This charming, elegant album celebrates the power, diversity and uniqueness of voices – both instrumental and human. Saglio and his wonderful quartet partner a range of vocalists from across the globe, giving the collection of songs here a truly international feel.
In addition, some of the tracks feature just the quartet in action, showcasing the seemingly effortless ease with which the performers can play around with a variety of styles. It’s a lot of fun.
The album opens with a lilting, uplifting tribute to Nelson Mandela, ending with an excerpt of Mandela speaking about a world in which everyone can live together in harmony. Despite the variety of the music, with artists ranging from Peru, Senegal, Sweden and Azerbaijan amongst the contributors, it’s the connection between them that makes the album work so well.
Saglio and his bandmates really enjoy themselves on La Risa De Bea, a frenetic, scurrying performance which is like something from the Paris swing era of the 1930s – a standout track that brings a smile to the face as you listen.
One thing that always strikes me about the ACT label is the sheer range of musical styles it is prepared to offer the listener. Voices captures the very essence of that range in one magical album. A joy from beginning to end and not to be missed.
Discography
Madiba; Ponte Un Alba; Irta; Elevation; Temps Modernes; For The Love That We Feel; A La Deriva; Buenos Aires; Divina Tormenta; La Risa De Bea; Amal; Movement (68.21)
Saglio (clo, v); Steve Shehan (pc, d); Christian Belhomme (p, kyb); Leo Ullmann (vn); Susana Baca, Alim Qasimov, Natasha Atlas, Nils Landgren, Wasis Diop, Anna Colom, Camille Saglio, Vega Tomas (v) no location given, July 2022 – January 2023.
ACT 9968-2
