Sergio Sayeg, aka Sessa, is fascinated by ”the mess” of music. The small mutations and imperfections that happen as music travels and gets translated. Drawing from the malleable MPB tradition, he blends genre influences like a perfectly balanced caipirinha: soft soul meets angular rock riffs, floating jazz melodies and samba rhythms.
On his new album Pequena Vertigem de Amor, Sessa explores a fuller, more soul-oriented sound, with guiding lights like Roy Ayers, Sly Stone, Erasmo Carlos and Tim Maia. He describes it himself as “more nocturnal, more open-ended, crooked funky.” Keyboards, wah-wah guitars and drum machines paint the music in darker, deeper dusk tones than his previous releases. Lyrically, the songs draw from his experience of becoming a father and the shift in priorities that followed — a change reflected in the music itself, where guitar no longer holds sole center stage as piano, brass and strings compete for attention.
Last time he visited Fasching, the warm, intimate nylon strings took focus, with minimalist bossa nova arrangements and rich textures. This time it’s more soul, samba jazz and timeless MPB melodies.
