Tamba 4 - We and the Sea (A&M)

One of the freer-thinking Brazilian outfits of the late 60s, the Tamba 4 were something of sore-thumb signing on the Herb Alpert officiated A&M imprint. On one end of the label’s roster sat the brazenly milquetoast Tijuana Brass. The industriously inquisitive Tambans held court at the other. Led by canny pianist Luiz Eça, the ensemble also included: José “Bebeto” de Castilho e Souza on flutes, bass and vocals; Dorio Ferreira on bass, guitars and percussion and Rubens Ohana on drums, jawbone, conga and other sundry percussion. Together they roped in an ambitiously eclectic array of elements from Debussy-indebted lyricism, to pervasively popular Jobim, to indigenous sonorities borrowed from their country’s melting pot culture. Even forays into free improvisatory dissonance weren’t outside the reach of their explorations. “O Morro (the Hill)” uncovers early evidence of their multiplicity of interests as they adapt the Jobim-scripted theme to a shortlist of permutations from rhapsodic piano samba to a romping percussive solo rife with martial stick-play from Ohana that would make Buddy Rich reel in envy. “Moça Flor (Flower Girl)” suggests something else entirely, a moody flute-nourished ballad feature for Bebeto’s satin-soft vocals. “Iemanjá,” a Baden Powell number, evokes mystery via whirring organ, percolating hand percussion, flute and lush harmonizing vocals on a chassis of dark rolling piano chords. Other standout cuts encompass two more Powell-penned tunes. “Chant of Ossanha,” further spotlights Bebeto’s flute and Ohana’s fluttering palms and fingertips on tautly stretched animal skin. The closing “Consolation” revels once again in Eça’s digital dexterity as a fulcrum for fast break improv, the theme to “O Morro” resurfacing repeatedly in his wild interpolations amidst precocious rhythmic stops. Despite the sometimes dizzying thematic shifts, the four remain boldly creative and tightly attuned to each other. It’s this shared consistency and vision that easily earns them the trophy amidst many of the other so-called “Brazilian” albums of the same era on A&M.