplished debut that often skirts the boundaries between
and
easy listening
. Featuring the soft
bossa
strumming of guitarist
Guilherme Monteiro
's compositions do achieve a high level of sophistication, especially during the solos, which should appeal to most hardcore
enthusiasts. Backed by the sensitive accompaniment of bassist
Matt Penman
, drummer
Roland Schneider
, and vocalist
Chiara Civello
's mellow accordion usually takes center stage on such intimately produced songs as the swift
gypsy
swinger
"Indifferent to Luxury"
"Odd Birds,"
a haunting, cerebral mix of
Kind of Blue
-style backgrounds and Argentinean-inspired melody. Perhaps not as adventurous as one might hope, but groundbreaking nonetheless in its own subtle way. ~ Matt Collar