Seamlessly blending the dancing rhythms of Brazil and the funk of New Orleans, and delivering it with a dose of New York City attitude, Nation Beat rides irresistible grooves that all but demand that you get up off that damn sofa and dance.

Nation Beat
The Royal Chase (indie)
A review
The connections between the dancing rhythms of northeast Brazil and the intoxicating funk of New Orleans—each with roots in their region’s enslaved African population—captured the imagination of Scott Kettner, founder/drummer/percussionist of Nation Beat, a stellar five-piece brass band determined to get you moving. On The Royal Chase, popular songs from Brazil and New Orleans, along with a handful of originals—11 tracks in all—offer dancing groove after dancing groove. The band—which includes Mariel Bildsten (trombone), Paul Carlon (tenor sax and horn arrangements), Mark Collins (trumpet), and Joe Correia (sousaphone)—enlarges the tunes’ scope with jazz improvisation that reflects its New York base. This is one tight unit, playing Carlon’s well-drawn arrangements flawlessly, and when it comes time to solo, they’ve got the goods.

The album opens with New Orleans Indian Spyboy “Honey” Irving Banister talking about the making and unmaking of a Mardi Gras Indian suit, which leads into Edmilson do Pifano’s “Forró de Dois Amigos.” Nation Beat’s arrangement, with a robust rhythmic drive from Kettner, has Recife dancing in the streets with New Orleans, and Carlon delivers a nice sax line. The title track, written by producers Kettner and Rob Curto, who is well versed in the forró genre of northeastern Brazil and who guests on keyboards on several tracks, floats a suave melody over a lively rhythmic simmer, with Kettner on pandeiro; a lovely flute solo goes uncredited (I’m guessing Carlon). Songwriter Kettner has a way with a melody. He teamed up with Carlon on the mellow original “Paper Heart,” which features a terrific opening Bildsten/Correia duet, and on the love song “Ciranda for Lia,” with Carlon’s solo bringing Charles Neville to mind. Kettner and Carolina Mama cowrote the lovely “Algunas Cantan,” a music box setting for Mama’s guest vocal.

Other highlights include “Morô Omin Ma,” with a spirited trumpet excursion from Collins; the New Orleans standard “Hey Pock Way,” with a fine turn from guest vocalist Moses Patrou; and Luiz Gonzaga’s “Forró No Oscuro,” which gets a stunning trombone solo from Bildsten. The album closes with a celebratory take on Pedro Sertanejo’s “Roseira do Norte,” which ends in a fine tangle of brass and sends you dancing on home.

With respect for the traditions from which draws, Nation Beat brings them together in a communal celebration of life-affirming rhythms that says, Let’s dance together.

Check out the limited-edition T-shirts and 
fridge magnets at the Musically Speaking store.
Your support is much appreciated.

© 2020 Mel Minter