Melissa Aldana – Filin
Chilean jazz saxophonist and songwriter Melissa Aldana releases her third album for Blue Note Records this Friday. After “12 Stars” (2022), which featured Lage Lund on guitar, Sulllivan Fortner on piano and keys, Pablo Menares on bass, and Kush Abadey on drums, and “Echoes Of The Inner Prophet” (2024) with Lage Lund, Fabian Almazan on piano, Pablo Menares, and Kush Abadey, she now comes up with “Filin”, a word derived from “feeling”, music from Cuba in the tradition of richly arranged romantic songs that were most popular between the late 40s and early 60s. Recorded in one room, she played with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kush Abadey again. Also, on two tracks, singer Cécile McLorin Salvant, who created the cover artwork of Melissa’s 2022 LP, is on board on an album that is dedicated to ballads and ballads only.
And it becomes clear from the start, the bolero “La Sentencia”, written by Salvador Levi and Ela O’Farrill, that Melissa had learned the lyrics to each song and what their intent was. “They felt like the ballads that I love from the Great American Songbook,” she says in the press release to the album, “but because the lyrics are in Spanish, I was able to connect to these songs in a way that I never thought I could.” I think that’s one of the secrets of the magic on this album. As is the overall totally gentle and tender and romantic interplay of all the musicians here. There is so much beautiful restraint and something like a genuinely deep respect for this music, like on “Dime Si Eres Tú” (by Cesar Portillo de la Luz). Cécile delivers a stunning version of the Marta Sanchez classic “No Te Empeñes Más” (“Don’t Try Anymore”), which Gonzalo also recorded with Charlie Haden and David Sanchez for the 2001 album “Nocturne”. Mellissa sounds both robust and light-footed, steeped in melancholy and sweet pain. It’s a little miracle.
Side A (yes, the album will be out on vinyl too) closes with the Frank Dominguez piece “Imágenes”, another soothing melody where Peter is featured on a poignant and elegant solo with Gonzalo chiming in some sparkles here and there. “Las Rosas No Hablan”, written by Brazilian singer, composer, and guitarist Cartola, recognized as one of the most important figures in samba, is transformed here from Portuguese to Spanish, with Cécile again in a breathtaking performance. This ballad style suits her incredibly well, with Melissa echoing her sentiments and feelings with almost forlorn finesse and grace, too. Beautiful. Really dig the lush drum work by Kush here as well. “Little Church”, another Brazilian composition (Hermeto Pascoal), recorded by Miles Davis for his 1971 “Live-Evil” LP, features some gorgeous playing by Gonzalo and a really meditating, spiritual part by the leader.
José Antonio Méndez, one of the founders of Filin, is the author of “Ocaso”, one of the highlights of this set. It is displayed here as an utterly plaintive, highly enjoyable and magnificent story with a svelte arrangement which makes it an instant classic. Melissa rounds out this truly fascinating album with a fancy, angelic, slightly joyous and infectious “No Pidas Imposibles”, again by Frank Dominguez.
