Wanderings
Andree-Ann Deschenes
Independent (aadpiano.com)
The peripatetic pianist Andree-Ann Deschenes, possessed of a most wonderfully restless creative instinct, has put her prodigious musicianship on the line once again. She could be forgiven, of course, for plunging herself – body and soul – into the that tumbling ocean of Brazilian rhythm. The album that results is titled Wanderings although, truth be told, this is anything but an aimless journey into the musical heartland of a country brim-full and flowing over with the most extraordinary rhythm-driven musical culture.
Displaying the mind of a wizened musical apothecary Deschenes knows exactly where to go for the ingredients that make from this music a potion so potently magical that listeners are – in one elegantly executed rippling rhythmic phrase of her left hand – permanently seduced to enter her world of “brazilliance.” This she fashions out of hands that are delicate enough to lend themselves to the wondrous colourscape of Brazilian melody and harmony – powerful enough to handle the sinewy rhythm of the forró and the maracatu, even the mysticism of capoeira.
The pianist reveals an intimacy with the poetics of Brazilian music that often eludes even the most well-meaning musicians. Moreover, she assiduously avoids the well-worn route to Brazil, taking, instead, the road less travelled. Music such as Andanças (Cassio Vianna), Chardi Kala (Jasnam Daya Singh), Two Moons (Bianca Gismonti), Nalad Ochun (Jovino Santos Neto) – and especially – Tanguinho (André Mehmari) suggest that Deschenes bears the mark of a maverick.
