O Que Será (Live At Jazz Middelheim, Antwerp / 2012) / O Que Sera (Live At Jazz Middelheim, Antwerp / 2012)

The bossa nova of Antonio Carlos Jobim and others is generally cool, with a quiet but insistent pulse and subtle musicianship. But on this 2012 live recording, Italian jazz pianist Stefano Bollani and Brazilian Hamilton de Holanda on bandolim (a Brazilian mandolin) take a different approach. Much of the material finds the two racing through songs at a dazzling pace, sometimes even mugging for the audience (which can be heard laughing on “Guarda Che Luna”). The album starts quietly enough with the bossa nova standard “Beatriz,” but then things take off in a discordant direction with the classically flavored Bollani original “Barbone di Siviglia” and move into flamenco territory with Holanda’s “Caprichos de Espanha.” Some may feel that Bollani runs roughshod over “Guarda,” losing the original’s innate sense of swing. More successful are the duo's stately take on Jobim’s “Luiza” and Astor Piazzolla’s tango classic “Oblivion.” Yet the two are at their best on the breathless “Canto de Ossanha,” another bossa nova classic. It's an engaging effort for fans of these two artists.