|
 |
Jose Neto, Ronnie Scott's, London
By Mike Hobart
Published: September 7 2005 03:00 | Last updated: September 7 2005 03:00
By giving craftsmen arrangers the chance to do their own thing, Ronnie Scott's occasionally manages to make its audience feel that they have been privy to at least some of jazz's better-kept secrets.
Thus the Brazilian guitarist Jose Neto, who was Harry Belafonte's musical director as long ago as 1978 and who has worked with dozens of household names, has now worked his way up the Soho club's hierarchy of support musicians to become a regularheadliner.
As he plays, Neto gives the impression of a musician on the verge of bigger things, with his gestures honed for the stadium rather than the intimacy of Ronnie Scott's. Yet behind the histrionics is a superb technician with a highly personal take on the rock-tinged Latin jazz associated with Carlos Santana. His compositions start with a warm acoustic rhythm but, once the groove is set, he has an arsenal of techniques and sounds, refreshingly independent of pedals and laptops.
His rhythm playing is full of scrubby scratches and watery tremolos, and his lead marshals harmonics, wah-wah effects and bluesy licks into an impressively coherent and entertaining whole.
Neto's band, made up of similarly impressive and seasoned professionals, deliver well-oiled, effortlessly exciting music with the ease of old companions - they first played together in the early 1980s. And, like Neto, they are obviously proud of their commercial associations. The keyboardist Frank Martin, arranger for the likes of Roberta Flack, Sting and Stevie Winwood, had ample space to show his command of 1970s funk and has a nice line in sampled pan-pipes. The percussionist Café decorates the beat without intruding, getting all the right tones from his congas, bells and shakers.
But the real driving force is the bass guitarist, Gary Brown, who makes full use of a six-stringed instrument. Content to play spaciously placed, bone-crunching bass for most of the evening, his solo feature was the climax of the set, almost eclipsing the leader for technical virtuosity. |
|
 |
Guitar Book
“Guitar” by Richard Chapman, Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., New York, NY
Page 125: “Jose’ Neto is pictured (above) at a Fourth World gig at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London. After studying in his native Brazil, Neto moved to the US and has worked with Harry Belafonte, Tania Maria, Pacquito D’Rivera and Hugh Masakela. These influences—together with contemporary dance rhythms—helped to shape the music of fourth World, the band Neto co-formed with Percussionist Airto Moreira and vocalist Flora Purim.”
Page 223: “Jose’ Neto—One of the younger electric fusion players, Jose’ Neto has absorbed modern jazz ideas and plays sophisticated solos and driving rhythms.”
http://us.dk.com/
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
