Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs’s Blog
This project is explosive. From the very first strains of guitar and drums, the title tune sets the bar high by a musical ensemble that is bursting with energy and excitement. “Inside Turnabout” was recorded outside Malmo, Sweden. It was the result of touring, collaborating and ultimately composing with Brazilian saxophonist, Rodrigo Ursaia. Ursaia and Santiago are longtime musical friends, so the collaboration was comfortable. It just so happened they wound up touring Europe at the same time and seized that opportunity to experiment with a new group and a new repertoire. This album is the result of that experiment. Santiago, Vestergard and Ursaia do all the composing. Mattias Hjorth holds everything solidly in place with his bass, bringing a contemporary flair to the project. Vestergard locks the rhythm down, hard as a mallot. Ursaia’s saxophone is pure jazz, always satin smooth and improvisational atop a mixture of Latin, Brazilian and hybrid rhythms, woven into Straight-ahead feels and contemporary jazz stylings.
The title tune gives Vestergard a chance to cut loose on his drum set and his improvisational solo is stunning and powerful. He has composed this first tune and it allows all the musicians to freely improvise and exhibit their strongest talents. “Caixa Cubo” is played at a more moderate pace. Ursaia takes the lead on saxophone, with Vestergard invigorated and ever-present, showering percussive excellence in support of the production. Enter Santiago on guitar, moving smoothly from a stellar solo back to the rhythm section and often doubling the melody with Ursaia, very effectively. The “New Houser” composition gives us an insight into the composer talents of guitarist, Lupa Santiago.
All three composers on this recording present polished pieces of music for the band to interpret. The grooves are tightly woven, like an acrobat’s net, where the others can bounce and explore. This is an imaginative and high-energy project that celebrates the diverse and excellent talents of four astronomical musicians. They are musically and spiritually locked, like four hands pressed tightly together in prayer.