...one of the most magnificent flutists playing today. Ms. Brachfeld is like a rare bird soaring in a rarified realm. If you think her music is memorable, it is because her very heart sings...
A staple of New York City's jazz and Afro-Cuban scenes over the last five decades, acclaimed flutist Andrea Brachfeld celebrates the sounds of Brazil with this spirited tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim. Along with arrangements of classics such as "Waters of March," "Girl From Ipanema" and "Ligia," Brachfeld offers a look into her writing partnership with frequent collaborator Bill O'Connell through their Brazil-inspired compositions, "Espaço Aberto," "Sonhos e Cores," and "Triste e Solitaria." With bandmates: pianist O'Connell, guitarist Roni Ben-Hur, bassists Harvie S and Lincoln Goines, and drummer/percussionists Jason Tiemann, T. Portinho, and Chembo Corniel, Brachfeld creates an inspired, deeply grooving collection of Brazilian gems.
"This band's balance of taut cohesion and adventurous improvisation is mighty impressive."
DownBeat
1 Double Rainbow 5:06
2 Passarim 5:44
3 Waters of March 5:57
4 Amparo 7:08
5 Sonhos e Cores 5:24
6 Samba Medley 6:58
7 Never Let Me Go 5:47
8 Ligia 6:17
9 Girl from Ipanema 6:45
10 Triste e Solitaria 5:38
11 Espaço Aberto 2:37
(5,10,11) By Andrea Brachfeld & Bill O'Connell,
Published by Shaneye Music/ASCAP, O'Connell Music/SESAC
Andrea Brachfeld - C flute, alto flute (2,4,7)
Bill O'Connell - piano, Fender Rhodes (1,8,10)
Harvie S - bass (1,3,4,7,10)
Jason Tiemann - drums (1,3,4,7,10)
Roni Ben-Hur - guitar (1,4,5,6,8,9)
Lincoln Goines - electric bass (2,5,8,9,11), surdo (6)
T. Portinho - drums (2,5,6,8,9,11), percussion (6)
Chembo Corniel - percussion & congas (2-6,8,11)
Produced by Andrea Brachfeld & Bill O'Connell
Recorded by Chris Sulit at Trading 8s, Paramus, NJ
on July 23-24, 2019
Mixed by David Kowalski & Harvie S, Hackensack, NJ
Mastered by David Kowalski, Hackensack, NJ
Liner notes by Russ Musto
Photography by Nick Carter
Mural painted by Ed Morris
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
A member of the sorority of women that know how to pour the flute juice with a free hand that ultimately wind up letting Brazil shine on them, Brachfeld goes right to the Jobim source while avoiding most of the Jobim clichés to really get inside the music she loves. Backed up by a crew you don't find waiting around the union hall for some pick up ...
London Jazz News (Sam Norris)
Flautist Andrea Brachfeld's CV reads like a who's who of Latin jazz. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, and a recipient of some of the genre's most prestigious accolades (including the 2006 Chico O'Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award), she has recorded and/or performed with such luminaries as Paquito D'Rivera, Tito Puente, Slide Hampton an ...
Roots Music Review (Robert Silverstein)
Among the first 2020 CD releases on Origin, Brazilian Whispers is the latest solo album from NYC based flutist / composer Andrea Brachfeld. A number of artists support Ms. Brachfeld on the 11-track album, including established names like Roni Ben-Hur (guitars), Harvie S (bass), Lincoln Goines (electric bass), as well as several drummers and percuss ...
JazzTimes (Philip Booth)
For Brazilian Whispers, veteran flutist Andrea Brachfeld dives deep into the Jobim book, turning out fresh interpretations of familiar gems. Best known for her affiliations with Slide Hampton, Wallace Roney, and Dave Valentin, Brachfeld is joined by her regular working band—longtime collaborator Bill O'Connell on piano and Rhodes, double bassist ...
All About Jazz (Dan Bilawsky)
4-STARS While Brazilian Whispers marks Andrea Brachfeld's first thorough exploration of the titular stream of sound, you'd never know it from the results. Teaming up with Bill O'Connell, her longtime pianist and sounding board, the veteran flutist, who's typically engaged in Afro-Cuban affairs or straight ahead suggestions, sounds like she's been ...
Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Andrea Brachfeld plays flute and the darker alto flute set to a collection of Brazilian themes dominated by Antonio Jobim. She mixes and matches with Bill O'Connell/p-key, Harvie S-Lincoln Goines/g, Roni Ben-Hur/g, T. Porinho-Jason Tiemann/dr and Chembo Corniel/perc with some boppy pieces like her own "Espaco Aberto" and a relaxed "Triste E Solita ...
DownBeat (Jim Macnie)
HOTBOX FEATURE
Courageous redecoration often is a valuable stance when updating classics. I'd never imagined Antônio Carlos Jobim's "Waters Of March" as a shuffle until spinning this salute to the maestro's book by flutist Andrea Brachfeld. The signature esprit of Brazil's samba/bossa nexus gets its due, but a feisty groove dominates her band's r ...
Jazz Weekly (George W. Harris)
Andrea Brachfeld plays both C and alto flute with a galloping team of Bill O'Connell/p-key, Harvie S-Lincoln Goines/b, Jason Tiemann-T. Portinho/dr, Roni Ben-Hur/g and Chembo Corniel/perc on this mix of Jobim and originals. O'Connell's keyboards give a vintage CTI soul feel to the rich read of "Double Rainbow" and "Ligia" as Portinho's brushes glid ...
Latin Jazz Network (Raul Da Gama)
Brazilian Whispers… How appropriate is that as the title for an album by Andrea Brachfeld. Not only does the instrument she plays – the flute – lend itself to the kind of meditative Brasilian (how the word is actually meant to be spelled) music but the music itself "speaks" – indeed "whispers" – in a very special way to Miss Brachfeld. Th ...
Jazz Journal (London) (Peter Gamble)
This release is intended as a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim and seven of the tunes are attributable to the Brazilian master, with the roster being completed by three Brachfeld and O'Connell originals, whilst not forgetting Never Let Me Go.
Brachfeld's flute playing is full of purity, totally appropriate for bossa-nova and its offshoots, as is ...