FELIPE SALLES

CAMERA OBSCURA

Tapestry Records

Felipe Salles, soprano & tenor saxophones/piccolo/flute/alto flute/bass flute/clarinet & bass clarinet; Nando Michelin, piano; Keala Kaumeheiwa, bass; Steve Langone, drums; THE CUSHMAN QUARTET: Laura Arpianinen & Amanda Stenroos, violins; Anton Boutkov, viola; Karl Knapp, cello.

The title of this album, “Camera Obscura” is the description of the first rudimentary camera.  It was a darkened primitive box with a small hole or lens at one side. Through that hole, an image was projected onto a wall opposite the hole. This ancient equipment introduced humanity to the first method of transmitting images of reality onto a screen.

On this album by Felipe Salles, he uses this concept to blend chamber music and jazz, transmitting his own music to explore the sonic palette of light and dark, shadow and color, imagery and photogenic perspectives. Often his arrangements mirror images in upside-down ways.

“A ‘Camera Obscura’ projects an image that is not exactly reality,” Salles explains.

However, I found his music to be quite real, colorful, and more often than not, beautiful. The woodwind master uses a number of instruments to interpret his original music.  He has composed, arranged and orchestrated all the songs on this album. Salles is also a multi-instrumentalist, who excels in playing various woodwinds.

A tune called “Perspective” uses time changes and strings to interpret the various moods of his music.  The Cushman Quartet brings their sweet string sound to the project, featuring violins, viola and cello. Nando Michelin adds a lovely piano solo to the mix.  This song is eight minutes long, but it is so well-arranged and offers so many tempo changes that it never becomes redundant or boring. Felipe Salles holds my interest with his creative arranging and composing skills.

There are six main pieces of music that involve the full chamber group, a jazz quartet, string quartet and woodwinds. A song called “Rooms” is actually a French translation for his last name, ‘Salles.’  To compose this song, he based the melody on his name and his children’s names. It begins with a single piano note being played in a rhythmic way and develops from there.  I enjoyed his flute playing on this arrangement. Steve Langone is given time to shine on drums during this arrangement.

The Cushman Quartet was co-founded in 2020 by Salles’ wife, violinist Laura Arpianinen.  She had worked with the saxophonist Salles on his albums “Departure” and “South American Suite.”

“My quartet has been playing together for decades. I didn’t want to just hire four string players. I wanted a group that has its own chemistry. Laura is an amazing classical violinist. She understands my music better than any other string player would, so when she formed her own quartet, it made sense to invite them to work with us,” Felipe Salles shared in his press package.

I am whisked to another dimension on a tune called “A Deriva (Adrift)” where the lovely vocals of Tatiana Parra caress each note with emotional tenderness.

Salles is a native of São Paulo, Brazil. He has been making music in the US since 1995, working and recording with prominent jazz artists like Randy Brecker, Paquito D’Rivera, David Liebman, Melissa Aldana, Luciana Souza and many, many more. Salles is a 2018 Guggenheim Foundation Composition Fellow. The Salles music is rich with culture, art and beauty.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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