Duduka Da Fonseca & Quarteto Universal - "Yes!!!"

In 2021 after enjoying a Central Park concert, drummer Duduka Da Fonseca met bassist Gili Lopes and guitarist Vinicius Gomes, both of whom said that they wanted very much to play music with him. Da Fonseca felt flattered and suggested putting together a quartet that also included pianist Helio Alves, and Quarteto Universal was born.

Throughout his career, Duduka Da Fonseca has been one of the leaders in performing music that mixed together Jazz with Brazilian rhythms, featuring the most rewarding aspects of both genres. In Gomes, Lopes, and Alves he has found kindred spirits, resulting in the first recording by the group, YES!!!

Each of the ten songs on this release has much to offer. To name a few highlights, “Samba Novo” begins the program with a particularly joyful melody, fluent piano and guitar solos that sound relaxed despite the fast tempo, and a colorful spot for the leader. “Transition” has Da Fonseca inspiring the other musicians with his opening solo and the forcefulness of his interplay. “Lilia” and the sambossa waltz “Bebe” (which builds in passion as it progresses) are particularly sophisticated compositions while “Montreux” and “A Correnteza” are thoughtful and sometimes introspective ballads with subtle but powerful statements from all musicians.

“Êxodo” is a composition worthy of Chick Corea, jazz with a strong Brazilian tinge. The post-bop “Viver De Amor” is filled with inventive playing both in the solos and the ensembles, “West 83rd Street” conveys the flavor of New York while the closing “Dona Maria” has a particularly memorable melody and sounds like a piece that McCoy Tyner would have enjoyed playing.

For this rewarding project, Duduka Da Fonseca saw no reason to excessively emphasize Brazilian rhythms because all four of them have had these rhythms as a natural influence in their music from an early age. Da Fonseca grew up hearing Jazz, Bossa Nova, and Samba Jazz leading to him wanting to blend together these rhythms in equal parts.