Press Quotes

…“The new recording from the Lisbon, Portugal-based TAC trio of saxophonist Bernardo Tinoco, double bassist André Carvalho, and drummer Diogo Alexandre should satisfy your hankering for some dissonance and frenetic interplay.”… - by Dave Sumner in “The Best Jazz on Bandcamp, May 2024”

“Intro” is an improvised dialogue between saxophone and drums, setting the perfect tone for what will be heard later (the order of factors matters). The three take the melody of “Flor da Laranjeira,” a theme from popular folklore, and carry it to another dimension. The structure is the “classic”: the saxophone presents the melody, followed by solos around the base theme, culminating in the re-exposition. “Interlude I” is more than an ode to the avifauna of Transtagana, it is a warning for the disruptions to come. The solemnity of “Improv” is introduced by Carvalho using the bow and effects, joined by Tinoco's magical breath and detailed percussion, like a call from the night of times. “Ainda Não Espelho” brings a somewhat minimalist free improvisation, with the serene line drawn by the saxophone interacting with the rhythmic filigree brought by double bass and drums. Suddenly everything changes and acquires a different intensity. In the theme that lends its title to the album, composed by Tinoco, the three musicians weave the sonic tapestry for a touching testimony of honesty; we hear the voice of Lurdes Abraços, raised on her grandfather's farm near Serpa, telling us what life was like then and how they accompanied their parents in the toil of the land, harvesting olives, wheat, and raising animals after coming home from school: “We weren't forced and it wasn't exploitation; it was part of our growth. It was the best childhood I had and very happy!” “FX Retro” takes on a more exploratory nature, with Tinoco's soprano saxophone crossed with electronic processing. Some of the most interesting moments of the album are saved for the end, in “Coral,” a small suite in three parts written during the residency. The first section is high voltage, and in the second, we are transported to a dreamlike plane, a world so real it seems fantastical, “on the threshold of audibility”; concluding with the aforementioned coral, where Tinoco's sweet assertiveness is combined with intricate rhythmic clockwork. “Monte das Laranjeiras” is an album lifted from the ground. — by António Branco in Jazz.pt. Read full review here, June 20, 2024