The chords and tunes of Antonio Carlos (Tom) Jobim haunt like those of Erik Satie. Their diaphanous simplicity barely conceals their sophistication. In many hands, clumsy or skilful, they are the postwar equivalent of Satie's "furniture music", which is how many of us first encounter Jobim: standards such as Desafinado and The Girl from Ipanema are as durable and comfortable as Eames chairs.
Paula and Jaques Morelenbaum both played in Tom Jobim's Nova Banda. Since his death in 1994 they have continued to champion his music, on albums such as Quarteto Jobim-Morelenbaum, with the composer's son and grandson. Their latest project, Casa, is a collaboration with the prolific Japanese keyboard player Ryuichi Sakamoto. The result is intense, respectful and hushed. Paula sings without vocal tricks, letting the melodies of songs such as O Amor Em Paz and Fotografia speak for themselves. Jaques, on cello, is more flamboyant. He performs a double role, providing both melodic solos and supple bass lines.
Sakamoto claims that there are no composers other than Jobim whose work he would like to perform in public. Yet in the studio he has been playing others' music for years; his session work for artists such as Arto Lindsay, Vinicius Cantuaria and David Sylvian always bears his signature. Casa, by contrast, sounds less personal, more a pleasant diversion. In some numbers, he follows Jobim's piano style, tracing decorative outlines at the very top of the keyboard. Occasionally he lets rip the kind of flamboyant, six-octave flourish he used to insert ironically into the electro-pop of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. In the context of A Felicidade, it is done with a straight face. His semi-improvised accompaniments veer towards a Debussy-like impressionism.
Opening the Royal Festival Hall's The Song's the Thing festival, a majority of pieces in this gig are enlivened by drummer Marcelo Costa and acoustic guitarist Luiz Brasil. Costa's tiny percussion instruments, in conjunction with Jaques's cello bass lines, create a groove that remains rock solid yet beautifully quiet. Carefully arranged introductions and codas for the ensemble give the programme a light classical air - a stylish way to open the festival.
