@ Assembly George Square Studios, Edinburgh, until Sun 30 Aug @ 20:00
Practice makes perfect and Antonio Forcione and Adriano Adewale demonstrate what years of honing a skill can sound like. Award-winning guitar virtuoso Antonio Forcione joins his “soul brother”, Brazilian percussionist Adriano Adewale, to perform a breathtaking blend of soul-jazz and Brazilian guitar with African and Latin rhythms that will have you toe-tapping from start to finish.
Having played with each other for over 15 years and produced over six albums together, they have quite a repertoire of music to pick from, with the show likely to be different each night. On their first night the show started late and ran over lacking a certain flow, but it is still an hour or so of virtuosic music.
We are treated to new songs, Moonwater and some old favorites including Africa, The Alhambra, inspired by the beautiful palace built by the Moors, and Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Forcione is quick to point out, in his iconic style, that if we know the words and want to sing along, then ‘don’t’!
Adewale’s command of the various percussion instruments combined with Forcione’s skill at manipulating the guitar’s strings, leaves you breathless. This is just a wonderful hour of soulful music that makes you feel good, conjuring up sounds of Africa, with no other distractions except for the use of mood lighting and dry ice to conjure up mystery.
If you’re a fan of the duo or just want to hear amazing guitar and percussion, grab a ticket quick. There isn’t a seat to be had on the first night.