REWIND

The conception of Rewind, recorded between Albufeira and Rotterdam during the lockdown period, owes much to the closeness made possible by technology. Like a letter, Frade decided to send audio files along with some images gathered during his recording process to Moens, who immediately accepted the invitation, “because we both believe in resilience as a mandatory ‘tool’ to make our world a better place,” they say in the album’s liner notes. The process imposed some constraints, especially “making the music sound ‘alive’ and not something a bit colder or less dynamic, which these kinds of contexts normally lead to,” adds the accordionist.

The results are immediately clear in the opening track, “Fly,” by Moens, with its complex beat bordering on drum’n’bass, transporting us to the hustle and bustle of a large metropolis, contrasted by a freer first melody and a tenser second section. Next comes “Bylas,” a piece rescued from Morphosis, which here acquires a more Latin vibration, with flutes and the trumpet of Diogo Duque. “Paradox,” a kind of sci-fi interlude with electronic basses and keyboards, precedes “Inpulse,” a catchy piece penned by Frade, with a sunny melody, also courtesy of Cuban pianist Luis Guerra and the bass of Spaniard Jesus Bachi.

More assertively Metheny-esque, thanks to the guitar and vocalizations of Brazilian Augusto Baschera, “Sinestesia” is part of a series of Frade compositions inspired by albums by musicians associated with the Clube da Esquina movement (which emerged in the 1960s in Belo Horizonte, with figures such as Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta and Wagner Tiso as leading lights), and features a remarkable solo by João Barradas on processed accordion. “Wenda” brings echoes of African rhythms, and in “Crush,” one of the album’s most interesting moments, a more exploratory vein comes to the fore. “Resilient” is a timbral feast (with the vibraphone of Eduardo Cardinho standing out) that closes the album on an optimistic note.

Fresh and plural, Rewind is an album with the potential to appeal to a broad audience. Recommended to all who understand music as a universal, borderless calling.