The Brazilian mandolin master follows his masterful quintet date
Brasilianos with a more intimate (hence the title) and plucky solo affair on the ten-string mandolin that he says uses "road technology"--that is, a good mike, his laptop, and an MBox. Rhythmically diverse and intricately rendered, the session sounds like a one-take affair, with him not worrying so much about arrangements but just letting songs from his favorite Brazilian composers work through him as if by an unconscious process. He gets off to a lovely, hypnotic start with the passionately rhythmic
"Samba do Soho," focusing on pure, crisp fingerstyling as he conveys the joy intended by writers
Paulo Jobim and
Ronaldo Bastos.
De Holanda is in more of a thoughtful mode on
Chico Buarque and
Edu Lobo's
"Beatriz" and his own simple expression of
"Gratitude," which he follows with the strumming grace of
Tom Jobim's
"Luiza." De Holanda's other originals,
"A Cesar o Que e de Cesar" and the graceful
"Amor, Saudade Amor," stand up well with the works of the other composers. Because each song has a similar tempo, the collection is best enjoyed as a seamless whole. From the get-go, his goal seems to be fully expressing the melodic, "vocal," and rhythmic capabilities of the instrument he has such a passion for. Realizing this, he fully conveys a genius for both interpretation and listening to the musical spirits of his native Brazil. ~ Jonathan Widran
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