On the breakup song “Que Lado Você Dorme?” (“On What Side Do You Sleep?”), he intones “I love you, I hate you, and everything in between” without a trace of emotion. The mood is so copacetic that, without a working knowledge of Portuguese or access to the translated lyrics, it’s almost impossible to know what Sessa is singing about. As the song drifts towards its conclusion, it feels like watching ocean waves lapping onto the sand. This is perhaps most evident on Estrela Acesa’s melancholy instrumental, “Helena,” with shivering strings, timpani swells, and wordless vocals swirling around a gently strummed guitar. The album’s orchestral arrangements by Simon Hanes and Belarusian composer Alex Chumak flash back to the subtle psychedelic sound of Arthur Verocai’s 1972 debut. Its 12 short songs were primarily recorded on the island of Ilhabela, off the coast of São Paulo, where percussionist and co-producer Biel Basile set up a studio early in the pandemic. In comparison to the patchwork of Sessa’s first album, Estrela Acesa is silky smooth. Over six or seven different recording sessions between Yonatan Gat’s globe-trotting tours, Sessa gathered whoever was available to join him in the studio with only the briefest of rehearsals. It was here that he immersed himself in the vibrant musical heritage of Brazil, as his debut album Grandeza gradually came together. Throughout the mid-2010s, Sessa joined Israeli rocker Yonatan Gat on bass, while spending his days working at the East Village record shop Tropicália in Furs.
In high school, he joined the band Garotas Suecas (Swedish Girls) before his father’s work brought the family to New York City. Sergio Sayeg (aka Sessa) grew up in São Paulo’s isolated Sephardic Jewish community, beginning his musical education in the synagogue.
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