Stefano Bollani & Hamilton De Holanda - O Que Sera (2013)

Italy's creative piano virtuoso Stefano Bollani meets Hamilton de Holanda, Brazil's peerless master of the bandolim, the 10-string mandolin, on a stunning album which makes a great case for the art of the duo. O que será is a summery celebration of the joy of music-making, radiating an irresistible enthusiasm, and raising the bar for trans-idiomatic instrumental interaction. The exchanges between the musicians are frequently breathtaking.

Bollani, acknowledged as one of the most prodigiously-gifted soloists of jazz, is matched every step of the way here by de Holanda. They first met on stage at a festival in Bolzano, in South Tyrol, in 2009. On that occasion they played just two pieces, by Baden Powell/Vinicius de Moreas and Egberto Gismonti, but the empathy between them was immediate and unmistakable. That meeting - which can be seen and heard on YouTube - left the players hungry for more. In 2011 they reunited for their first complete show together, a blueprint for further concerts in Brazil and Europe. Trust and improvisation are the watchwords of this duo, and the decision to record live also reflects their wish to maintain the sense of spontaneity and risk that animates the shows.

Repertoire draws upon the rich heritage of South American music - including Jobim, Piazzolla, Chico Buarque, Baden Powell, Ernesto Nazareth and more, plus original compositions by the protagonists. O que será was recorded live in Antwerp in August 2012 before an audibly-delighted audience at the Jazz Middelheim Festival.

Bollani's love of Brazil is well-known. Several of his previous ECM releases, including the duos with Chick Corea (Orvietto) and Enrico Rava (The Third Man) have incorporated music of Brazilian composers. In the encounter with Hamilton de Holanda (who makes his ECM debut here) he is allied with a true representative of Brazil's musical heritage.

Tracklist:

1. Beatriz
2. Il barbone di Siviglia
3. Caprichos de Espanha
4. Guarda che luna
5. Luiza
6. O que sera
7. Rosa
8. Canto de Ossanha
9. Oblivion
10. Apanhei-te Cavaquinho

Personnel:

Stefano Bollani (piano),
Hamilton de Holanda (bandolim).