Review

Fabiano Do Nascimento & Sam Gendel

The Room

Real World • 2024

Saudade is about as far from Los Angeles as Sam Gendel is from condensation therapy—in fact, the jazz head-turner prefers to chase his horn through an effects pad the size of two football pitches. But he can also play strings. Or have them played for him. Fabiano do Nascimento, who plays guitar but exudes world weariness, helps out. So they recorded »The Room« together, probably in the same room or for a space that they are now opening up for this first time with their music—you know how things are. Anyway, »The Room« is honest music for honest people who would never cheat at the supermarket self-checkout. The only danger is that it is easy to drink wine or cerveza or even non-alcoholic drinks to »The Room«, which you can enjoy sitting out on a nice sunny day, because it’s that time of year again. In certain situations, the record can be reduced to background noise, which is not the album’s fault, because it comes across as tame as a petting zoo or a pair of silk trousers that you can take out of your wardrobe now that spring is here—which is also the case with this beautiful album.