****RINGER OF THE WEEK****El Eco with Guillermo Nojechowicz: Puerto de Buenos Aires 1933

Without looking at the liner notes to see who the artist was, I just started listening to this album. I couldn’t figure out who the leader was. The first thing you hear is a brooding big toned tenor agonizing over a glorious South American “Milonga Para Los Ninos.” Marco Pignataro returns to the fore on equally sensuous Argentine dance “The Possibility of Change” along with trumpeter Brian Lynch, but they aren’t on every piece.

Then, there’s the earthy vocals, sometimes with lyrics, but other times simply used as an instrument, of Kim Nazarian. Her voice mixes with the horns with grace and beauty as on the funereal “Europe 1933” or she gallops along with trumpet and sax on the thrilling title track, while her lyrics add depth to the multi-mooded “Trains” as if you’re listening to the various moods of towns passed by. And while she teams up with drummer Guillermo Nojechwicz on the folk sounding “Berimbao’s Baby” with a single stringed Brazilian instrument, she’s absent on pieces such as the Middle Eastern toned “I Loved You Too” featuring “Pignataro’s soprano, and “Bebe,” with rich trio work by Helio Alves/p, Fernando Huergo/b and the drummer.

It finally hit me. It’s the drummer! Guillermo Nojechowicz is  the only one on every piece, keeping things together and directing traffic like a cop in downtown Mexico City. Each piece includes dashes of drama and pathos, with irresistible rhythms and harmonies, making this a thrill ride through a musical prism. Check this one out!