Le Notti di San Patrizio

An Italian-based singer-songwriter born in Salvador, Bahia, Nilza Costa and her powerful, emotionally-charged voice represent a place at the cultural heart of Brazil's connection to its African ancestry and traditions. Bahia, in the north-east region of Brazil, echoes with sounds far removed from what one might expect from Brazilian music. Candomblé, capoeira, samba, maculelê and cantigas de roda (nursery rhymes) are just a few of the styles drawn upon in Costa's past repertoire and in this third album.

Le Notti di San Patrizio is a brave excursion into Afro jazz, with various tracks bursting into a flurry of saxophone and drum kit halfway through. I was left wishing that these jazzier sections felt slightly more integrated, at times the different energies of Costa's storytelling vocals and her band felt a bit superimposed. ‘Odè em Transe’, however, demonstrates well the intention of the arrangements. The album excels in its exploration of voice and percussion, a hallmark of Candomblé musical tradition heard clearly in ‘Oselu Ko Ni Sè’ and ‘Eleguà’. Some tracks swim through more harmonic-based arrangements founded on guitar and flute; ‘Maresia’ is a respite from the energised, highly-danceable tracklist, while ‘Choro das Aguas’ closes the album with a pensive, rubato oration accompanied by understated keyboard. An enjoyable listen.