Caipi

"The leader is typically fluent and narratively elegant whenever he cuts loose on guitar. But improv takes a back seat to some prosaic autobiographical songs, cleverly produced and harmonised ensemble pieces that are nonetheless a little short on melodic punch, and a dinner-jazzy vibe that undercuts the project's undoubtedly sincere objectives".

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"[A personal record] that Rosenwinkel has been working on for ten years, and it isn't quite like anything else we've heard from him. First, it's not a jazz album, at least the kind we expect. Rather, it uses rhythms and other elements from Brazilian music to create a sunny album of impressionistic pop. Rosenwinkel plays not only guitar but also drums, keys, bass, and he sings ... He pairs with a few stronger voices, teams it up with Mark Turner's sax, and embeds it into a wall of shimmering synths and guitars. I love Caipi because, taken as a whole, it is buoyant, thrilling, gorgeously imagined. It is not a record that dishes up heaping guitar solos but one that puts together a mood ... That it is also an act of joy is extraordinary. With each listen, the musical details emerge more fully. I recommend it for the months before summer hits. It is a ray of sunshine".

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"Rosenwinkel expands [his] sound with a set of highly inventive Brazilian-influenced compositions that bring to mind the work of artists like Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, and Hermeto Pascoal. Although primarily known as a guitarist, here Rosenwinkel plays almost all of the instruments, often overdubbing bass, synth, and drums along with his fluid guitar and piano lines. Also, as on several of his past albums, Rosenwinkel sings; his voice is a charmingly unschooled yet passion-filled instrument perfectly suited to the Brazilian vibe ... Helping Rosenwinkel achieve this enlightened sound is a handful of guest vocalists, including Amanda Brecker (...), Pedro Martins, and others, who act as both lead and group vocalists at varying times throughout the album. The cinematically delivered "Casio Escher" finds Brecker and Martins supplying a gorgeous, wordless melody set against Rosenwinkel's fingerpicked guitar lines and Mark Turner's Gato Barbieri-esque saxophone. Similarly, cutslikethe layered bossa nova-steeped title track and the fluid "Kama," with its dreamlike synths, Portuguese lyrics, and Giorgio Moroder-esque beat, sound something along the lines of Caetano Veloso backed by Stereolab".

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