Bardino + Brian Blaker
Diogo Silva, Nuno Fulgêncio and Rui Martins collectively form Bardino. The music they create has been described and/or categorized as the result of an inventive blend of electronica, rock, jazz and something more, almost always forcing those who take on the task to resort to expressions such as "krautrock", "fusion jazz" or "ambient electronica" in an attempt to map their sound. The fact that such a profusion of descriptors is needed to outline their profile is already a sign that what Bardino do is, in fact, new and goes beyond the maps we already know. This feeling will be reinforced after listening to their new album, Memória da Pedra Mãe.
But there are specific places that may come to mind when talking and thinking about Bardino. Centelha, their previous album, released by Saliva Diva in 2020, was recorded in Chaves, in the remote region of Trás-os-Montes, and the self-titled EP, dating from 2017, was created in the heart of the Serra das Meadas, in the middle of nature. On the new work, the mention of the "Pedra Mãe" (Mother Stone), a rare geological phenomenon popularly known as "pedras parideiras" (birthing stones), which in Portugal occurs in the Serra da Freita (Arouca), once again points to an isolated, deserted, perhaps somewhat inhospitable place, an idea reinforced by the music, which sounds exploratory in the sense the word takes on when you arrive at a new place that you make it your mission to get to know. And to this reference from the field of geological science, Bardino add the word "Memória" (Memory), giving it a human dimension. They explain that they want to refer to "the importance of collective memory in the cohesion and identity of communities and to the process of creating new memories, a process that" - they continue - "is simultaneously natural and conflictual, as it mirrors a tension between past, present and future".
This is the conceptual cornerstone of Memória da Pedra Mãe, an album recorded in the summer of 2023 at Arda Recorders in Porto and produced by João Brandão and Rui Martins. On this new material, Bardino's resources expand: Nuno Fulgêncio's drums, Diogo Silva's bass and Rui Martins' veritable arsenal of keyboards (acoustic and electric piano, various synthesizers) are augmented by the alto and tenor saxophones of Brian Blaker (who stands out on "Memória" and "Black Mica"), the guitar of Leonardo Outeiro (who appears on "Punctum No 2") and, already indicating their affiliation with the Porto-based label Jazzego, Hugo Oliveira, who records as Minus & MRDolly (and is a guest on "Pedra Mãe") and Sérgio Alves, aka AZAR AZAR (who plays piano and Moog on "Tília"). Bardino's entry into Jazzego's increasingly essential catalogue also reinforces their obvious ties to a new wave of projects that have been experimenting with different tangents to the notion of "jazz", taking this music as part of a broader set of coordinates.
Over eight tracks, and clearly benefiting from the distinctive stamp of the acclaimed, high-quality work of João Brandão, one of Portugal's best current producers, Bardino present dense, deeply cinematic, ultra-high-definition music, in which the different instruments convey a broad emotional and visual landscape, with solos of great elegance arranged over grooves that evoke a sense of movement. All of the musical coordinates mentioned above are present, but perhaps on this new material there is a greater fluidity, certainly the result of the refinement of the core trio's vision through vast experience gathered on stages across the country. And there are even echoes of a decidedly Portuguese songbook, as is so clearly felt on "O Semeador", something new in the range of aesthetic references embraced by Bardino. This is, in fact, music that thrives on a benign tension between past, present and future, in the sense that it embraces traditions and history, seeks a new framework in this diverse now, and dares to project itself forward. Because the future is the best of all places.
Memória da Pedra Mãe was released on March 2, 2024 by Jazzego Records.
Saxophonist Brian Blaker originally hails from Los Angeles, California. Initially inspired by punk rock, his musical path shifted after discovering John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. This led to early tutelage under saxophonist Roger Stemen and later at the Stanford Jazz Residency. Here he had the privilege to learn from jazz luminaries such as Phil Woods, Jimmy Heath and Eric Alexander as well as mentorship under Taylor Eigsti and Patrick Wolfe. Blaker went on to earn his Bachelor's in Saxophone Performance and Master's in Jazz Studies from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a stint at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in the Netherlands, learning from masters like Ron Kerber, John Swana, Joel Frahm, and Robin Eubanks.
Post-graduation, he became active in Philadelphia's music scene, performing with the Philadelphia funk band Swift Technique and guesting with Vulfpeck, Big Sam's Funky Nation, and more. Blaker also released two albums with his project Bison's Big Bang: Pure Imagination (Independent 2015) and Beyond the Canyon (Jazzego 2022) showcasing his skills as a composer and bandleader. Based in Portugal since 2018, he's currently active in projects with the independent music label Jazzego where he's been a featured guest with Minus & Mr. Dolly on Giant Stops (2023) as well as Bardino on their early 2024 release Memoria da Pedra Mae that has led to performances across the country including the 2024 edition of Paredes de Coura. Through Jazzego he will be releasing a new EP of music under his own name in early 2025 with drummer Miguel Sampaio (Puzzle3 trio, Anti-Medo), guitarist Luis Ribeiro (Joaquim Rodrigues, Carl Minneman 5tet) and Pedros Santos (Clã, New Max) on bass with a direction that incorporates electronics and modern groove elements while being uncompromising with jazz sensibilities.
But there are specific places that may come to mind when talking and thinking about Bardino. Centelha, their previous album, released by Saliva Diva in 2020, was recorded in Chaves, in the remote region of Trás-os-Montes, and the self-titled EP, dating from 2017, was created in the heart of the Serra das Meadas, in the middle of nature. On the new work, the mention of the "Pedra Mãe" (Mother Stone), a rare geological phenomenon popularly known as "pedras parideiras" (birthing stones), which in Portugal occurs in the Serra da Freita (Arouca), once again points to an isolated, deserted, perhaps somewhat inhospitable place, an idea reinforced by the music, which sounds exploratory in the sense the word takes on when you arrive at a new place that you make it your mission to get to know. And to this reference from the field of geological science, Bardino add the word "Memória" (Memory), giving it a human dimension. They explain that they want to refer to "the importance of collective memory in the cohesion and identity of communities and to the process of creating new memories, a process that" - they continue - "is simultaneously natural and conflictual, as it mirrors a tension between past, present and future".
This is the conceptual cornerstone of Memória da Pedra Mãe, an album recorded in the summer of 2023 at Arda Recorders in Porto and produced by João Brandão and Rui Martins. On this new material, Bardino's resources expand: Nuno Fulgêncio's drums, Diogo Silva's bass and Rui Martins' veritable arsenal of keyboards (acoustic and electric piano, various synthesizers) are augmented by the alto and tenor saxophones of Brian Blaker (who stands out on "Memória" and "Black Mica"), the guitar of Leonardo Outeiro (who appears on "Punctum No 2") and, already indicating their affiliation with the Porto-based label Jazzego, Hugo Oliveira, who records as Minus & MRDolly (and is a guest on "Pedra Mãe") and Sérgio Alves, aka AZAR AZAR (who plays piano and Moog on "Tília"). Bardino's entry into Jazzego's increasingly essential catalogue also reinforces their obvious ties to a new wave of projects that have been experimenting with different tangents to the notion of "jazz", taking this music as part of a broader set of coordinates.
Over eight tracks, and clearly benefiting from the distinctive stamp of the acclaimed, high-quality work of João Brandão, one of Portugal's best current producers, Bardino present dense, deeply cinematic, ultra-high-definition music, in which the different instruments convey a broad emotional and visual landscape, with solos of great elegance arranged over grooves that evoke a sense of movement. All of the musical coordinates mentioned above are present, but perhaps on this new material there is a greater fluidity, certainly the result of the refinement of the core trio's vision through vast experience gathered on stages across the country. And there are even echoes of a decidedly Portuguese songbook, as is so clearly felt on "O Semeador", something new in the range of aesthetic references embraced by Bardino. This is, in fact, music that thrives on a benign tension between past, present and future, in the sense that it embraces traditions and history, seeks a new framework in this diverse now, and dares to project itself forward. Because the future is the best of all places.
Memória da Pedra Mãe was released on March 2, 2024 by Jazzego Records.
Saxophonist Brian Blaker originally hails from Los Angeles, California. Initially inspired by punk rock, his musical path shifted after discovering John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. This led to early tutelage under saxophonist Roger Stemen and later at the Stanford Jazz Residency. Here he had the privilege to learn from jazz luminaries such as Phil Woods, Jimmy Heath and Eric Alexander as well as mentorship under Taylor Eigsti and Patrick Wolfe. Blaker went on to earn his Bachelor's in Saxophone Performance and Master's in Jazz Studies from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a stint at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in the Netherlands, learning from masters like Ron Kerber, John Swana, Joel Frahm, and Robin Eubanks.
Post-graduation, he became active in Philadelphia's music scene, performing with the Philadelphia funk band Swift Technique and guesting with Vulfpeck, Big Sam's Funky Nation, and more. Blaker also released two albums with his project Bison's Big Bang: Pure Imagination (Independent 2015) and Beyond the Canyon (Jazzego 2022) showcasing his skills as a composer and bandleader. Based in Portugal since 2018, he's currently active in projects with the independent music label Jazzego where he's been a featured guest with Minus & Mr. Dolly on Giant Stops (2023) as well as Bardino on their early 2024 release Memoria da Pedra Mae that has led to performances across the country including the 2024 edition of Paredes de Coura. Through Jazzego he will be releasing a new EP of music under his own name in early 2025 with drummer Miguel Sampaio (Puzzle3 trio, Anti-Medo), guitarist Luis Ribeiro (Joaquim Rodrigues, Carl Minneman 5tet) and Pedros Santos (Clã, New Max) on bass with a direction that incorporates electronics and modern groove elements while being uncompromising with jazz sensibilities.