Bittersweet from About: Silence by Marco Antonio Santos

In the second track, “Bittersweet,” the meaning of silence is connected to the Portuguese word saudade, a concept not easily translated into English, although the word “nostalgia” is often put forth as a rough approximation. Saudade involves a mixture of feelings – from melancholy to joy – about missing something, someone, or even a past situation.
To portray these mixed emotions, the intended character of the music is ambiguous or enigmatic. The musical devices applied to convey this character include the use of mutes on the strings, passages where the string quartet performs without the rhythm section, and a major-minor ambiguity through the use of major chords with an added raised ninth, which is the enharmonic equivalent of a minor third. The instrumentation is the guitar trio with upright bass and drums, plus a standard string quartet. There is no dedicated section for solo improvisation in this track.

Marco Antonio Santos is a guitarist, arranger, composer, and music educator. Originally from Minas Gerais, Brazil, he is currently based in Austin, Texas.

Santos has performed extensively in Brazil and the United States, navigating freely between jazz, funk, pop, and Brazilian music.

In spring 2023, ears&eyes Records will release Santos’s debut album, About: Silence.