NEW RELEASE – RICARDO PINHEIRO.

I‘ve been happy to write liner notes to Songs Of Longing, a superb record by Portuguese guitarist Ricardo Pinheiro. Pinheiro is based in the beautific region of Sintra near Lisbon, Portugal – I was blessed to see the stunning surroundings this early summer, let’s hope that the damage done because of very recent forest fires won’t be too bad (and let’s have a minute of silence for the casualties up north.) Pinheiro is a versatile guitar player with an eclectic resume that includes fusion, ambient, jazz and poetry and Brazilian-Portuguese folk music.

But thoroughly schooled, and passionately engaged in, classic jazz, Pinheiro, also a writer of thoughtful essays and research assignments, loves to interpret standards and gives everything he plays (and composes) a melancholic ‘fado’ feeling.

This melancholic aspect of Pinheiro’s work is evident on Songs Of  Longing, a collaboration with stalwarts Chris Cheek on saxes, Michael Formanek on bass and Jorge Rossy on drums: ‘Saudade’, as the Portuguese call it, nostalgia and longing, which is ingrained in the soul of Portuguese people. It’s a great program of Pinheiro originals, and the odd evergreen like I Hear A Rhapsody thrown in. His poetic songs are vehicles for understated and lyrical playing by all concerned, all-for-one, one-for-all, so to speak: it’s pleasantly organic, featuring fellows that interact beautifully and leave egos at the door.

Recently, Pinheiro once again expressed his joy in having Cheek, Formanek and Rossy by his side: “It was amazing. These guys are so good, the real deal. I let them see the songs I wanted to do, they’re like, ‘okay, that’s fine, looks great’ and they get right down to business, give everything they’ve got and make a couple of studio days a cinch.”

Read my interview with Ricardo from 2023 here:

http://flophousemagazine.com/2024/07/02/ricardo-me/

Find Songs Of Longing on Fresh Sound here:

https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/ricardo-pinheiro-albums/57562-songs-of-longing.html