Seven years after their last duo album, vocalist Sara Serpa and guitarist André Matos return with Night Birds. Due out September 29, 2023 in CD and digital download on the Portuguese label Robalo Music, the duo’s third release captures and crystallizes their uncanny musical connection. Serpa is widely acclaimed as one of the premier vocalists of her generation and was crowned the 2020 Vocalist of the Year by NPR. Matos has been praised as “one of the kings of melody..." by the New York Music Daily. Together, their music has been described as “decidedly otherworldly and totally original” (The Classical Arts) and “a perfect musical union” (O Público).
A collection of original compositions, improvisations and a Bartok bagatelle, the dozen tracks on Night Birds reflect on the fast-paced societies of the modern world, questioning the consumption and exploitation of natural ecosystems. Serpa’s distinctive singing and Matos’ spectacular sonic landscapes are enhanced by original and creative artists in jazz and improvised music including Brooklyn-based pianist Dov Manski, South-Korean avant-garde cellist Okkyung Lee (John Zorn, Nels Cline, Chris Corsano, and Thurston Moore), Ethiopian-Swedish experimental vocalist Sofia Jernberg (Fire! Orchestra, Mette Rasmussen), Portuguese up-and-coming drummer João Pereira, and on two tracks, Serpa and Matos’ child Lourenço. At turns magical, dazzling and calm, the duo’s unique sonic world draws on pure, contemplative sounds and takes a personal approach to melody and poetry. Their musical identity is informed by their Portuguese culture and the creative artistic environment of New York.
The duo’s previous albums, Primavera (2014) and All The Dreams (2016), produced close to the birth of their child, radiated with the excitement of experimentation and the joy of creative communion. Night Birds brings that child in as a collaborator and a participant in the music. “I really wanted to include his voice in this album,“ Serpa says, “before it changes in a few years. It has always been so inspiring to watch Lourenço being natural, spontaneous and present in our musical lives.” Family, Serpa’s composition, reveals multiple layers of voices, including Lourenço’s, intertwined with the guitar, bass and drums, in simple yet complex rhythmic parts.
Across the album’s twelve tracks, Serpa and Matos employ unusual, diverse approaches to the voice-guitar relationship. The voice often takes on a background role, creating textures, grooves or ambiances while the guitar defines the melody or freely improvises. Adding more voices, piano, synth and cello expands the duo’s sonic palette, resulting in immersive and captivating musical moments that transcend language and barriers.
More than just a musical achievement, Night Birds addresses relevant, timely thematic concerns. “Much of this music reveals reflections on what family means for us, as immigrants and as New Yorkers, how parenting has changed our lives and how horrified we are about the overconsumption of resources and the destruction of the natural world,” Serpa explains. “How do we nurture this precious and fragile microcosmos of watching a child grow while we witness our planet’s destruction? What will be left for him?”
Exploring the interaction of electronic settings created by the guitar and synth with acoustic instruments such as the voice, cello and drums, the music of Night Birds creates a synthesis of traditional song forms and improvisation. Matos, whose compositions shine with lyricism, mood and atmosphere, plays electric and acoustic guitar on tracks like Counting or Bergman’s Island. “Both are textures that I live with in my musical mind,” Matos explains. “While the electric is still my main vehicle, the steel string acoustic guitar has been more present in recent years, exploring new possibilities.”
Genre-crossing contemporary singer and improviser Sofia Jernberg is featured on three tracks. Her singing vocabulary includes non-verbal vocalization, split tone singing, pitchless singing and distortion. Whether mirroring Serpa’s ethereal voice with a sustained accompaniment or contributing an inspiring intro for the track Underwater, Jernberg’s gifts add to the album’s layers of compelling complexity. “I have been listening to Sofia’s voice for a long time,” Serpa says. “I love her tone and her ability to create all these mysterious sounds with her voice. She’s truly inspiring.”
Pioneer cellist and adventurous noise maker Okkyung Lee, who moves freely between artistic disciples and contingencies, demonstrates her highly distinctive sonic approach in a subtle and yet effective cascading solo in Degrowth and Lost Whale.
Throughout the album, Serpa and Matos employ the diverse talents of pianist Dov Manski, whose fluidity, vital counterpoint and lyricism bolster songs like From A Distance and Watching you Grow. “Dov is a longtime friend and collaborator, " Matos says. “He brings an effective and polished sound while keeping an organic and dramatic feel with the piano and the synth.”
João Pereira (Mário Laginha, Jorge Rossy), a young Portuguese drummer and regular collaborator with the duo in Portugal, provides a spirited and grooving feel in tracks including Carlos, Family and Counting.
Night Birds is a testament to the ways in which Serpa and Matos have refined and developed their sound while exploring new dimensions of spontaneity. Their meaningful use of restraint and space in composition is clear on the intimate, direct Degrowth, a hypnotic musical call to reduce over-consumption and connect with our planet. “What if we changed our mindset?” asks Serpa. “Is material accumulation really what we need? Our way of life is destroying the planet, and we can’t seem to agree on what actions to take. I think that walking more and going outside is a great first step.”
Night Birds closes with a concise and stunning interpretation of Bela Bartok's Bagatelle, Op.6: Lento. The otherworldly melody and harmonies have a haunting quality that lingers in the mind and ear well after the album ends.
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