Carlos Bica & Azul - Twist (1998)

Bassist Carlos Bica, one of Portugal's premiere jazz musicians, teams up with drummer Jim Black and electric guitarist Frank Möbius for a zany yet accessible romp through a musical landscape that runs the gamut, from the serene hills of 16th century art song to the beaches of tongue-in-cheek surf music. Bica has a fat, gorgeous cello-romantic tone, perfect when bowed on the opening tango, "Roses for You," and "Paixao." Fans of the Portuguese group Madredeus will be familiar with the faraway, melancholy tone of many of the tunes here, not to mention pleasantly surprised by Black's snickety-snackety ingenuity and Möbius' shimmering, Bill Frisell-inspired guitar. The ballad, "Sera," strikes a beautiful balance between arco bass and single-note guitar, the evocative "O Profeta" evolves into waltz-time swing, and the obsessive "Pastilha Elástica" veers toward a jazz/rock trio sound. Actress Ana Brandão contributes a clarion vocal on the pretty renaissance song "Ay! Linda Amiga" (reprised as an instrumental at disc's end) and a quite wonderfully theatrical and existential delivery of a poem by the Portuguese national poet, Pessoa. A hidden, unlisted take on "Tea for Two" lurks after the last track. Sweet stuff.