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Paolo Almeida — Love in Motion
(Bandcamp Dox Records no#, 2026, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-11-01

Love in Motion Cover art

Even without resorting to applying genre labels to music, I can definitively say that I dislike smooth jazz. I don’t care if there’s a marketing category with that name, and I won’t claim that everything marketed as smooth jazz is offensive to me — I mean to say that I don’t like jazz that is overly smooth in its execution regardless of how PR people label it. On Love in Motion, Brazilian percussionist Paolo Almeida ventures onto both sides of that perilous divide. “Burning Skin” starts things off pretty nicely, with some creative interaction between the piano, the rhythm section, and the saxophone. I find Josh Schofield’s tone on the soprano sax a bit too sweet for my taste, but the lines he plays are interesting enough that I can live with it. Lorenzo Vitolo is on the keyboards, generally piano, and his playing is dextrous and doesn’t venture outside of conventional jazz harmonies. Almeida’s drums and percussion are paired with Joan Codina on upright bass for a tasty backing full of rhythmic intricacies, though odd meters aren’t in the offing. Guests Jorge Rossy (vibraphone) and Lisette Spinnler (vocals) appear on one track each. Almeida himself also contributes some vocals, as with the almost chanted theme of “Lembranca do Boi,” which is accompanied by a very free backing. While I’m not enamored of the slower tracks on Love in Motion, there are enough others with some rhythmic energy to give me a favorable overall view of the album. There is some really good writing here, and Almeida proves himself a promising voice in small-group arranging. Don’t expect any touches of rock or other outside influences, but it’s not just rehashes of jazz from the past.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Paolo Almeida

More info
http://pauloalmeidadrummer.bandcamp.com/album/love-in-motion

 

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