Sergio Sayeg (aka Sessa) is fascinated by “the mess” of music, “the crooked translations that music gets when it travels.” A cultural cannibal like the iconic Brazilian Tropicalistas from the late sixties, Sessa unapologetically and seamlessly mashes musical references, from rock to jazz to samba and soul. A Paulista (São Paulo native) by way of New York City, Sessa’s new album, Pequena Vertigem de Amor (Lil’ Vertigo of Love), expands the sonic universe he’s been building since his debut in 2019. “A bit more nocturnal, open ended, crooked funky,” Pequena Vertigem de Amor channels the late seventies slinky sophistication of Brazil’s MPB scene mixed with the psychedelic soul of Sly Stone and Shuggie Otis without straying from his sonic signature of acoustic guitar, Afro-Brazilian percussion and the dialogue between Sessa’s distinctive vocals and familial female chorus.
