The music on Unreal forms a mysterious soundtrack. After reading the part of the liner notes that were translated into English, the general story is still very unclear (a lot gets lost in translation) but fortunately the music mostly stands well by itself. Pianist-composer Bernardo Sassetti used many musicians on this project although not all at one time. Two pieces utilize a percussion section filled with marimbas, vibes, xylophones, and percussive instruments, and four woodwinds and a French horn are used on seven other numbers with two of those pieces also adding four saxophonists. Along the way altoist Perico Sambeat gets a little bit of solo space and Sérgio Carolino's tuba is important in some of the ensembles. Many moods (some of them quite dark) are explored and the ensembles range from very dense to Sassetti's thoughtful solo piano. Thelonious Monk's "Evidence" is included almost as comic relief before the mood switches again. This music seems inscrutable at first but becomes more accessible with each listen, and the overall results are worthwhile and worth exploring. - Scott Yanow
Tracks
01. Prólogo
02. Conjuntivo Plural Do Iniciativo
03. Ernestomisterioso Obsessivo
04. Dona Antónia Movimentos Oblíquos
05. Interlúdio: Experiências Tecefeitos Secundários
06. Coreografia De Um Jogo Lento Inquietude De Um Jogador Perante A Jogada
07. Evidence
08. I Left My Heart In Algaândaros De Baixo
09. Si Te Contara
10. Conjuntivocaminho
11. Domínio Da Música
12. Macânciosalguimiasindumentária
13. Sidewalk Cartoons [Versão Infantojuvenil]
JOSÉ LOPES alto saxophone
JOSÉ MASSARRÃO alto saxophone
MÁRIO MARQUES alto saxophone
PERICO SAMBEAT alto saxophone
ALBERTO ROQUE baritone saxophone
ANTÓNIO AUGUSTO DE AGUIAR bass
RUI ROSA bass clarinet
LURDES CARNEIRO bassoon
ALEXANDRE FRAZÃO drums
JOSÉ SALGUEIRO drums
NUNO INÁCIO flute
ANGELINA RODRIGUES flute, piccolo
HELDER VALES french horn
JEANMICHEL GARETTI oboe
SÉRGIO CAROLINO tuba
ANTÓNIO SERGINHO percussion
JOÃO CUNHA percussion
JOÃO TIAGO percussion
MIQUEL BERNAT percussion
NUNO AROSO percussion
PEDRO OLIVEIRA percussion
RUI RODRIGUES percussion
BERNARDO SASSETTI piano, percussion
Music composed by Bernardo Sassetti
Recorded between December 2005 and October 2006 at MB Estúdios, Gaia
Clean Feed – CF070CD (Portugal)