Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Amanda Ruzza & Mauricio Zottarelli: Glasses, No Glasses

Amanda Ruzza & Mauricio Zottarelli: Glasses, No Glasses

By Ernest Barteldes
October 6, 2014
View read count

Those familiar with

Amanda Ruzza

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Amanda Ruzza's debut solo This Is What Happened (2012, Pimenta Music) will find no similarities between that project and this collaboration with fellow Brazilian drummer

Mauricio Zottarelli

drums
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Mauricio Zottarelli. While that first disc went into more of a samba-jazz direction, this one could be classified as an electronic jazz album with funk-blues tendencies. Playing in a trio featuring Leo Genovese on a variety of keyboards and saxophones, the disc kicks off with "Soundcheck," a funk-inspired tune in which the keys play a plethora of sounds and even seem to fail (via a strange cracking sound) halfway through. That is followed by "Glasses," a tune that has almost a rock feel and whose groove allows Ruzza to experiment a lot with her bass line.

The most experimental track on the disc is "No Glasses," which has an eerie melody with layers of keys and then switches into a more traditional jazz groove with Genovese on sax , ending suddenly with some studio chatter in Spanish. "Classic Golden" is more melodic, shifting tempos between a Latin funk beat and a slower tempo that features an accomplished bass solo that wanders through the left and right channels (which is more noticeable with headphones). The album closes with the inventive "Everybody's Talking," a tune that begins with a reggae drumbeat and then evolves into a seemingly improvisational piece with a looping bass line that allows Genovese and Zottarelli to exercise their creativities.

Glasses, No Glasses is clearly not to be mistaken for a "Brazilian jazz" album—it is clearly an exercise in creativity that deserves close attention. It is definitely not easy to listen to at first, but after repeated hearings it can be highly enjoyable.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Souncheck; Glasses; Big Foot; No Glasses; Fuego; Classic Golden; Sugar High; Everybody's Talking

Personnel

Amanda Ruzza

bass

Amanda Ruzza: bass & pedals; Mauricio Zottarelli: drums, percussion & cajon; Leo Genovese: piano, keyboards, saxophone & pedals

Album information

Title: Glasses, No Glasses | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Nate Birkey: Just a Closer Walk
< Previous

Tiddy Boom
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.