Jazz and Bossa

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (February 2012): Anat Cohen

2012-01-27T04:39:00.000-08:00

Anat Cohen - Biography

An established bandleader and prolific composer, idiomatically conversant with modern and traditional jazz, classical music, Brazilian choro, Argentine tango, and an expansive timeline of Afro-Cuban styles, Anat Cohen has established herself as one of the primary voices of her generation on both the tenor saxophone and clarinet since arriving in New York in 1999.

In September 2008, Anat Cohen released Notes From The Village, her fourth album as a leader. Recorded at Avatar studios in New York City, the album builds on Cohen's acclaimed 2007 releases, captures the thrilling energy of her live shows, and proves her to be an artistically adventurous writer and performer. Notes From The Village finds Anat leading a quartet of some of the most sought-after, engaging young performers in New York, including pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Omer Avital, and drummer Daniel Freedman, with accompaniment from guitarist Gilad Hekselman on three tracks. The album features compositions written by Cohen as well as her interpretations of songs by Fats Waller, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke and Ernesto Lecuona.

“In preparing for the recording,” says Anat “I really wanted to capture the free, risk-taking, open quality this band achieves when performing live. I also wanted to stretch my compositions, and arrangements.”

Early responses to the album have been overwhelmingly positive; The New York Times’ Nate Chinen wrote that “Notes From The Village is a resounding confirmation; yes, she is the real deal”, DownBeat Magazine awarded the release four stars, stating that “Cohen makes it seem easy, mixing a gift for melody and an improvisational fluidity that has few peers today.”

Anat’s previous outings, Noir and Poetica were released simultaneously in April 2007, inspiring a string of enthusiastic reviews. The Washington Post said that “Cohen has emerged as one of the brightest, most original young instrumentalists in jazz [...] [she] has expanded the vocabulary of jazz with a distinctive accent of her own.” The Village Voice spoke of her “Enviable insouciance” and how “she alludes to the mystical in a merry way,” and Downbeat Magazine expressed the opinion that “Noir could be a classic” and “[Cohen’s] stately intonation and unforced elegance on clarinet could take her to the top.” Noir and Poetica both appeared on many year-end best-of summary lists, including those of Paste Magazine, The New York Sun, Slate, JazzTimes and others.

Anat has performed for audiences in New York’s Village Vanguard, Jazz Standard, Iridium, The Jazz Gallery, and the JVC Jazz Festival. She has also appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, San Francisco’s Yoshi's, Boston’s Regattabar, Umbria Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. Anat’s July 2007 engagement at the Village Vanguard in New York was a historic one; Anat is the first female reed player, and the first Israeli to headline at the club.

Ms. Cohen’s accomplishments have been recognized in a flurry of awards and distinctions from critics and fans alike; In 2011 she was the winner of both DownBeat Magazine’s critics poll and Reader’s Poll in the Clarinet category, She topped the Rising Star-Clarinet category from 2007 through 2010, and in 2010 she won DownBeat Critic’s poll for both Rising Star Jazz Artist and Rising Star Jazz Soprano Saxophone. The Jazz Journalists Association named Anat Cohen Clarinetist of the Year from 2007 through 2011 – the first time in the history of the awards that an artist has earned top clarinet honors five years running.

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Anat grew up with musical siblings; her older brother Yuval is himself a saxophonist of note, and her younger brother, Avishai, is one of New York’s busiest trumpeters. She began clarinet studies at age 12 and played jazz on clarinet for the first time in the Jaffa Conservatory’s Dixieland band. At 16, she joined the school’s big band and learned to play the tenor saxophone. The same year, Anat entered the prestigious “Thelma Yelin” High School for the Arts, where she majored in jazz. After graduation, she discharged her mandatory Israeli military service duty from 1993-95, playing tenor saxophone in the Israeli Air Force band.

In 1996, Anat matriculated at Berklee College of Music in Boston. There she met faculty member Phil Wilson, who encouraged her to play clarinet, and other inspiring teachers such as Greg Hopkins, Ed Tomassi, Hal Crook, George Garzone, and Bill Pierce, and an elite international peer group of students.

During her Berklee years, Anat visited New York during breaks between semesters, making a beeline for Smalls to soak up the hybrid of grooves, world music and mainstream jazz that people like Jason Lindner and Omer Avital were then evolving. Back in Boston, she played tenor saxophone in a variety of musical contexts with various bands including Afro-Cuban, Argentinean, klezmer, contemporary Brazilian music and classical Brazilian choro. Anat also began her association with Sherrie Maricle’s top-shelf all-woman big band Diva Jazz Orchestra, which continued into the new millennium.

Once ensconced in New York, Anat quickly found work in various Brazilian ensembles like the Choro Ensemble and Duduka Da Fonseca’s Samba Jazz Quintet, and started performing with David Ostwald’s “Gully Low Jazz Band,” which explores the music of Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet and their Pan-American contemporaries.

Anat documented her bona fides on her debut CD, Place and Time, one of All About Jazz-New York’s “Best Debut Albums of 2005.” On the liner notes for Notes From the Village, Ira Gitler writes “She is formidable. Long may she continue to enrich the music in myriad ways.” There is every indication that her star will continue to rise for a long time to come.

Anat Cohen’s Clarinetwork Live at the Village Vanguard album, released April 2010, inspired by Benny Goodman and celebrating his centennial, is a musical tour-de-force. Cohen leads an all star rhythm section (Benny Green, Peter Washington, Lewis Nash ) on this exquisite live recording that returns the clarinet to its rightful role at the forefront of jazz.Winner of five consecutive Jazz Journalists Association “Clarinetist of the Year” awards and winner of DownBeat critic’s & Reader’s polls in the clarinet category (2011) Anat Continues to perfrom around the world in Various musical settings.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month: Hiromi (January 2012)

2012-01-04T05:10:00.000-08:00

Hiromi Uehara first mesmerized the jazz community with her 2003 Telarc debut, Another Mind. The buzz started by her first album spread all the way back to her native Japan, where Another Mind shipped gold (100,000 units) and received the Recording Industry Association of Japan's (RIAJ) Jazz Album of the Year Award. The keyboardist/ composer's second release, Brain, won the Horizon Award at the 2004 Surround Music Awards, Swing Journal's New Star Award, Jazz Life's Gold Album, HMV Japan's Best Japanese Jazz Album, and the Japan Music Pen Club's Japanese Artist Award (the JMPC is a classical/jazz journalists club). Brain was also named Album of the Year in Swing Journal's 2005 Readers Poll. In 2006, Hiromi won Best Jazz Act at the Boston Music Awards and the Guinness Jazz Festival's Rising Star Award. She also claimed Jazzman of the Year, Pianist of the Year and Album of the Year in Swing Journal Japan's Readers Poll for her 2006 release, Spiral. Hiromi continues her winning streak with the 2007 release of Time Control and in 2008, Beyond Standard. Both releases feature Hiromi's super group, Sonic Bloom.

Born in Shizuoka, Japan, in 1979, Hiromi took her first piano lessons at age six. She learned from her earliest teacher to tap into the intuitive as well as the technical aspects of music.

"Her energy was always so high, and she was so emotional," Hiromi says of her first piano teacher. "When she wanted me to play with a certain kind of dynamics, she wouldn't say it with technical terms. If the piece was something passionate, she would say, 'Play red.' Or if it was something mellow, she would say, 'Play blue.' I could really play from my heart that way, and not just from my ears."

Hiromi took that intuitive approach a step further when she enrolled in the Yamaha School of Music less then a year after her first piano lessons. By age 12, she was performing in public, sometimes with very high-profile orchestras. "When I was 14, I went to Czechoslovakia and played with the Czech Philharmonic," she says. "That was a great experience, to play with such a professional orchestra."

Further into her teens, her tastes expanded to include jazz as well as classical music. A chance meeting with Chick Corea when she was 17 led to a performance with the well-known jazz pianist the very next day.

"It was in Tokyo," Hiromi recalls. "He was doing something at Yamaha, and I was visiting Tokyo at the time to take some lessons. I talked to some teachers and said that I really wanted to see him. I sat down with him, and he said 'Play something.' So I played something, and then he said, 'Can you improvise?' I told him I could, and we did some two-piano improvisations. Then he asked me if I was free the next day. I told him I was, and he said, 'Well, I have a concert tomorrow. Why don't you come?' So I went there, and he called my name at the end of the concert, and we did some improvisations together."

After a couple years of writing advertising jingles for Nissan and a few other high-profile Japanese companies, Hiromi came to the United States in 1999 to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. For as open as her musical sensibilities had already been when she came to the U.S., the Berklee experience pushed her envelope even further.

"It expanded so much the way I see music," she says. "Some people dig jazz, some people dig classical music, some people dig rock. Everyone is so concerned about who they like. They always say, 'This guy is the best,' 'No, this guy is the best.' But I think everyone is great. I really don't have barriers to any type of music. I could listen to everything from metal to classical music to anything else."

Among her mentors at Berklee was veteran jazz bassist Richard Evans, who teaches arranging and orchestration. Evans co-produced Another Mind, her Telarc debut, with longtime friend and collaborator Ahmad Jamal, who has also taken a personal interest in Hiromi's artistic development. "She is nothing short of amazing," says Jamal. "Her music, together with her overwhelming charm and spirit, causes her to soar to unimaginable musical heights."

At 26, Hiromi stands at the threshold of limitless possibility, constantly drawing inspiration from virtually everyone and everything around her. Her list of influences, like her music itself, is boundless. "I love Bach, I love Oscar Peterson, I love Franz Liszt, I love Ahmad Jamal," she says. "I also love people like Sly and the Family Stone, Dream Theatre and King Crimson. Also, I'm so much inspired by sports players like Carl Lewis and Michael Jordan. Basically, I'm inspired by anyone who has big, big energy. They really come straight to my heart."

But she won't, as a matter of principle, put labels on her music. She'll continue to follow whatever moves her, and leave the definitions to others.

"I don't want to put a name on my music," she says. "Other people can put a name on what I do. It's just the union of what I've been listening to and what I've been learning. It has some elements of classical music, it has some rock, it has some jazz, but I don't want to give it a name."

Telarc Discography:
Another Mind (2003) CD-83558
Brain (2004) CD-83600
Spiral (2005) CD-83631
Time Control (2007) CD-83655
Beyond Standard (2008) CD-83686

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (December 2011) - Eddie Gomez

2011-12-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

http://eddiegomez.com/

Legendary bassist EDDIE GOMEZ has been on the cutting edge of music for over four decades. The Latin GRAMMY® award-winner’s impressive resumé includes performances with jazz giants such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan and Benny Goodman. Eddie’s unique sound and style can be heard on hundreds of recordings spanning the worlds of jazz, classical, Latin jazz, rhythm & blues, popular and contemporary music.

Born in 1944 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Eddie moved to New York City with his family at an early age. His love of music led him to the double bass as a precocious 11-year old student in the public school system. Two years later he was accepted to the High School of Music and Art and soon began private studies with the great double bass teacher Fred Zimmerman. During these years, he performed with many professional dance bands and was a member of the Newport Youth Band led by Marshall Brown. By 18, he had performed with such jazz luminaries as Buck Clayton, Marian McPartland and Paul Bley.

Eddie continued his studies at the Juilliard School of Music, where his contemporaries included Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, James Levine, Itzak Perlman, Paula Robinson and Gary Karr. By the end of his third year of school, he dreamed of a career as a performing jazz musician. Later that summer he joined with Gary McFarland and soon after the Gerry Mulligan Quintet.

In the spring of 1966, both Mulligan’s group (with Eddie on bass) and the Bill Evans Trio performed for a week at the famed Village Vanguard. That week at the Vanguard changed Eddie’s life forever. When Bill Evans heard the young phenom, he practically hired him on the spot. Bill called a few weeks later and Eddie’s dream had been realized. At age 21, he was the bassist with the Bill Evans Trio – and rose quickly to fame. TIME magazine declared in its review of the trio’s first recording, “Eddie Gomez has the world on his strings.”

Joining the Bill Evans Trio was indeed a turning point in Eddie’s career. He had arrived in a big way and the jazz community took notice. For 11 years, Eddie played an integral role in the Bill Evans Trio’s sound and evolution. This period
of vast artistic growth with Bill Evans included performances throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Asia, as well as dozens of recordings – two of which won GRAMMY® awards. During this time, Eddie also realized another dream performing on many occasions with the great Miles Davis, in the Davis quintet that also featured Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams.

In 1977, Eddie left the Evans Trio to explore new musical territory. For the
next decade, he performed in many diverse musical contexts, working with
Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, McCoy Tyner, Hank Jones, Nancy Wilson, Tania Maria, Ray Barreto, the All Star groups “Steps Ahead”
and “New Directions” and many others, as well as on GRAMMY®-winning recordings with Chick Corea.

EDDIE GOMEZ, Steve Gadd, and Richard Stoltzman are Special Guest Artists with Mika Yoshida (2008)

In the classical music world, Eddie has been a guest artist with The Kronos Quartet, Tashi Ensemble, Japanese marimbist Mika Yoshida and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. His recordings with Stoltzman have included “Begin Sweet World” and most recently “The Goldberg Variations” and other pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. At Carnegie Recital Hall, Eddie premiered a musical piece written specifically for him by William Thomas McKinley.

In popular music, Eddie has performed and recorded with artists such as Bobby Darin, Tim Hardin, Carly Simon, Art Garfunkel, Mark Knoffler, Michael Franks, Judy Collins and Jennifer Holliday. He has also been a member of “The Gadd Gang,” Steve Gadd’s
All Star R&B/jazz band.

Today, Eddie tours and records with his own group, which he formed in 1992 with pianist Stefan Karlson and legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb. The group’s recordings include “Live in Japan,” “Dedication” and “Uptown Music.” He is composing for
his own projects as well as for film and television most notably for the prize-winning William Steig animation, “The Amazing Bone.” Eddie Gomez continues to enjoy an active, international career as a performer, recording artist, composer, educator and featured guest artist on many high profile projects.

Eddie's recent recording “Duets,” co-led with Carlos Franzetti on piano, won Best Instrumental Album at the 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY® Awards. His recordings as a leader include “Next Future,” “Outlaws,” “Live in Moscow,” “Street Smart,” “Power Play,” “Mezgo,” “Discovery,” “Gomez,” “Down Stretch,” “What’s New at F, “Palermo” and “Trio.” The recordings feature guest artists including Michael Brecker,Richard Tee, Randy Brecker, Al Foster, Steve Gadd, Chick Corea, Jeremy Steig, Jack McDuff and John Abercrombie. His recordings co-led with pianist Mark Kramer include “Entropy,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Art of the Heart.” In 2006, his DVD “An Evening with Eddie Gomez” was released – with Eddie and Mark Kramer performing and lecturing on the intricacies and dynamics of improvisation.

A sought-after educator, Eddie is Artistic Director at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico where he has been professor and artist-in-residence since 2005. He has been artist-in-residence and associate professor of jazz double bass at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and recently was resident artist at Stanford University, North Texas State University, Georgia State University, Jacksonville University,
and the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He gives master classes at many of the major universities and conservatories throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and South America.

Eddie Gomez continues to enjoy an active, international career as a performer, recording artist, composer, educator and featured guest artist on many high profile projects.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (November) - Miguel Zenon

2011-10-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Month (November) - Miguel Zenon

"This young musician and composer is at once reestablishing the artistic, cultural, and social tradition of jazz while creating an entirely new jazz language for the 21st century.”

-- MacArthur Foundation,2008.

Multiple Grammy Nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a composer and as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between Latin American Folkloric Music and Jazz.

His latest recording, Alma Adentro (Marsalis Music, 2011), is a tribute to The Puerto Rican Songbook. On it he arranges and explores the music of five legendary Puerto Rican composers: Bobby Capó, Tite Curet Alonso, Pedro Flores, Rafael Hernández, and Sylvia Rexach (whom he considers “the George Gershwins, Cole Porters and Jerome Kerns of Puerto Rican song”). The recording features his longtime working quartet of pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Henry Cole, plus a ten piece woodwind ensemble orchestrated and conducted by close friend and collaborator Guillermo Klein. This groundbreaking project both honors the music of these masters while at the same time exposing their music to new audiences.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón studied classical saxophone at the Escuela Libre de Música in Puerto Rico before receiving a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from Berklee College of Music, and a master’s degree in Jazz Performance at Manhattan School of Music. Zenón’s more formal studies, however, are supplemented and enhanced by his vast and diverse experience as a sideman and collaborator. Throughout his career he has divided his time equally between working with older jazz masters and working with the music’s younger innovators --irrespective of styles and genres. The list of musicians Zenón has toured and/or recorded with includes: Charlie Haden, David Sánchez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Guillermo Klein y los Guachos, The Mingus Big Band, Bobby Hutcherson and Steve Coleman. He has also participated in recent projects with Adam Cruz, Antonio Sánchez, Jason Linder, Miles Okazaki, Kenny Werner, David Gilmore and Aaron Goldberg.

He is a founding member of the groundbreaking SFJAZZ Collective, a group whose past and current members include Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, Brian Blade, Nicholas Payton, Dave Douglas, and Eric Harland. In 2012, Zenón’s association with SFJAZZ will further expand to include his new role as resident artistic director along with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Regina Carter and John Santos.

Zenón’s six recordings as a leader (including the above mentioned Alma Adentro) represent not only his growth as a musician, but also his ability to constantly evolve and reinvent himself as a conceptualist and producer.

His debut CD, Looking Forward (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2002), represents a snapshot of the very eclectic musical interests of the then 24 year old musician, and was selected by the New York Times as the number one “alternative” jazz recording of 2002.

His second recording as a leader, Ceremonial (Marsalis Music, 2004), was described by All About Jazz as a “ head on crash of Latin, Jazz and Classical traditions--modern Jazz at it’s very best, ” and garnered unanimous critical praise and recognition both within and outside the jazz world.

Jíbaro (Marsalis Music, 2005), his third recording, was further proof that all the critical praise he had been receiving was well deserved. The recording is an exploration of a style of popular Puerto Rican folk music known as La Música Jíbara. The Chicago Tribune summed it up best when they wrote: “The instrumental prowess of Zenon's playing, the vigor of his compositions and the sensitivity of his band to Puerto Rican song forms point to new possibilities in jazz.” Like his previous recordings, Jíbaro was uniformly well received and appeared on many top ten lists including The New York Times, Latin Beat, El Nuevo Día, and the Chicago Tribune.

Decidedly more personal and introspective, Awake (Marsalis Music, 2008) incorporates a string quartet and additional horns to Zenón's core group and brings to the forefront his formidable skills as a writer and arranger. As was admirably put in Audiophile Audition: “ This is an album far beyond the usual sax & string outing, revealing a unique statement that communicates passion, intellect and spirit to the listener." Awake also caught the attention of the international press, garnering it 5 star reviews and top honors in publications like Jazzwise (UK), Jazz Man (France) and Jazz Magazine (France).

Zenón returned to his Puerto Rican roots for inspiration in his next outing, Esta Plena (Marsalis Music, 2009), which draws from the traditional Plena music style of his home country and was supported by a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. On it Zenón augmented his quartet to include three percussionists/vocalists and took on the additional roles of both lyricist and vocalist. Jazz Times wrote that Esta Plena is “…music with integrity, energy, poise and a fresh vision of how the Afro-Caribbean jazz aesthetic can evolve without losing its deep roots." In addition to being hailed by critics (New York Times, Village Voice, El Nuevo Día , Downbeat, The Chicago Tribune ) as one of the best recordings of 2009, the recording earned Zenón two Grammy nominations (one for Best Improvised solo and one for Best Latin Jazz Recording of the year) as well as a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Recording of the year.

As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, The New York State Council for the Arts, Chamber Music America, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, Jazz Reach, Montclair University, and many of his peers.

He has been featured in articles on publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Jazz Times, Jazziz, Boston Globe, Billboard, Newsday, Details, as well as gracing the cover of Downbeat Magazine and the Swiss jazz magazine, Jazz N More. He has also toped the Rising Star Alto Sax category of the Downbeat Critic's Poll on four different occasions.

Zenon’s biography would not be complete without discussing his role as an educator. In 2003, he was chosen by the Kennedy Center to teach and perform in West Africa as part of their Jazz Ambassador program. Since then, he has given hundreds of lectures and master classes and has taught all over the world at institutions which include: The Banff Centre, Berklee College of Music, Siena Jazz, Conservatorium Van Amsterdam, Conservatoire de Paris, University of Manitoba, Manhattan School of Music, UMass-Amherst and the Brubeck Institute. He is also a permanent faculty member at New England Conservatory of Music. But perhaps what best reflects his commitment to education and cements his growing reputation as a "cultural ambassador", is a program that he founded in 2011, called Caravana Cultural.

The main purpose of Caravana Cultural is to present free Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. The program makes a "cultural investment" in the Island by giving these communities a chance to listen to jazz of the highest caliber (Zenón invites some of the best musicians in the New York jazz scene to perform as guests), while at the same time getting young Puerto Rican musicians actively involved in the concert activities. Starting in February 2011 and continuing through 2013, Zenón will present a concert every four months. Each concert focuses on the music of a specific jazz legend (Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, among others) and is preceded by a pre-concert presentation which touches on the basic elements of jazz and improvisation. Over the last six years Zenón has also personally organized "Jazz Jam Sessions" in the area of San Juan, as a way of creating a platform for younger jazz musicians to grow and interact with one another.

In 2008 he was selected as one of 25 distinguished individuals to receive the prestigious and coveted MacArthur Fellowship, more commonly known as the "Genius Grant”.

Zenón lives in New York City with his wife Elga.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 31 - august 6) - Carolina Ferrer

2011-07-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

BIO/DISCOGRAPHIE - CARO FERRER – 1er et 2è album
Em seu novo disco, "Samba pelo avesso", Caro Ferrer homenageia o samba,
desdobrando-o em todas as suas variações. São onze novas canções – todas autorais – que navegam do samba-blues ao samba funk, passando pelo côco e o samba de roda ou
cruzando o afoxé com o cha cha cha. Assinando a direção musical com ela, Jorginho Amorim, parceiro de estrada.

O disco é um segundo mergulho nessa praia por onde Caro passeia, escapando das
facilidades da bossa-nova sussurrada e do samba cliquante. O primeiro foi em 2009, com "Jasmim no ar", que despertou a atenção dos grandes nomes da comunidade musical
franco-brasileira para seu timbre, a um so tempo suave e grave, e o balanço do seu fraseado.

As letras abrem o pano para o um universo muito feminino – jasmim, mar, maternidade,
temperos, perfumes de gavetas, bordados, velas, véus, missangas e espelhos. Um "neosurrealismo" de rimas fortes, dito com convicção. A poesia de Caro começa então a letrar melodias de Marcio Faraco, Jorginho Amorim, Adriano Tenorio, Aline de Lima e outros.

Em "Samba pelo avesso" ela nos apresenta sua visão musical sem fronteiras numa seleta
escolha de estilos, certeira na mistura, na dosagem e na unidade. Suas letras, também sem fronteiras, espelham aversão à categorização e ao rotulo e o resultado é um groove percussivo, inventivo e invertido, cheio de surpresas. E sem maionese.
Caro embarca o publico com sua presença intensa e sua voz "blues" e vem levantando as
salas por onde passa - Comedy Club, Blue Note, L'Entrepot, etc. Mas ha quem prefira ouvi-la de olhos fechados, como o parceiro Marcio Faraco..

Manager : Barbara Waechter
tél. : +33 (0)6 62 43 94 83
@ : barbara.w.waechter@gmail.com

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 17 - 23) - Chucho Valdes

2011-07-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 17 - 23) - Chucho Valdes

Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger Chucho Valdes is a highly accomplished and influential figure in the world of Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. Born in Quivican in 1941, Valdes is the son of the similarly influential Cuban bandleader Bebo Valdes from whom Chucho first received piano lessons. Having exhibited musical talent from a young age, Valdes eventually enrolled in the Municipal Music Conservatory of Havana, graduating at age 14. Inspired by such jazz pianists as Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk, Valdes quickly formed his first jazz trio and began a fruitful period that found him landing several high-profile performance jobs in hotels around Havana including performing with the Sabor De Cuba Orchestra which was directed by his father. These performances continued throughout the '60s and allowed Valdes not only to perform with the best musicians in Cuba, but begin to formulate his own unique ideas about mixing jazz, classical and Cuban styles of music. In 1970, Valdes and his combo became the first Cuban jazz group to perform abroad after appearing at the Jazz Jamboree International Jazz Festival in Poland.

In 1973, formed the innovative and highly influential Latin jazz ensemble Irakere. The group featured various members of the Orquesta Nacional de Musica Moderna including such stars of the Cuban music scene as trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and alto saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera. With its unique mix of jazz, rock, funk, classical and traditional Cuban rhythms, Irakere was an explosive and creative ensemble that quickly caught the attention of international audiences. Although there have been many compilations of Irakere, it was the band's Grammy winning 1979 self-titled concert album, recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival a year before, that really sparked international interest in the group. Although the band's line-up has changed over the years -- D'Rivera defected to the United States in 1980 and Sandoval (who did not defect until 1990) formed his own group in 1981 -- Irakere continues to perform and record with Valdes and new members.

Although Valdes never left Cuba, the four-time Grammy winning and three-time Latin Grammy winning virtuoso has kept a high-profile touring schedule and in 2006 was named the Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Since the '80s, Valdes has released a steady flow of albums including 1986's Lucumi (Messidor), 1998's Bele Bele en la Habana (Blue Note), 2000's Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note), 2002's Fantasia Cubana: Variations on Classical Themes (Blue Note) and 2010's Chucho's Steps.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 10 - 16) - Aline de Lima

2011-07-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 10 - 16) - Aline de Lima

http://www.alinedelima-music.com/
ALINE DE LIMA

Marítima é o terceiro álbum de Aline de Lima. Arrebol (2006) e Açaí (2008) foram produzidos respectivamente por Vinícius Cantuária (radicado nos Estados Unidos) e pelo japonês Jun Miyake (residente em Paris). Estas colaborações enriquecedoras ensinaram à cantora-compositora os fundamentos da produção musical. Em Marítima, Aline de Lima decidiu navegar sozinha. Porque ela tem uma forma benéfica e positiva de teimosia. Por trás de uma graciosidade delicada, existe um temperamento que não se rende, nem à métodos, nem à formatação.

As onze faixas de Marítima nasceram da obstinação de criar um "som". Aline de Lima juntou o evidente legado da música popular brasileira às excentricidades musicais extraídas do folclore multicor do Maranhão, território indígena, africano e europeu. Um todo combinado às influências transnacionais do modernismo digital.

Aline de Lima tem os pés fincados na cidade onde cresceu, em São Luís do Maranhão. Mas sua cabeça sempre esteve em outros lugares: na Suécia, onde ela foi morar no final da adolescência, e depois Paris, onde ela vive há dez anos.

Marítima, composição da cantora que deu título ao CD, toda produzida com violões, viola caipira, marimba, percussões de bumba-meu-boi e tambor de Mina, navega em direção ao Atlântico equatorial, à 2,3 graus de latitude sul. As águas do rio Amazonas acariciam soberbamente as margens do Estado do Maranhão. Ali pode-se praticar a cabotagem, à partir de São Luís, Alcântara, Cururupu, Belém, Macapá, com passagem direta sob a linha do Equador, exatamente sob o sol. Porém, Marítima vê além da linha do horizonte, uma visão que percorre um azul infinito e de repente repousa sobre os picos vulcânicos do Cabo Verde, por exemplo.

Um Mar de Mar, a faixa que encerra o álbum foi composta pelo cabo-verdiano Mário Lúcio, grande navegador da esfera musical lusitana, africana, caribenha e atual Ministro da Cultura do arquipélago de Sahel. O que canta Aline de Lima com delicadeza é um entrelaçamento de trocadilhos da raiz "mar" (maria juana, marimba, maracujá, Maracatu, Marrakech, maripousa, Maranhão...). Com Mário Lúcio, cantor, escritor, pintor, ex-advogado formado em Cuba, Aline compôs Lua de Janeiro.
Do Caribe, a jovem artista toma emprestado a leveza de um reggae-blues que ela chama de Upaon Açu. "Upaon-Açu" é o nome antigo de São Luís do Maranhão dado pelos índios Tupinambás, e quer dizer “Ilha Grande”, referindo-se à ilha em que a cidade foi construída em 1612.
Em 2010, Aline de Lima passou alguns meses no Brasil, esteve gravando no Rio de Janeiro e em São Luís. Nesta viagem, ela conheceu músicos e cantores, alguns como Flávia Bittencourt, com quem ela descobriu afinidades e compôs Flor de Brasília.
Mas onde há fumaça, há fogo: ao viver em Paris, Aline de Lima volta no tempo através da História. São Luís foi fundada por um francês, Daniel de la Touche, senhor da Rivardière, que se aliou aos índios para resistir aos portugueses. Marítima é um álbum que constrói pontes. Upaon-Açu, escrito em Português, também oferece uma estrofe em língua francesa. No álbum, Paris é homenageada em Português, ao ritmo de um samba o qual começa com bordões que lembram o Fado: Paris-Velho Novo Mundo é um retrato íntimo da cidade onde também rola um futebol. O esporte preferido do ídolo Chico Buarque, um aficionado da capital francesa (“Em Charletty, marca um gol Chico Buarque...”) e onde um calor comparado ao do sertão nordestino predomina durante alguns dias de verão de uma cidade "deslumbrante” - incrível e maravilhosa.
O acordeon chegou ao Brasil pelos portugueses, e continua animando o tradicional São João e as demais festas nordestinas. É rústico e florece como um mandacaru no xote Fina Flor, composto por Aline de Lima, que o interpreta com uma belíssima melancolia fadista. É também o instrumento que acompanhou as maravilhas de Edith Piaf. Em Arrebol, Aline de Lima interpretou Septembre (“setembro”) de Barbara, uma bela canção do patrimônio musical francês, aplaudida pela imprensa e pelo público. Em Marítima, ela interpreta uma música criada em 1960 para a cantora Edith Piaf, Cri du Coeur (grito do coração), com melodia de Henri Crolla e letra de Jacques Prévert ("Não é somente minha voz que canta/ É uma outra voz, uma multidão de vozes / Vozes de hoje ou do passado / Vozes engraçadas, ensolaradas / Desesperadas, maravilhadas, vozes desoladas e quebradas / Vozes sorridentes que se extasiam/ Loucas de amor e de alegria..."). Uma jóia rara.
Um outro amante de Paris, Márcio Faraco, foi cúmplice da artista na composição Madrugada, a qual se encontra igualmente em O Tempo, CD lançado pelo cantor-compositor e violonista em março de 2011. Uma explosão de sensibilidade na noite que se esvai, com o tom muito “buarquiano” de uma cândida simplicidade: Robertinho Chinês ao bandolim e voz e violão de Aline. E como nós continuamos a ouvir as primeiras composições de Aline de Lima aleatoriamente em uma ou outra rádio FM, sabemos que as melodias e voz delicada que ela carrega em si seguem firmemente a sua estrada.
Véronique Mortaigne

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 3 - 9) Cassandra Wilson

2011-07-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (july 3 - 9) Cassandra Wilson

BIOGRAPHY

Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack who has expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country and folk music into her work.

She began playing piano at six, guitar by the age of twelve and was working as a vocalist by the mid-'70s, singing a wide variety of material. After moving to New York City in the early 80’s, Cassandra met saxophonist Steve Coleman and became one of the founding members of the M-Base Collective.

At the completion of her stint with M-Base, Cassandra sought a more acoustic context for her vocal expression. She signed with Blue Note Records in 1992 and released a landmark album titled “Blue Light ‘Til Dawn” which would pave the way for a new generation of jazz singers seeking an approach and repertoire that challenged the supremacy of the American Standard songbook.

Wilson has continued interpreting in fresh and creative ways vintage blues, country and folk music up until the present day. Her awards include: two Grammys, the Django D’Or, The Edison Music Award, and a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail. She also performed one of the leading roles in Wynton Marsalis' "Blood on the Fields," the first jazz work to receive a Pulitzer Prize.

www.cassandrawilson.com/

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (june 19 - 25) - Jerry Gonzalez

2011-06-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (june 19 - 25) - Jerry Gonzalez

Jerry González was born in 1949 in Manhattan, on 58 street and 3ª Avenue, and moved to the Bronx at the age of 4. He was raised in a strong musical atmosphere, with the strains of Latin, Afro-Cuban and jazz music always in his ear, establishing his musical appreciation and molding his future work as an artist. His father, Jerry González Sr. was a master of ceremonies and lead singer for bands during the Palladium era and sang with musicians like Claudio Ferrer. In junior high school he began playing trumpet and congas and jamming with local bands. After deciding this was his calling, Gonzalez completed his formal studies at New York College of Music and New York University. He started his professional career playing with Lewellyn Mathews in New York State World's Fair in 1963. Then, in 1970, he started playing congas with Dizzy Gillespie. With Gillespie’s support and encouragement, Gonzalez was able to fuse the African based rhythms onto jazz elements without compromising the essence of either. The next year, Gonzalez joined Eddie Palmieri’s band till 1974, before moving on to work with “Conjunto Libre” the band led by great timbales artist Manny Oquendo and Andy González. He and his brother the bass player Andy Gonzalez were the fundators of the Conjunto Anabacoa and later of the charismatic Grupo Folklórico y Experimental Nuevayorkino with whom he made two records: Concepts of Unity (1974) and Lo Dice Todo (1975). The band members were: Jerry and Andy González, Frankie Rodríguez, Milton Cardona, Gene Golden, Carlos Mestre, Nelson González, Manny Oquendo, Oscar Hernandez, José Rodríguez, Gonzalo Fernández, Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Willy García, Heny Álvarez, Virgilio Martí, Marcelino Guerra, Rubén Blades, Orlando "Puntilla" Ríos and Julito Collazo.

He played with Tito Puente ensemble (1984 to 1999) McCoy Tyner band (1984 to 1990) and Jaco Pastorius band (1984 to 1987)

Inevitably, Gonzalez talent led him to form his own band. His initial was taken in the late 1970’s with a band he called “Ya Yo Me Cure” and released an album of the same name in 1979. No doubt, his real talent only came to the fore with his second band: “Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band” which included his brother Andy and other members as Kenny Kirkland, Sonny Fortune, Nicky Marrero, Milton Cardona, Papo Vazquez and the late Jorge Dalto. The ensembles first two albums were recorded live at European jazz festivals, “The River is Deep” in 1982 in Berlin and “Obatalá” in 1988 in Zurich. These were followed by their hit album, "Rumba Para Monk,” in 1988, earning them recognition from the French Academie du Jazz with the “Jazz Record of the Year” award. This was the record that caught the ears of the jazz community, and is still considered a stellar project. After that, the 15 members band was compressed into a sextet: Larry Willis (piano), Andy González (bass), Steve Berrios (Drums) and Carter Jefferson (sax) and Joe Ford (sax).

Gonzalez and the band subsequently released "Obatalá" (Enja, 1988), "Earthdance" (Sunnyside,1990) and "Moliendo Café” (Sunnyside, 1991). These albums again demonstrated the band’s ability to play Latin inspired jazz with genuine sensitivity and virtuosity. After "Moliendo Café", Carter Jefferson passed away and was replaced by John Stubblefield. They then released "Crossroads” in 1994 and "Pensativo” in 1995, each of which earned them Grammy nominations. The ensemble was awarded The Beyond Group of the Year by both Down Beat Magazine reader's and critic's polls in 1995 and 1996.

Gonzalez and group continued their creations on the 1996 album "Fire Dance,” recorded live at Blues Alley, and featuring interpretations of Thelonious Monk as "Let’s Call This” and "Ugly Beauty,” as well as original compositions. Their efforts were well compensated by winning a score of awards as; Best Jazz Group in Playboy Magazines Readers Poll for 1997. In 1998 they swept the Latin Jazz category at the New York Jazz Awards winning both the Industry and Journalist Polls. In 1999 the group scored big with the critics and readers polls for Beyond Group of The Year in Down Beat Magazine.

Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band also won rave reviews for their contribution to the video documentary about Latin jazz, Calle 54 directed by the Oscar awarded Fernando Trueba. The 2000 film also included performances by noted Cuban and other Latin artists: Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, Gato Barbieri, Chucho Valdes, Dave Valentin and Israel López "Cachao".

Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band offered a tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers on their 2005 release “Rumba Buhaina”. That was their first record as a quintet, without John Stubblefield, who passed away in 2005. The band is still alive and functioning. In 2008, the Heineken Festival paid tribute to Jerry González and his brother Andy González, the first Puertoricans to be honored by the Heineken Festival.

In 2000 González relocated to Madrid. The trumpeter went to Madrid for just one day during a tour with Calle 54 movie and ended up living there. He immersed himself in the flamenco scene and started to develop a new concept with the genre that would blossom in the future. His hiatus in Madrid resulted in the production of “Los Piratas Del Flamenco” (2004) a band and album that included the flamenco guitarist Niño Josele, the percussionist Israel Suárez "Piraña" and the singer Diego “El Cigala”. A novel approach is evident, as it was done without bass, without drums or piano, a radically new sound, a fusion of jazz and flamenco but with a twist. The album was nominated to the Grammy Awards as best Latin jazz album and won the Critics Award in New York as best Latin-jazz album of the year. He has also played with other flamenco musicians such as Enrique Morente, El Negri, Javier Limón and Paco de Lucía, copla musicians like Martirio and Pilar Boyero and pop musicians living in Spain like the Argentinean Andrés Calamaro. Jerry González latest albums have been "A primera vista" (duet with Federico Lechner, 2002), "Music for Big Band" (Youkali/Universal, 2006) and "Avísale a mi contrario que aquí estoy yo" (Cigala Music/Sunnyside, 2010-2011), recorded with "El comando de la clave", Jerry's quartet in Spain, which includes the Cubans Alain Pérez (bass), Javier Massó "Caramelo" (piano) and Kiki Ferrer (drums). His next projects are an album with the Spanish double-bass player Javier Colina and a tribute album to Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.

During his career Gonzalez has been playing with musicians such as Jaco Pastorius, Tito Puente, McCoy Tyner, Chet Baker, Eddie Palmieri, Israel López "Cachao", Wood Shaw, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Williams, Larry Young, The Beach Boys, Freddie Hubbard, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Archie Shepp, Paco de Lucía, George Benson, Papo Vázquez, Bobby Paunetto, Chocolate Armenteros, Hilton Ruíz, Chico Freeman, Famoudou Don Moyé, José "Chombo" Silva, Rashied Ali, Paquito D'Rivera and Steve Turre.

Discography
Ya Yo Me Cure (American Clave/Sunnyside, 1979)
The River Is Deep (Enja, 1982)
Rumba para Monk (Sunnyside, 1988)
Obatalá (Enja, 1988)
Earthdance (Sunnyside, 1990)
Moliendo Café (Sunnyside, 1991)
Crossroads (Fantasy, 1994)
Pensativo (Fantasy, 1995)
Impressions with Afro Blue Band, (Fantasy, 1995)
Fire Dance (Fantasy,1996)
Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band Live (1996)
Calle 54 (Calle54, 2000)
Jerry González & Federico Lechner: A primera vista (2002)
Jerry Gonzalez & Los Piratas del Flamenco (Lola Records/Sunnyside, 2004)
Rumba Buhaina (Sunnyside, 2005)
Music for a Big Band (Youkali/Universal, 2006)
Avísale a mi contrario que aquí estoy yo (Cigala Music/Sunnyside, 2011)

As sideman:
George Benson: The other side of Abbey Road (A&M, 1969)
Bobby Paunetto: Commit to Memory (Pathfinder/Tonga, 1970)
Dizzy Gillespie: Portrait of Jenny (Perception, 1970)
Clifford Thornton: Communications Network (Third World, 1972)
Huston Person: Island Episode (Prestige, 1973)
Eddie Palmieri: Sentido (1973)
Clifford Thornton: Gardens of Harlem (JCOA, 1974)
Eddie Palmieri: Unfinished Masterpiece (Coco/MPL, 1974)
Bobby Paunetto: Paunetto's Point (Pathfinder/Toga, 1974)
Charlie Palmieri: Impulsos (Coco/MPL, 1975)
Grupo Folklórico Experimental Nuevayorkino: Concepts of Unity (Salsoul, 1975)
Bobby Paunetto: Commit to Memory (Pathfinder/Toga, 1976)
Grupo Folklórico Experimental Nuevayorkino: Lo dice todo (Salsoul, 1976)
Paquito D'Rivera: Blowin' (Columbia, 1981)
Totico: Totico y sus rumberos (Montuno, 1981)
Kip Hanrahan: Coup de tête (American Clavé, 1981)
McCoy Tyner: Looking out (Columbia, 1982)
Kip Hanrahan: Desire Develops an Edge (American Clavé, 1981)
Tito Puente: On Broadway (Concord Picante, 1982)
Abbey Lincoln: Talking to the sun (Enja, 1983)
Kirk Lightsey: Isotope (Criss Cross, 1983)
Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius live in New York Vol. I & III (Big World, 1985)
Carlos "Patato" Valdés: Masterpiece (Messidor, 1984)
Virgilio Martí: Saludos a los rumberos (Caimán,1984)
Jaco Pastorius: Punk Jazz (Big World, 1986)
Franco Ambrosetti: Movies (Enja, 1986)
Soundtrack of the movie Crossover Dreams (Electra/Asylum1986)
Hilton Ruiz: El camino (RCA/BMG/Novus, 1987)
Steve Turré: Viewpoints on Vibrations (Stash, 1987)
Santi Debriano: Obeah (Free Lance, 1987)
Kip Hanrahan: Days and nights of blue luck inverted (American Clavé, 1987)
Steve Turré: Fire and Ice (Stash, 1988)
Larry Willis: Heavy Blue (Steeplechase, 1989)
Kirk Lightsey: Everything is changed (Sunnyside, 1989)
McCoy Tyner: The Turning Point (Birdology, 1991)
Charles Fambrough: The proper angle (CTI, 1991)
Kenny Kirkland: Kenny Kirkland (GRP, 1991)
Don Byron: Music for six musicians (1992)
Dave Valentin: Tropic Heat (GRP, 1993)
Bobby Hutcherson: Acoustic Masters II (Atlancic, 1993)
McCoy Tyner: Journey (Birdology, 1993)
Hilton Ruiz: Heroes (Telarc, 1993)
David Sanchez: Sketches of Dreams (Columbia, 1994)
Sonny Fortune: A Better Understanding (Blue Note, 1994)
Afro Blue band: Impressions (1995)
Chico O'Farrill: Pure Emotion (Milestone, 1995)
Giovanni Hidalgo: Time Shifter (Tropijazz, 1996)
Bobby Matos: Footprints (Cubop, 1996)
Abbey Lincoln: You and I (Jazzfest, 1997)
Deep Rumba: The music of Marlon Simon (K-Jazz, 1998)
Arturo O'Farrill: Blood Lines (Milestone, 1999)
Batacumbele: Hijos de tambó (Batá, 1999)
Rumbajazz: Tribute to Chombo (Sunnyside, 1999)
Abbey Lincoln: Over the years (Verve, 2000)
Diego "El Cigala": Corren tiempos de alegría (2001)
Andrés Calamaro: Tinta Roja (2001)
Martirio: Mucho Corazón (2001)
Enrique Morente: Pequeño Reloj (Virgin/Emi, 2003)
Paco de Lucía: Cositas Buenas (2004)
Diego "El Cigala": Picasso en mis ojos (2005)
Niño Josele: Paz (2006)
Javier Limón: La tierra del Agua (2007)
Javier Limón: Son de Limón (2008)
Andrés Calamaro: Obras Incompletas (2009)
Andrés Calamaro: On the Rock (2010)

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (june 5 - 11) - John Benitez

2011-06-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

BIOGRAPHY | TIMELINE
Instrument: Bass

John Benitez - acoustic and electric bass
Grammy award-winning bassist John Benitez, born in Rio Piedras Puerto Rico, started playing gospel music in church at the age of thirteen. Already a gifted musician, John began his formal education at “Escuela Libre de Musica” followed by study at the University of Puerto Rico and later the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music with master bassist Federico Silva.

By age nineteen, John was the first-call bassist in San Juan's thriving Jazz and Latin music scenes. He performed with, among others, such well-known artists as Chick Corea, Lucecita Benitez, Batacumbele, Lalo Rodriguez, Cuco Peña, Roberto Roena, and Justo Betancourt. In his early twenties, he toured with Batacumbele to Columbia, South America where he continued to play and study music. Always in demand, John was asked to play with some of the top names in the country like Joe Madrid and often accompanied international touring artists like trumpeter “Chocolate” Armenteros.

In 1993, John move to New York and attended the City College of New York where he studied with the legendary acoustic bassist, Ron Carter and later with the contra bass guitarist Anthony Jackson. His education, however, was not limited to formal classroom study. John learned on the bandstand performing with some of the finest Jazz and Latin musicians including, Wynton Marsalis, Tito Puente, Michele Camilo, Dave Valentin, Eddie Palmieri, Bobby Watson, David Sanchez, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Danilo Perez, Kenny Kirkland, Will Calhoun, Vinny Valentino, Chucho Valdez, Don Pullen, Dave Samuels, and Mongo Santamaria, to name just few.

He recorded with Roy Hargrove's Crisol band (whose recording, “Habana,” was awarded the Grammy for best Latin jazz performance in 1997), David Sanchez (the Grammy nominated, “Obsesion”) Tito Puente, Hilton Ruiz, Antonio Hart, the Tropi-Jazz All Stars, the Mingus Big Band, the Caribbean Jazz Project, and Eddie Palmieri.

John has participated in two instructional videos with master percussionist Giovanni Hildalgo and Cuban drummer Ignacio Berroa. He can also be seen on the national tv and cable shows, Good Morning America, The Today Show and BET On Jazz.

As a sideman and a featured special guest, John has performed in all of the major jazz festivals and venues around the world including Turkey, Jordan (where he played for the royal family), South America, Canada, Norway, Finland, and all over Europe. John was chosen by the United States Information Agency and the Kennedy Center to represent the United States as a Jazz Ambassador on a tour of South America.

John has played and recorded with some of the finiest Jazz, Latin, and R&B musicians and has learned something from each and every one of them. This diversity of influence and experience is reflected in his latest project and first recording as a leader, “Descarga in New York,” released in August 2001 on Khaeon World Music. Together with his Trio (the gifted pianist/composer Luis Perdomo and the powerhouse drummer Dafnis Preito) and special guest percussionist, Richie Flores and the tenor saxophonists Ravi Coltrane, John has created a strong musical statement which highlights his prodigious talents as a bassist--both acoustic and electric-composer, arranger, and and producer.

Benitez was the bassist on Ray Barretto’s last record “Standards Rican-ditioned,” in 2006, which was a set of jazz standards performed by an all Puerto Rican ensemble, which incidentally included the late Hilton Ruiz on piano.

Although Benitez is extremely fluid in the jazz idiom, he excels at interpreting the rhythms and styles of his native Afro-Caribbean region and the entire Pan American music book. As he puts it himself, “For me it's all the same, one great dance music, all the Caribbean, South America and New Orleans are but an extension of African music, music with that special bounce. That's what I like the most.” John Benitez, an excellent example of a true musician, an educator, artist, gentleman and a spiritual human being.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (may 29 - june 4): Poncho Sanchez

2011-05-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (may 29 - june 4): Poncho Sanchez

If music were about pictures, percussionist Poncho Sanchez's music would best be described as a kaleidoscopic swirl of some of the hottest colors and brightest lights to emerge from either side of the border. At any given show, on any given record, fragments of Latin jazz, swing, bebop, salsa and other infectious grooves collide and churn in a fiery swirl, with results that are no less than dazzling.

All of these sounds and more come together in Psychedelic Blues, Sanchez's twenty-fourth recording on Concord Records. "The last couple records have gone a little heavy on the soul music, which has gone over really well in our live shows, but we wanted to do more of a straightahead Latin jazz record this time - something in the tradition of our earlier Concord records that we made back in the '80s."

With that strategy in mind, Sanchez enlisted guitarist Andrew Synowiec to change up the sound on a few tracks. Synowiec, a regular member of the L.A.-based Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band, landed the gig about five minutes into his audition. "He came through the door with just a guitar and an amplifier," says Sanchez. "No effects pedals or other gadgets. He plugged and started to play, and I said, 'No more auditions. We're using this guy.'"

Along with Synowiec is the same lineup that has backed Sanchez on several records and countless live shows: keyboardist/arranger David Torres; saxophonist Jav�er Vergara; trumpeter/flugelhornist Ron Blake; trombonist/arranger Francisco Torres; bassist/vocalist Tony Banda; timbalero George Ortiz; and percussionist/vocalist Joey De Le�n. Even a couple alumni from earlier configurations of Sanchez's band - baritone saxophonist Scott Martin and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz - step back in to lend a hand on Psychedelic Blues. A few of these seasoned players go back more than 30 years with Sanchez, back to some of his earliest gigs as a local fixture in the Los Angeles club circuit.

Although born in Laredo, Texas, in 1951 to a large Mexican-American family, Sanchez grew up in a suburb of L.A., where he was raised on an unusual cross section of sounds that included straightahead jazz, Latin jazz and American soul. By his teen years, his musical consciousness had been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. Along the way, he taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales, but eventually settled on the congas.

At 24, after working his way around the local club scene for several years, he landed a permanent spot in Cal Tjader's band in 1975. "I learned a great deal from Cal," says Sanchez, "but it wasn't as though he sat me down and taught me lessons like a schoolteacher. Mostly it was just a matter of being around such a great guy. It was the way he conducted himself, the way he talked to people, the way he presented himself onstage. He was very elegant, very dignified, and when he played, he played beautifully. The touch that he had on the vibes - nobody has that sound. To me, he was - and is, and always will be - the world's greatest vibe player."

Sanchez remained with Tjader until the bandleader's death in 1982. That same year, he signed with Concord for the release of Sonando!, an album that marked the beginning of a prolific musical partnership that has spanned more than 25 years and has yielded two dozen recordings.

Psychedelic Blues, the latest product of that partnership, opens with the simmering "Cantaloupe Island," a Herbie Hancock composition recast in a Latin jazz groove. A number of soloists step forward here, most notably Torres on trombone and Synowiec on guitar - all weaving effortlessly above a firmly anchored rhythm section.

Premier Latin trumpeter Arturo Sandoval - Sanchez's friend since their first gig together at a festival in Sardinia, Italy, some twenty years ago - makes a guest appearance via a rendition of Freddie Hubbard's "Crisis." The track showcases Sandoval's respect and reverence for the American bebop maestro who had passed away just a few months before the Psychedelic Blues sessions.

The title track is a fast-moving mambo, originally written by Sonny Henry and arranged here by Francisco Torres, who attaches a surprise at the end of the track. "Francisco really souped it up," says Sanchez. "The song has some nice horn lines, and some great jazz riffs, and then it ends in a bolero. So the song burns almost all the way through, and then at the end it shifts into a ballad."

The intriguing centerpiece to the album is a Willie Bobo medley featuring "I Don't Know" (a Sonny Henry piece commonly associated with Bobo), the laid back "Fried Neckbones and Some Homefries" and the slightly more urgent "Spanish Grease." All three of these songs merge effortlessly to create a nostalgic nod to the revered Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist of the '60s and '70.

Further into the set, Sanchez and the band turn "Silver's Serenade" - originally a swing tune by Horace Silver - into a mambo with personality to burn, thanks in large part to solo work by Francisco Torres. When Poncho himself steps forward to deliver some syncopated conga lines, the net result is an infectious groove.

The salsa-flavored closer, "Con Sabor Latino," is an old song by Rene Touzet, a native of Cuba who became a well known Latin bandleader in Los Angeles in the '50s and '60s. In many ways, the song is Sanchez's tribute to some of the musical memories of his childhood. "My older brothers and sisters used to see Touzet play at the Hollywood Paladium," he says. "Back then, Chico Sesma was the only Latin disc jockey on the radio in southern California, and 'Con Sabor Latino' was his theme song."

Whether it's salsa, straightahead jazz, Latin jazz, or even elements of soul and blues, the mesmerizing array of sounds and colors from Poncho Sanchez's youth have telegraphed across the decades and continue to inform his creative sensibilities to this day. "There's room for a lot of different sounds in our music," he says. "I think people have come to know that that's what Poncho Sanchez is all about. We put it all together in a pot, boil it together and come out with a big stew. This isn't some marketing strategy to sell records. These are the sounds I grew up with. So when I play this music, I'm not telling a lie. I'm telling my story. This is the real thing."

This biography is property of Concord Music Group, Inc.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (May 22-28): Magos Herrera

2011-05-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (May 22-28): Magos Herrera

http://www.magosherrera.com

The Mexican-born Herrera sings in Spanish, English and Portuguese. But really, what she does on Distancia transcends language. Blending elements from various traditions, she's stretching the very notion of jazz singing, pushing past the diva pleasantries into a sound that's bold, thrilling and effortlessly global. Tom Moon for NPR radio 06/09
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104880601&sc=emaf

…“Herrera creates a thoroughly modern expression of jazz performance and Latin culture on Distancia, easily holding the weight of an intelligent and complex sound with her prodigious musicianship.” The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
http://www.chipboaz.com/blog/2009/06/12/album-of-the-week-distancia-magos herrera/

…“Though jazz long ago embraced Afro-Cuban influences that ought to make Mexico a logical bastion of the music, there are few well-known players from Mexico. But here is a brilliant singer, Magos Herrera, with a US debut on Sunnyside Records, recording with a top-flight band (Aaron Goldberg’s piano, Lionel Louke on guitar, among others) and making Mexican jazz sound as obvious as chocolate ice cream.” Will Layman for popmatters, 06/09
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/92830-singers-singers-everywhere

…5.0 out of 5 stars Magos Herrera lovely, intriguing jazz vocal artistry, “Magos Herrera is a fascinating, multi-talented singer and this is one of 2009's best vocal performances. My Highest Recommendation. Five INTERNATIONAL Stars!RBS Prod” May,2009
http://www.Amazon.com

…”Magos music is limitless and speaks straight to one’s emotional self, her music is really bringing such a fresh and powerful coloration to the palette we call Jazz”.
Dan Purcea .Audience in Montreal Jazz Fest. June 2009

OVERVIEW //

Born in Mexico City, the deep and captivating performer, Magos Herrera is considered one of the most beautiful voices and the most active vocalist of the contemporary Latin American jazz scene.

The grammy nominee for best vocal jazz, Immensely popular throughout Mexico and Latin America, a dazzling accomplished singer-songwriter known for her beguiling rhythmic scatting, inflected with soulful Latin-Andalusian phrasings, Magos Herrera owns a unique signature that elegantly blends her classic jazz styling with Latin-American melodies. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and English, her repertoire is filled with the yearning romance, intimacy and enchantment of Mexican and Cuban sones and boleros, and sultry, languid Brazilian beats.

Her career started in Italy in 1988 where she decided to become professionally involved with music, and then graduated from the "Musicians Institute" in Los Angeles, Cal. For over 12 years Magos has performed in International Performing Arts Centers and Festivals such as Montreal International Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center in Washington, Lincoln Center, and Jazz Standard in New York, Millennium Park in Chicago, NYC, Teatro de la Ciudad de Mexico, Lunario del Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City and Sala Galileo Galilei in Madrid, Barcelona international Jazz Festival, among many others.

Magos has been nominated twice for ”Lunas del Auditorio Nacional” (2006-2009) in Mexico as “the best Jazz concert of the year” among Bobby Mcferrin and Bill Frisell. Through her pro-active love for music, she produced and hosted 2 TV shows that promoted music for Mexico’s TV channel 22 (Acustico and Jazz desde el bajo centro), and featured guest stars like, Jerry Gonzalez, Diego el Cigala, Francisco Cespedes, among many others,(TV shows demo available at myspace.com/magosherrera)

She has 6 CD recordings including “ Cajuina”, “Orquideas Susurrantes,” “Pais Maravilla”, “Todo Puede Inspirar”, ”Soliluna” and” Dsitancia” and 2 international compilations for Brazil and Japan and was part of the acclaimed “Mexican Divas” cd series .

Based in New York since fall 2007, Magos Herrera promptly became part of the local scene since her successful concert at New York Winter Jazz Festival in 2008. Has recorded with saxophonist Tim Ries for “The Rolling Stones World Project II” and for Via Project (for contemporary composer Paola Prestini). In spring 2009, acclaimed by the critics, Magos released her sixth CD production ” Distancia”/ Sunnyside, recorded with a top-flight new york band including lionel loueke and Aaron Goldberg, which became the #1 Itunes in Jazz category and was nominated for the Grammys as best vocal jazz album, and was included in the 1000 cds yu have to hera before you die.

A year after this succesfull release Magos presents “Mexico Azul” /Sony music a celebration of one of most prolific times for music in Mexico, “the cinema golden era” and the XEW radio sharing a contemporary vision of pieces like “Noche Criolla” by Agustin Lara , “Angelitos Negros”, once sang by the unforgettable "Pedro infante” and “Seguire mi viaje” by Alvaro carrillo, among others, supported by a prime New York band including John Patitucci, Adam Rogers, Luis Perdomo, Alex Kautz and Rogelio bocatto, Rogelio Boccatto and produced by Tim Ries.

CURRICULUM 2010 //

ACADEMICS //
Graduated from MIT as professional vocalists in 1993 to further her studies privately with Sheila Jordan in NYC and in Mannes conservatory.
From 1995-1999 trained with opera coach Konstantin Jadan .
In 1999 moved to Boston taking classes of vocal technique and jazz harmony at New England conservatory.
From 2004 to 2006 studied jazz composition with Alejandro Mercado (ex berklee student) in Mexico City.

TEACHING //
Since 2000 Magos teaches vocal technique, vocal improvisation, Jazz, brazilian and latin repertoir privately and in music schools such as Fermatta (Berklee associated school in Mexico City), DIM music school in Mexico City.
Has been also invited to teach master classes and clinics at Berklee College in Boston, Central College in Pella, Iowa and Miami Dade College.

TV SHOWS //
Over the past 4 years, through her pro-active love for music, Magos produced and hosted two TV shows that promoted music for Mexico’s TV, channel 22: “Acustico” and “Jazz desde el Bajo Centro” and fea- tured guest stars like Ute Lemper, Jerry González, Diego el Cigala, Francisco Céspedes, among many others.
[VIEW TV SHOWS DEMO AT MYSPACE.COM/ MAGOSHERRERA ]

THEATER //
Magos performed in the play “Modelo para armar” by director; Pablo Mandoki. “Centro Cultural Universitario” Mexico City / 2005

DISCOGRAPHY //
• Mexico Azul / Mexican Bicenenary celebration/ SONY Music/ 2010
• Distancia / Sunnyside records / 2009
• Soliluna / JM / 2006
• Todo puede inspirar / EMI Music/ 2005
• País Maravilla / Suave Records / 2003
• Orquídeas Susurrantes / JM / 2000
• Cajuina / Indie / 1999
• Mexican Divas II / Opción Sónica / 2001
• Mexican Divas III / Opción Sonica / 2002
• Magos Herrera Compilation / Mecca Japon / 2004
• Minha Historia compilation / Casser Brasil / 2007

RECORDING COLLABORATIONS

• Viaje de mar / Iraida Noriega / JM / 2005
• The Rollings Stones Project II / Tim Ries / Sunnyside / 2008
• Traveling songs / VIA Project / 2008
• Far from home/ Beat Kaestli / 2009

NOMINATIONS & GRANTS//

Magos Herrera is a recipient of Mexico' National Grant Program for
performing Artist 2010-2013 given by National Fund for Culture and the
Arts (FONCA).
She has been nominated twice 2006-2009 as the “best jazz performance” by the “Lunas del Auditorio Nacional” in Mexico City along with Bill Frisell y Bobby MacFerrin.

MAIN VENUES //

• Dizzies Jazz Club CocaCola, NYC

• Kala Auditorium/ Delhi , India

• Kamani Auditorium/ Delhi , India
• Montreal Jazz Festival / 2009
• Barcelona Jazz Festival// Lus de Gas/2009
• Winter Jazz Festival / New York / 2008
• Shanghai International Arts Festival / 2008
• Millenium Park / Chicago / 2007
• Sor Juana Festival / Miller Outdoor TheatreHouston / 2007
• Jazz Standard / New York / 2008-09
• Joes Pub / New York/ 2008-2009
• Lunario del Auditorio Nacional / Mexico City / 2004-05-06-07-08
• Teatro de la Ciudad de México / 2003/05/07/09
• Zocalo, Mexico City, FCH / 2005
• Espacio Santander / Porto Alegre, Brazil / 2007
• SESC / Sao Paulo, Brazil / 2005, 2007
• Museo Tamayo / 2006, 2007
• Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico / 2005/06/07
• Snugs Harbour Jazz Club / New Orleans / 2005
• Sky Building / Osaka Japan / 2004.
• Dazzles Jazz Club / Denver Colorado / 2004
• Sala Galileo Galilei / Madrid, Spain / 2003
• Anson Amphitheatre / LA, Cal / 2003
• Mexican Festival in New Delhi / India / 2003
• Lincoln Center / New York City / 2002
• Mayan Amphitheatre / LA, Cal / 2002
• Queens Festival / New York / 2002
• Makor/NYC/2002
• Ryles Jazz Club / Boston, Mass / 2001, 2002
• FNAC Callao / Madrid, Spain / 2003
• Suristan / Madrid, Spain / 2003
• Berklee College of Music / 2002
• Festival Cervantino / Guanajuato, Mexico / 2001
• Centro Nacional de las Artes / Mexico / 2001-02-04-06-09
• Among many other hundreds of festivals and venues in Mexico and abroad.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (May 8 -14): Gonzalo Rubalcaba

2011-05-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (May 8 -14): Gonzalo Rubalcaba

May 27, 1963… Gonzalo Julio Gonzalez Fonseca was born in post-revolutionary Havana into a musical family rich in the traditions of the country's artistic past. During his childhood, in addition to the standard fare of elementary schools, Gonzalo absorbed the Cuban musical heritage of his nascent environment through personal contacts within his family, notably his father, pianist Guillermo Rubalcaba and his two brothers (pianist and bassist) as well as from leading musicians who were frequent houseguests: Frank Emilio, Peruchin, Felipe Dulzaides and others. He also assimilated, through scarce and treasured recordings, the tunes and styles of 40's - 70's US jazz masters: Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson among pianists; and instrumentalists Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey. Gonzalo loved drumming and early in his career studied both piano and drums. Despite the diversity of his background, Gonzalo’s initial formal musical training was entirely classical. He began his training at Manuel Saumell Conservatory at age 9, where he finally chose the piano as his main instrument. He moved up to middle- school at Amadeo Roldan Conservatory and finally earned his degree in music composition from Havana's Institute of Fine Arts in 1983.

By that time he was already playing in clubs and music halls in Havana. He toured France and Africa with Orquesta Aragon in 1980 and introduced his own Grupo Projecto to the North Sea and Berlin Festivals in 1985. Egrem Studios of Havana was the first to record his music during the early and mid '80's and these discs, Inicio, an album of piano solos and Concierto Negro, are still available. Beginning in 1986 Gonzalo began recording for Messidor of Frankfurt, Germany and put out three highly acclaimed albums for that label with his Cuban Quartet entitled Mi Gran Pasion, Live in Havana, and Giraldilla. On the strength of these works Gonzalo began attracting international attention and in 1986 a chance meeting in Havana with bassist Charlie Haden brought him to the attention of Blue Note Records'

president, Bruce Lundvall, and thus began an association first with Toshiba/EMI of Japan and later with Blue Note in the US which resulted in 14 discs being released. (See the Discography page for a complete listing.) In July 1990, he appeared as a surprise guest in an historic performance, available on the CD Discovery with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian (ex Bill Evans trio members) at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland.

Further works eventually brought Gonzalo both a Latin Grammy for Jazz Album of the Year, Supernova, as well as a Grammy for co-production with Charlie Haden on Nocturne, a Verve release of Cuban and Mexican boleros and ballads. Gonzalo has to his credit 15 Grammy nominations, including five for Jazz Album of the Year, Rapsodia in 1995, Antiguo and Inner Voyage in 1999, Supernova in 2002, Avatar in 2008. Among recent honors, in June 2001 Gonzalo received the SFJAZZ Leaders Circle Laureate Award and in 2002 he performed as Artist-in-Residence at the Montreal Jazz
Festival together with Chucho Valdez.

Gonzalo has performed with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Ignacio Berroa, Chick Corea, Al DiMeola, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Haden, Katia Labeque, Richard Galliano, Francisco Cepsedes, Tony Martinez, Issac Delgado, Juan Luis Guerra, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Eric Harland, Dennis Chambers, Brian Bromberg, Ron Carter, Yosvany Terry, Matt Brewer, Mike Rodriguez, Marcus Gilmore, Pat Martino, Giovanni Hidalgo, John Patitucci, Jack DeJohnette , Joao Bosco, Eric Harland , Ivan Linz and many others.

Gonzalo continues to tour the world as a solo pianist in jazz and classical settings as well as band leader, employing the worlds top side men in club and concert engagements. His active repertoire has continued to expand beyond straight-ahead, bop, Afro-Cuban and other forms of jazz into the worlds of traditional Cuban and Mexican ballads, boleros and Cuban classical works. He has developed his own very distinctive voice, challenging the traditional musical classifications of the day. His art continues to evolve and draw inspiration

from both his Afro-Cuban heritage and the world around us. Our Maestro will continue shaping and reshaping the themes, forms and rhythms which have provided him with inspiration for his life's work. In whichever idiom he works, his future musical creations will be melodious, rhythmic, exciting and bear in their intriguing intricacies the artist's inherent intention of transforming the daily routines of our lives into something more beautiful and significant. Gonzalo now produces and records for his own record label and production company, 5Passion LLC, founded in 2010. Gonzalo's first offering under his independent label "Fé" is now available. Gonzalo is presently planning to record a fresh trio album to be released sometime in December of 2011.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (may 1 - 7): Sonny Rollins

2011-05-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (may 1 - 7): Sonny Rollins

http://www.sonnyrollins.com

Theodore Walter Rollins was born on September 7, 1930 in New York City. He grew up in Harlem not far from the Savoy Ballroom, the Apollo Theatre, and the doorstep of his idol, Coleman Hawkins. After early discovery of Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong, he started out on alto saxophone, inspired by Louis Jordan. At the age of sixteen, he switched to tenor, trying to emulate Hawkins. He also fell under the spell of the musical revolution that surrounded him, Bebop.

He began to follow Charlie Parker, and soon came under the wing of Thelonious Monk, who became his musical mentor and guru. Living in Sugar Hill, his neighborhood musical peers included Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew and Art Taylor, but it was young Sonny who was first out of the pack, working and recording with Babs Gonzales, J.J. Johnson, Bud Powell and Miles Davis before he turned twenty.

"Of course, these people are there to be called on because I think I represent them in a way," Rollins said recently of his peers and mentors. "They're not here now so I feel like I'm sort of representing all of them, all of the guys. Remember, I'm one of the last guys left, as I'm constantly being told, so I feel a holy obligation sometimes to evoke these people."

In the early fifties, he established a reputation first among musicians, then the public, as the most brash and creative young tenor on the scene, through his work with Miles, Monk, and the MJQ.

Miles Davis was an early Sonny Rollins fan and in his autobiography wrote that he "began to hang out with Sonny Rollins and his Sugar Hill Harlem crowd...anyway, Sonny had a big reputation among a lot of the younger musicians in Harlem. People loved Sonny Rollins up in Harlem and everywhere else. He was a legend, almost a god to a lot of the younger musicians. Some thought he was playing the saxophone on the level of Bird. I know one thing--he was close. He was an aggressive, innovative player who always had fresh musical ideas. I loved him back then as a player and he could also write his ass off..."

With Clifford Brown and Max Roach, 1956 Sonny moved to Chicago for a few years to remove himself from the surrounding elements of negativity around the Jazz scene. He reemerged at the end of 1955 as a member of the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, with an even more authoritative presence. His trademarks became a caustic, often humorous style of melodic invention, a command of everything from the most arcane ballads to calypsos, and an overriding logic in his playing that found him hailed for models of thematic improvisation.

It was during this time that Sonny acquired a nickname,"Newk." As Miles Davis explains in his autobiography: "Sonny had just got back from playing a gig out in Chicago. He knew Bird, and Bird really liked Sonny, or "Newk" as we called him, because he looked like the Brooklyn Dodgers' pitcher Don Newcombe. One day, me and Sonny were in a cab...when the white cabdriver turned around and looked at Sonny and said, `Damn, you're Don Newcombe!'' Man, the guy was totally excited. I was amazed, because I hadn't thought about it before. We just put that cabdriver on something terrible. Sonny started talking about what kind of pitches he was going to throw Stan Musial, the great hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals, that evening..."

In 1956, Sonny began recording the first of a series of landmark recordings issued under his own name: Valse Hot introduced the practice, now common, of playing bop in 3/4 meter; St. Thomas initiated his explorations of calypso patterns; and Blue 7 was hailed by Gunther Schuller as demonstrating a new manner of "thematic improvisation," in which the soloist develops motifs extracted from his theme. Way Out West (1957), Rollins's first album using a trio of saxophone, double bass, and drums, offered a solution to his longstanding difficulties with incompatible pianists, and exemplified his witty ability to improvise on hackneyed material (Wagon Wheels, I'm an Old Cowhand). It Could Happen to You (also 1957) was the first in a long series of unaccompanied solo recordings, and The Freedom Suite (1958) foreshadowed the political stances taken in jazz in the 1960s. During the years 1956 to 1958 Rollins was widely regarded as the most talented and innovative tenor saxophonist in jazz.

Rollins's first examples of the unaccompanied solo playing that would become a specialty also appeared in this period; yet the perpetually dissatisfied saxophonist questioned the acclaim his music was attracting, and between 1959 and late `61 withdrew from public performance.

Sonny remembers that he took his leave of absence from the scene because "I was getting very famous at the time and I felt I needed to brush up on various aspects of my craft. I felt I was getting too much, too soon, so I said, wait a minute, I'm going to do it my way. I wasn't going to let people push me out there, so I could fall down. I wanted to get myself together, on my own. I used to practice on the Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge because I was living on the Lower East Side at the time."

When he returned to action in early `62, his first recording was appropriately titled The Bridge. By the mid 60's, his live sets became grand, marathon stream-of-consciousness solos where he would call forth melodies from his encyclopedic knowledge of popular songs, including startling segues and sometimes barely visiting one theme before surging into dazzling variations upon the next. Rollins was brilliant, yet restless. The period between 1962 and `66 saw him returning to action and striking productive relationships with Jim Hall, Don Cherry, Paul Bley, and his idol Hawkins, yet he grew dissatisfied with the music business once again and started yet another sabbatical in `66. "I was getting into eastern religions," he remembers. "I've always been my own man. I've always done, tried to do, what I wanted to do for myself. So these are things I wanted to do. I wanted to go on the Bridge. I wanted to get into religion. But also, the Jazz music business is always bad. It's never good. So that led me to stop playing in public for a while, again. During the second sabbatical, I worked in Japan a little bit, and went to India after that and spent a lot of time in a monastery. I resurfaced in the early 70s, and made my first record in `72. I took some time off to get myself together and I think it's a good thing for anybody to do."

Lucille and Sonny In 1972, with the encouragement and support of his wife Lucille, who had become his business manager, Rollins returned to performing and recording, signing with Milestone and releasing Next Album. (Working at first with Orrin Keepnews, Sonny was by the early ’80s producing his own Milestone sessions with Lucille.) His lengthy association with the Berkeley-based label produced two dozen albums in various settings – from his working groups to all-star ensembles (Tommy Flanagan, Jack DeJohnette, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams); from a solo recital to tour recordings with the Milestone Jazzstars (Ron Carter, McCoy Tyner); in the studio and on the concert stage (Montreux, San Francisco, New York, Boston). Sonny was also the subject of a mid-’80s documentary by Robert Mugge entitled Saxophone Colossus; part of its soundtrack is available as G-Man.

He won his first performance Grammy for This Is What I Do (2000), and his second for 2004’s Without a Song (The 9/11 Concert), in the Best Jazz Instrumental Solo category (for “Why Was I Born”). In addition, Sonny received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2004.

In June 2006 Rollins was inducted into the Academy of Achievement – and gave a solo performance – at the International Achievement Summit in Los Angeles. The event was hosted by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and attended by world leaders as well as distinguished figures in the arts and sciences.

Rollins was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class, in November 2009. The award is one of Austria’s highest honors, given to leading international figures for distinguished achievements. The only other American artists who have received this recognition are Frank Sinatra and Jessye Norman.

In 2010 on the eve of his 80th birthday, Sonny Rollins is one of 229 leaders in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, business, and public affairs who have been elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A center for independent policy research, the Academy is among the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and celebrates the 230th anniversary of its founding this year.

In August 2010, Rollins was named the Edward MacDowell Medalist, the first jazz composer to be so honored. The Medal has been awarded annually since 1960 to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to his or her field.

Photo: Ruth David Yet another major award was bestowed on Rollins on March 2, 2011, when he received the Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony. Rollins accepted the award, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence, “on behalf of the gods of our music.”

Since 2006, Rollins has been releasing his music on his own label, Doxy Records (with distribution from the Decca Label Group). The first Doxy album was Sonny, Please, Rollins’s first studio recording since This Is What I Do. That was followed by the acclaimed Road Shows, vol. 1 (2008), the first in a planned series of recordings from Rollins’s audio archives.

Rollins will release Road Shows, vol. 2 in the fall of 2011. In addition to material recorded in Sapporo and Tokyo, Japan during an October 2010 tour, the new CD will contain several tracks from Sonny’s September 2010 80th birthday concert in New York—including the historic and electrifying encounter with Ornette Coleman.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week - Eliane Elias

2011-04-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week - Eliane Elias

Pianist/singer/songwriter, Eliane Elias is known for her distinctive and immediately recognizable musical style which blends her Brazilian roots, her sensuous, alluring voice with her impressive instrumental jazz, classical and compositional skills. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Eliane Elias’ musical talents began to show at an early age. She started studying piano at age seven and at age twelve was transcribing solos from the great jazz masters. By the time she was fifteen she was teaching piano and improvisation at one of Brazil’ s most prestigious schools of music. Her performing career began in Brazil at age seventeen, working with Brazilian singer/songwriter Toquinho and the great poet Vinicius de Moraes who was also Antonio Carlos Jobim’s co-writer/lyricist. In 1981 she headed for New York and in 1982 landed a spot in the acclaimed group Steps Ahead.
Her first album release was a collaboration with Randy Brecker entitled Amanda in 1984. Shortly thereafter her solo career began, spanning over twenty albums to date; seventeen on Blue Note Records and three on RCA Victor Group. In her work Elias has documented dozens of her own compositions, her outstanding piano playing and arranging, and beautiful vocal interpretations. All of her recordings have garnered a great deal of praise from the critics and all have topped the Billboard and Jazz Radio charts. In 1988 she was voted Best New Talent by the jazz critics poll ofJAZZIZ magazine.
Together with Herbie Hancock in their duet, she was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Jazz Solo Performance” category for her 1995 release, Solos and Duets. This recording was hailed by Musician Magazine as “a landmark in piano duo history.” In the 1997 Downbeat Readers Poll, her recording The Three Americas was voted Best Jazz Album. Eliane Elias was named in five other categories: Beyond Musician, Best Composer, Jazz Pianist, Female Vocalist, and Musician of the Year. Considered one of the great interpreters of Jobim’s music, Ms.Elias’ has recorded two albums solely dedicated to the works of the composer, Plays Jobim and Sings Jobim. Her 1998 release Eliane Elias Sings Jobim won “Best Vocal Album” in Japan, it was the number one record in Japan’s charts for over three months and was awarded the Best Brazilian Album in Jazziz Critics Poll of 1999.
Moreover, as a testament to the quality of her writing, the renowned Danish Radio Big Band has performed and recorded Elias’ compositions arranged and conducted by the legendary Bob Brookmeyer. The CD recording of this project is called Impulsive and was released on Stunt Records. It received a Grammy nomination for “Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album” in 2001. In the same year, Calle 54, the highly acclaimed documentary film by Oscar winning Spanish director Fernando Trueba, featuring Ms. Elias’ performance of “Samba Triste ” also received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album.
“On the Classical Side” recorded in 1993, demonstrated Eliane’s classical skills with a program of Bach, Ravel, and Villa Lobos. In 2002 Ms. Elias recorded with opera sensation Denyce Graves. For this recording, The Lost Days, Eliane arranged two Brazilian classical pieces and wrote an original composition especially for Ms. Graves entitled “Haabia Tupi”.
In 2002 Ms. Elias signed to RCA Music Group/Bluebird label and released Kissed by Nature . Her second recording for the label, Dreamer, released in 2004 , is a fresh mix of tunes from the American Songbook, Brazilian Bossa Novas and two new originals, all sung in English and Portuguese, supported by a full orchestra. Dreamer received the “Gold Disc Award “and was voted Best Vocal Album in Japan in 2004. It reached #3 on the Pop Charts in France and #4 on the Billboard charts in the USA.
Ms. Elias’ cd Around The City released on RCA Victor in August 2006, merges bits of Bossa Nova, with shades of pop, jazz ,latin and rock and roll. Around The City features Ms. Elias’ vocals and songwriting in collaborations with producers Andres Levin and Lester Mendez as well as fresh takes on pop classics such as Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va” and Bob Marley’s “Jammin”.
Eliane returned to Blue Note/ EMI in 2007 with her release, Something For You, a tribute to the music of pianist/composer Bill Evans. While touching the essence of the late great Bill Evans, she also brings her own unique gifts to the surface, as a composer, interpreter, outstanding instrumentalist and beguiling vocalist as well. This release received “Best Vocal Album of the Year” and the “Gold Disc Award” in Japan . This is the 3rd consecutive recording that Eliane receives these awards and her 4th all together. “Something for You” reached #1 on the USA Jazz Radio charts, #8 on Billboard and #2 on the French Jazz Charts.
“I felt a strong connection to Bill’s music throughout every phase of this project,” Elias adds, “as did Marc. But it was especially strong when we were in the studio. When the red light goes on, there are only a few moments to compose yourself and try to enter into that concentrated place where all that remains is what we hear and play together. When I find that place where I can let go and allow the emotion to pass directly from me to what you can hear on this record, that’s making my tribute to Bill in the most sincere and beautiful way that I can.”
The year of 2008 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the Bossa Nova. In celebration of this event, Eliane recorded a collection of classic bossa novas featuring some of the great landmark songs of Brazil with American classic and pop standards exquisitely performed as only Eliane can with lush romantic vocals and exciting playing accompanied by a stellar rhythm section and strings recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Bossa Nova Stories achieved the following positions: Debuted at #1 on the French Charts (2008),#1 Vocal Album - Swing Journal, Japan (May-June 2008), #1 itunes Top Jazz Album (USA January 2009), #2 itunes Top Latin Album (USA January 2009), debuted at #2 on Billboard Magazine: both Overall and Jazz Charts (January 2009). Bossa Nova Stories was nominated by the Brazilian Grammys (20th Premio da Musica Brasileira, 2009 ) for Best Foreign Album and it was the 2009 Album of the Year on Geezer Music Club. Eliane was the #2 artist in cd sales in France on the Annual Jazz Charts 2008. ”Bossa Nova Stories” is a captivating recording destined to become a bossa nova classic.
With these two recent releases, “Something for You” and “Bossa Nova Stories”, Eliane Elias takes her place in the pantheon of music giants. Demonstrating her unique gifts as a pianist, singer, composer and arranger as well as melding her immense talents in jazz, pop, classical and Brasilian music, she is as Jazziz Magazine has called her, “A Citizen of the World” and “ An Artist Beyond Category”.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (april 18 - 23) - Jane Bunnett

2011-04-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (april 18 - 23) - Jane Bunnett

Multiple Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has turned her bands into showcases for the finest talent from Canada, the U.S.and Cuba. She has been nominated for Grammy Awards, numerous Juno Awards, and most recently, was honoured with an appointment to the Order of Canada. An internationally acclaimed musician, Jane Bunnett is known for her creative integrity, improvisational daring and courageous artistry. Her exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies expresses the universality of music and her ability to embrace and showcase the rhythms and culture of Cuba has been groundbreaking. She has toured the world bringing her own special sound to numerous jazz festivals, displaying her versatility as a flutist, saxophone player and pianist. As an educator, spokesperson and social activist, she remains unafraid to explore uncharted territory in her quest for excellence!

With an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University, Jane Bunnett, the Toronto soprano saxophonist, flutist and bandleader, has built her career at the crossroads between Cuban music and jazz. Twice nominated for Grammy Awards, (Best Latin Jazz Recording 2002 for Alma de Santiago and 2003 for Cuban Odyssey), a fixture of nominations for Canada’s Juno Awards, winner at Canada’s Urban Music Awards for Best Global Recording in 2003 for Cuban Odyssey, and honoured with an appointment to the Order of Canada in 2004; Toronto’s own jazz virtuoso has turned her bands into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the United States and Cuba. Upheld by the likes of Paquito D’Rivera, the great Cuban saxophonist, Jane Bunnett is truly one of Canada’s most valuable artistic resources.

Bunnett’s Cuban connection started in 1982 when a trip to the island with husband Larry Cramer turned her musical world upside down. Everywhere Bunnett and Cramer went they found drummers whose rhythmic complexity liberated the senses; horn players who deployed amazing dexterity in the service of heartstopping lyricism; and pianists who could make any decrepit old upright roar like doom or sing like a heart in love. No fools, they took their horns and played along. “Over the years I developed relationships with some of Cuba’s legendary musicians,” Bunnett recalls. “I’ve had a great opportunity to learn the music in the streets and in the homes of these celebrated talents… and that’s what has fueled my vision.”

Since then Bunnett has moved from strength to strength, touring internationally and recording a string of critically lauded albums. Her house in Toronto’s west end has become a home away from home for a growing number of extraordinary young Cuban musicians who’ve migrated to Canada, many of whom have played in her group, The Spirits of Havana.

Bunnett’s recordings Embracing Voices, Radio Guantanamo, Cuban Odyssey, Alma de Santiago, Ritmo + Soul, Chamalongo, Havana Flute Summit, Jane Bunnett and The Cuban Piano Masters and her acclaimed first recording in Cuba, Spirits of Havana, have explored and combined elements of Cuban roots music with traditional contemporary jazz. Her newest release, Embracing Voices is an exciting departure from Jane’s past efforts, as it is the very first time that the majority of the tracks include vocals and guest vocalists, something that until now, Jane had never done.
Today, Jane Bunnett is a very recognizable name in the World Music and Jazz scenes but she has yet to crossover to mainstream audience, that is, until now!
With Jane’s love of the human voice as an instrument and past collaborations with a variety of vocalists at special events such as the yearly ‘Global Divas’ event, Embracing Voices is her very first recording where all of the tracks include the vocal talents from some of the Jazz & World scene’s best and includes songs in English, Creole and Spanish!
From the jazz world, both established singer songstress Molly Johnson and up-coming jazz diva Kellylee Evans lend their unique vocal styling to the project. From the world scene, Cuban rap star artist Telmary and Grupo Vocal Desandann, an extraordinary Cuban vocal group of Haitian descent are included. This very unique and world renowned ensemble is composed mainly of second and third generation Haitians who were born and raised in Cuba, and bring their incredible history and lineage to this project with vocal performances that demand attention!

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (april 3 - 9) - Gretchen Parlato

2011-04-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (april 3 - 9) - Gretchen Parlato

Gretchen Parlato's 2009 sophomore breakthrough, In a Dream, signaled the arrival of an incredibly inventive modern jazz singer. Her follow-up, The Lost and Found, demonstrates that she has staying power. In a Dream garnered international acclaim with Billboard magazine hailing it as "the most alluring jazz vocal album of 2009"; it also made it onto the top year-end polls for Jazz Times, the Boston Globe, the Village Voice and NPR. The Lost and Found shows immediate weight and intensity, exposing a greater dynamic range. "I feel like I stepped out of my own way and allowed myself to be more revealing and vulnerable through the music," reflects Parlato.

Revealing a seamless, crystalline, and more importantly, personal voice, Parlato says that the overall theme of The Lost and Found is about accepting opposition and embracing the ebbs and flows of life. "One day we may think we've found all the answers, and then something suddenly happens that makes us feel completely lost as though nothing makes sense. This is life. Accepting that we are always in transition without attaching a judgment to the experience is freeing. We are always the lost and found."

An alumni of the Thelonious Monk Institute, Parlato has been turning heads ever since she won the 2004 Thelonious Monk Institute International Vocal Competition with which she displayed a musical individuality loaded with paradoxical powers. Her sultry, intriguing voice and unique, rhythmically agile phrasing came with inescapable centripetal force; the more intimate and understated she sang, the more she drew listeners in. Since then she has toured worldwide to sold out audiences with BBC Radio proclaiming, "Star over London...A star is born!" Her originality captivates musicians as well, prompting invitations to appear on over 50 recordings with the likes of Terence Blanchard, Kenny Barron, Terri Lynn Carrington and Esperanza Spalding. Her breathtaking performances have been captured on television in Europe and Japan and she has become a sought after clinician on vocal styling.

On her third disc, Parlato surrounds herself with a collective of kindred spirits whose tight knit sound has been cultivated through years of performing and recording together. She marshaled GRAMMY nominated pianist Taylor Eigsti, bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Kendrick Scott as her main band mates with guest appearances from tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens and bassist, Alan Hampton, who makes a stellar turn featured as a singer and guitarist. Leaders in their own right, this band is among the most heralded of a young, new wave in jazz. "I adore these musicians, not only for what they do, but also for who they are," Parlato says. "We couldn't have had a more supportive, productive energy recording this album." That energy allowed her to reach subliminal musical heights; one that truly engages in delightful, often adventurous musical conversations that tickle the mind, warms the heart and moves the body. "They all contributed so much to the project, in the end it truly felt like a collaborative effort."

"Collaborative effort" is no overstatement. The Lost and Found sees Parlato emerging as a thoughtful composer and lyricist. In fact, she wrote lyrics to several compositions such as Eigsti's haunting "Without a Sound;" trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's plaintive "Henya," and Stephens' suspenseful title track. In a duet on Hampton's "Still," Gretchen's gentle musing about compassion and forgiveness is made more poignant by his raw vocals. "Alan created such a meditative and deceptively simple groove I wanted to write lyrics that were like a mantra. Something that in its repetition becomes extremely powerful. What better theme than love?" She also composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the evocative bossa-nova tinged, "Winter Wind," the hopeful "How We Love," the sensual "Better Than" and the hypnotic "Circling" that contains verses that typify the entire disc's meditations on light and darkness. "'Circling' plays with the idea of cycles in our lives," explains Parlato. "The ones we have no control over like birth and death as opposed to the cycles we do control, behavior patterns that we get ourselves into." Pianist and GRAMMY nominated composer Robert Glasper came on board as
associate producer. "I love working with Robert, not only in composing, but in reharmonizing and arranging. There is such an immense love and respect between all of the musicians and Robert knows exactly what to do and say to keep everyone inspired."

On The Lost and Found, Parlato further develops her knack for reinventing intriguing R&B songs with her daring yet delectable makeover of "All That I Can Say," a Mary J. Blige tune, penned by Lauryn Hill, and Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years." The latter track, which serves as the album's opener, begins with Scott laying down an infectious R&B groove. Glasper can be heard in the background, vibing to the beat as the music quickly fades into the full ensemble (recorded by Parlato on her iPhone during a rehearsal).

With both tracks, Parlato and her band retain the soulful essence of the songs while steering far enough so that they don't delve into treacle mimicry. "Gretchen doesn't try to be anything she's not. Every remake is an honest one," Glasper says. "She's always herself." The disc also features the jaunty "Me and You," from singer/songwriter Josh Mease and a sterling Glasper/Parlato rearrangement of Bill Evans' "Blue in Green" with lyrics by Meredith D'Ambrosio.

Gretchen Parlato is on an exploration, which leads the conversation among the band and makes for unexpected treasures. Inspired by Wayne Shorter, one of her mentors, she wrote lyrics to his classic '60s jazz composition "Juju." The interaction between Gretchen and saxophonist Stephens showcases her ability to use her voice as an instrument-blending with the horn while adding counterpoints. On "Without A Sound," her haunting vocals seem to add another dimension to the remarkably textured harmony already created by Hodge layering 3 parts using only his electric bass. And on one of the disc's most revealing moments, the singer shows her love for Brazilian music on Paulinho da Viola's "Alo Alo." A solo rendition, Parlato layers all of the percussion
and sings all the vocals.

With The Lost and Found, Parlato has delivered a powerful testament to the beauty of space and simplicity. "I've become more interested in finding not only a higher, but a deeper level and connection in music. And this seems to be done by shedding everything, and getting right to the heart and core."

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (march 27 - april 2) - Hiromi

2011-03-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (march 27 - april 2) - Hiromi

Hiromi Ueharafirst mesmerized the jazz community with her 2003 Telarc debut, Another Mind. The buzz started by her first album spread all the way back to her native Japan, where Another Mind shipped gold (100,000 units) and received the Recording Industry Association of Japan's (RIAJ) Jazz Album of the Year Award. The keyboardist/ composer's second release, Brain, won the Horizon Award at the 2004 Surround Music Awards, Swing Journal's New Star Award, Jazz Life's Gold Album, HMV Japan's Best Japanese Jazz Album, and the Japan Music Pen Club's Japanese Artist Award (the JMPC is a classical/jazz journalists club). Brain was also named Album of the Year in Swing Journal's 2005 Readers Poll. In 2006, Hiromi won Best Jazz Act at the Boston Music Awards and the Guinness Jazz Festival's Rising Star Award. She also claimed Jazzman of the Year, Pianist of the Year and Album of the Year in Swing Journal Japan's Readers Poll for her 2006 release, Spiral. Hiromi continues her winning streak with the 2007 release of Time Control and in 2008, Beyond Standard. Both releases feature Hiromi's super group, Sonic Bloom.

Born in Shizuoka, Japan, in 1979, Hiromi took her first piano lessons at age six. She learned from her earliest teacher to tap into the intuitive as well as the technical aspects of music.

"Her energy was always so high, and she was so emotional," Hiromi says of her first piano teacher. "When she wanted me to play with a certain kind of dynamics, she wouldn't say it with technical terms. If the piece was something passionate, she would say, 'Play red.' Or if it was something mellow, she would say, 'Play blue.' I could really play from my heart that way, and not just from my ears."

Hiromi took that intuitive approach a step further when she enrolled in the Yamaha School of Music less then a year after her first piano lessons. By age 12, she was performing in public, sometimes with very high-profile orchestras. "When I was 14, I went to Czechoslovakia and played with the Czech Philharmonic," she says. "That was a great experience, to play with such a professional orchestra."

Further into her teens, her tastes expanded to include jazz as well as classical music. A chance meeting with Chick Corea when she was 17 led to a performance with the well-known jazz pianist the very next day.

"It was in Tokyo," Hiromi recalls. "He was doing something at Yamaha, and I was visiting Tokyo at the time to take some lessons. I talked to some teachers and said that I really wanted to see him. I sat down with him, and he said 'Play something.' So I played something, and then he said, 'Can you improvise?' I told him I could, and we did some two-piano improvisations. Then he asked me if I was free the next day. I told him I was, and he said, 'Well, I have a concert tomorrow. Why don't you come?' So I went there, and he called my name at the end of the concert, and we did some improvisations together."

After a couple years of writing advertising jingles for Nissan and a few other high-profile Japanese companies, Hiromi came to the United States in 1999 to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. For as open as her musical sensibilities had already been when she came to the U.S., the Berklee experience pushed her envelope even further.

"It expanded so much the way I see music," she says. "Some people dig jazz, some people dig classical music, some people dig rock. Everyone is so concerned about who they like. They always say, 'This guy is the best,' 'No, this guy is the best.' But I think everyone is great. I really don't have barriers to any type of music. I could listen to everything from metal to classical music to anything else."

Among her mentors at Berklee was veteran jazz bassist Richard Evans, who teaches arranging and orchestration. Evans co-produced Another Mind, her Telarc debut, with longtime friend and collaborator Ahmad Jamal, who has also taken a personal interest in Hiromi's artistic development. "She is nothing short of amazing," says Jamal. "Her music, together with her overwhelming charm and spirit, causes her to soar to unimaginable musical heights."

At 26, Hiromi stands at the threshold of limitless possibility, constantly drawing inspiration from virtually everyone and everything around her. Her list of influences, like her music itself, is boundless. "I love Bach, I love Oscar Peterson, I love Franz Liszt, I love Ahmad Jamal," she says. "I also love people like Sly and the Family Stone, Dream Theatre and King Crimson. Also, I'm so much inspired by sports players like Carl Lewis and Michael Jordan. Basically, I'm inspired by anyone who has big, big energy. They really come straight to my heart."

But she won't, as a matter of principle, put labels on her music. She'll continue to follow whatever moves her, and leave the definitions to others.

"I don't want to put a name on my music," she says. "Other people can put a name on what I do. It's just the union of what I've been listening to and what I've been learning. It has some elements of classical music, it has some rock, it has some jazz, but I don't want to give it a name."

Telarc Discography:
Another Mind (2003) CD-83558
Brain (2004) CD-83600
Spiral (2005) CD-83631
Time Control (2007) CD-83655
Beyond Standard (2008) CD-83686

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (march 20 - 26) - David Sanchez

2011-03-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (march 20 - 26) - David Sanchez
http://www.davidsanchezmusic.com/
Sanchez took up the conga when he was eight and started playing tenor saxophone at age 12.[2] The earliest influences were Afro-Caribbean and danza but also European and Latin classical. At 12 Sanchez attended La Escuela Libre de Musica[2] which emphasized formal musical studies and classical European styles[3] and two years later, 1982, was much taken with a Miles Davis album, Basic Miles, featuring John Coltrane[1] as well as Lady in Satin, a 1958 album by Billie Holiday with strings, arranged and conducted by Ray Ellis. Sanchez considered a college career in psychology but auditioned at Berklee and Rutgers University. Sanchez chose Rutgers because he got a better scholarship and was near New York which was Sanchez' goal. While at Rutgers, Sanchez studied with Kenny Barron, Ted Dunbar, and John Purcell.

After a period freelancing in New York with many top Latin players (including Paquito D'Rivera and Claudio Roditi), Sanchez joined Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra in 1990 and Dizzy became Sanchez' mentor.[2] Dizzy's group toured 27 countries, and 100 U.S. cities in 31 states, and also saw other notable musicians (Flora Purim for example, another Grammy Award nominee). After the United Nation Orchestra Sanchez continued to play with Dizzy until Dizzy died in 1993, mainly in Dizzy's Trio with Mike Longo. Since then he has toured with the Philip Morris SuperBand, recorded with Slide Hampton and his Jazz Masters, Charlie Sepulveda, Roy Hargrove, Kenny Drew, Jr., Ryan Kisor, Danilo Perez, Rachel Z, and Hilton Ruiz, and headed his own sessions for Columbia Records.

Since joining Columbia Records, Sanchez has released seven albums/CDs. Sanchez was much affected by 9-11 and the devastation of New York and this partly delayed his music released. But Sanchez was able to put together a very international situation for his real followup after 9-11. In 2005 Sanchez won the Grammy award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for his 2004 Coral which was two years in the making.[1] Recorded in The Czech Republic with The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Coral features a sextet: alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, pianist Edsel Gomez, bassists John Benitez and Ben Street, drummer Adam Cruz, and percussionist Pernell Saturnino.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (march 13 - 19) - Suzane Pittson

2011-03-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (march 13 - 19) - Suzane Pittson

http://www.suzannepittson.com

“When you listen to the lovely Ms. Suzanne Pittson, you are being made
privy to the artistry of someone who is setting the pace and creating new
standards for those who follow and dare to call themselves ʻjazz
singers.ʼ” — Buster Williams, bassist
#
“OUT OF THE HUB: THE MUSIC OF FREDDIE HUBBARD,” Suzanne Pittsonʼs most
recent recording, released on August 24, 2010, takes jazz vocals to a new level. While this recording demonstrates a perfect marriage of Hubbardʼs music and Suzanneʼs
lyrics, it also showcases her amazing skill as an improvising jazz musician, with an
astonishing technical facility, beautiful tone and phrasing, and unrelenting swing.
Suzanne was born into a musical family, and began piano lessons at age 8 with John
Hiersoux, a student of a student of Franz Liszt. Though she played classical music, her family listened to jazz day and night. When she was very young, she performed a
Schumann piece for Erroll Garner, a friend of the family, and he reciprocated by playing “Misty” on her piano at her request! Witnessing the creative freedom of this genius at an early age, no doubt instilled a profound curiosity of this magnificent art form.

Suzanne first fell in love with the music of the great trumpeter Freddie Hubbard while still in high school. She went on to complete a Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts in music as a classical pianist at San Francisco State University, where she performed as soloist and accompanist, and in various chamber ensembles. While in graduate school, she also began to study jazz. With years of piano training under her belt, she set out to explore the music of the modern horn players, transcribing and singing their solos.

Hubbardʼs unique harmonic language was of particular interest, and she determined to
use it as a model for her own developing vocal improvisations.
In June of 2008, Suzanne and her husband, pianist Jeff Pittson, visited Freddie at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City to seek permission to record original lyrics to some of his compositions. While he was initially flattered, Freddie was not confident that a vocalist could sing his complex compositions and he requested a demo. Upon hearing the demo, Freddie enthusiastically approved the lyrics to five of his compositions, stating that he was very pleased and looked forward to hearing the recording. Ms. Pittson has expressed that the making of this CD with Freddieʼs blessing was indeed a great honor and privilege.

“Out of the Hub: The Music of Freddie Hubbard” features some of the most dynamic
jazz musicians on the New York City scene today. Along with Suzanne on vocals, the
1
BIO
! SUZANNE PITTSON
recording features Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Steve Wilson on alto and soprano
saxophone, Jeff Pittson on piano, John Patitucci on bass and Willie Jones III on
drums, with stunning arrangements by Jeff Pittson. The lyrics were a collective
collaboration between Suzanne, Jeff and their son Evan, who also created the cover
illustration and CD graphics. All of the original lyrics express ideas about life, music, love, joy, suffering, and fantasy, but always seek to find hope in the midst of crisis. The two vocalese lyrics on “Lament for Booker (Bright Sun) and “Crisis” (Weʼre Having a Crisis) - set to Freddieʼs trumpet solos - are narratives based on their respective titles.

“Lament for Booker” expresses praise and admiration for the great trumpeter Booker
Little, who died at the age of 23, and the vocalese shows appreciation for the jazz
legacy that our predecessors have helped to create. “Crisis” is an urgent cry for
dialogue between people and cultures in order to resolve our world crisis.
“Out of the Hub: The Music of Freddie Hubbard” was recorded by Mike Marciano on
August 26 & 27, 2008 at Systems Two in Brooklyn, New York and was mixed and
mastered by Mike Marciano in April, 2009.

Suzanne Pittson is an exuberant, engaging and experienced performer. She has
performed in the US and Europe at such major venues as Yoshiʼs, Birdland, Catalina
Bar and Grill, Town Hall, Symphony Space, Aaron Davis Hall, Cornelia Street Cafe,
Enzoʼs Jazz, and has performed and/or recorded with John Patitucci, Buster Williams,
Dave Liebman, Shunzo Ohno, Mike Clark, Steve Wilson, Jeremy Pelt, Mark Soskin,
Jack Walrath, Chip Jackson, Harvie S, and others. Ms. Pittsonʼs first recording, Blues
and the Abstract Truth won strong praise from critics. Then in 1997, she set original
lyrics to all four movements of John Coltraneʼs seminal work, “A Love Supreme,” which
she then recorded in 1999 on her second CD, Resolution: A Remembrance of John
Coltrane. She is thus far the only vocalist to have sung the entire “A Love Supreme,” as noted in Ashley Kahnʼs book, “A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltraneʼs Signature Album.”

Ms. Pittson is Assistant Professor of Jazz Vocal Studies at the City College of New York, and lives in Dobbs Ferry, NY with her husband Jeff and son Evan.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (march 6 - 12): Roberta Piket

2011-03-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (march 6 - 12): Roberta Piket

http://robertajazz.com/

Biography
Pianist/composer Roberta Piket has become one of the few musicians in New York who is respected for both her swinging and inventive straight-ahead jazz playing as well as her powerful and sensitive work in creative improvised music. For Roberta, there are no genre boundaries, only good music to be made.

Roberta has played professionally as a sidewoman with David Liebman, Rufus Reid, Michael Formanek, Lionel Hampton, Mickey Roker, Billy Mintz, Harvey Wainapel, Eliot Zigmund, Benny Golson and the BMI/NY Jazz Orchestra and has twice been a featured guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, on National Public Radio. She has also performed with some of the most interesting musicians in European and American creative music, including drummers Klaus Kugel and Billy Mintz, and saxophonists Petras Vysniauskas, Roby Glod and Louie Belogenis.

A gifted composer as well, Roberta was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk BMI Composers’ Competition.

Roberta is from Queens, NY. Her father, the composer Frederick Piket, gave her her first piano lessons when she was seven. Roberta began playing jazz in her early teens, studying jazz piano with Walter Bishop, Jr and classical piano with Vera Wels. After graduating from prestigious Hunter College High School, she entered the joint double-degree program at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the former and a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies from the latter. During this time she studied privately with Fred Hersch, Stanley Cowell, Jim McNeely and Bob Moses. Upon returning to New York, she studied for six years with her most important mentor, Richie Beirach, and later studied briefly with Sofia Rosoff.

Roberta’s trio has toured Japan and Spain as well as the U.S. She has performed her music at the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), at the Earshot Festival (Seattle), at the Rochester (NY) Jazz Festival, and in New York at Small’s, the Blue Note, Birdland, and Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Roberta’s CDs frequently make the “best of” lists of the major jazz magazines. Whether performing her original compositions or highly personalized reworkings of standards, Roberta’s daring rhythmic modulations and harmonic expansiveness set a new standard for the piano trio. “September of Tears”, released in Japan, finds Roberta joining forces with Rufus Reid and Billy Hart. The 2006 release, Love and Beauty, features bassist Ratzo Harris and drummer Billy Mintz. A confessed “closet singer”, Roberta also made her vocal debut on Love and Beauty. An upcoming release, Sides, Colors, features herself and Mintz with bassist Johannes Weidenmueller in settings for winds and strings. The new CD offers other surprises, including another vocal and Roberta on B3 organ.

Roberta’s Nabokov Project sets five poems by Vladimir Nabokov to music for piano, violin, mezzo-soprano with percussion, and speaker. It blends neo-classical harmonic concepts with lush melodies and free improvisational sections.

Roberta’s recordings have earned rave reviews in JazzTimes, downbeat, the Washington Post, and Jazziz. A musical pioneer in several ways, Roberta is the first and only woman leader with a release on the prestigious Criss Cross label (the 1997 Unbroken Line).

Roberta maintains an active schedule as an educator. She has held master classes at the Eastman School of Music (where she performed solo and in duo with Marian McPartland), Rutgers University, Cal Arts, Duke University, the Northwestern University Composers’ Colloquium, and many others in the U.S., Europe and Japan. She has coached ensembles at Long Island University, has several private students, has served as a panelist for the Queens Council on the Arts grant review process and has taught at the Litchfield Jazz Camp and the Vermont Jazz Center. She is also the author of the Jazz Piano Vocabulary series of workbooks (Muse-Eek Publishing).

Roberta occasionally performs on B3 organ, playing at clubs such as the Harlem landmark Showman’s. She has written several big band compositions, three of which are in the repertoire of the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra. In recent years she has toured Europe several times, including France, Germany, Luxembourg, Ukraine and Spain.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (february 27 - march 5): Lisa Hilton

2011-02-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (february 27 - march 5): Lisa Hilton

Lisa Hilton / Bio

http://www.lisahiltonmusic.com

With what has been described as a "throbbing undercurrent of West Coast Cool", critically acclaimed composer, pianist and bandleader, Lisa Hilton, "has been compared, to some of the best pianists in history, such as Bill Evans, and Brad Mehldau" in the book "The New Face of Jazz" by Cicly Janus, (Random House), and to such diverse musicians as Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Erik Satie, and even Debussy, but Hilton's sound and touch are all her own. Dubbed by JazzReview a "Lioness" of Jazz", Hilton has continually worked with some of the greatest jazz musicians on the planet: Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, Larry Grenadier, Bobby Militello, Jeremy Pelt, J. D. Allen, Brice Winston, Gregg August, Rudy Royston, Reggie McBride and Steve Wilson to name a few, producing an album a year of her own compositions and arrangements. She has also recorded her recent releases with the legendary, twenty - time Grammy winning engineer/producer, Al Schmitt. Her music continues to receive high marks, longevity in radio airplay in the US, Canada and around the world, and is regularly featured on syndicated programs like NPR's Morning Edition for what DownBeat Magazine calls, "A deeply expressive style - rich melodies and improvisations and an appealing impressionism". Hilton has 12 stateside CD's and 130+ tracks on iTunes.

Lisa Hilton was born in San Luis Obispo, a small Southern California town, into a very musical family. Passionate about the piano from a young age, she was later inspired by stories of her great uncle, Willem Bloemendaal (1910-1937 Vlaardingen, Netherlands), a young Dutch virtuoso pianist. A simple colored keyboard guide allowed Hilton to teach herself to play the piano at six, and composing tunes soon followed. She avidly began the formal study of classical and twentieth century piano literature at eight, accompanied the school chorus at nine, led the flutes in the school band by ten, and later, accompanied high school theatre productions on the piano. As a teen, playing Standards and blues replaced Bartok and Beethoven. In San Francisco at college, she studied with a renowned piano instructor, who was also known as a demanding teacher and perfectionist. Disillusioned with the classical canon and overly rigid teaching methods, Hilton suddenly opted out of the piano, switched her studies, and graduated with an art degree. Now Hilton often speaks that her passions of music and art are combined and as the role of a musician as an artist in the world at large; "Music is an art. You need to know instinctually what to do." In 1997, on hearing a neighbor, multi Grammy winning producer/composer David Foster, discuss composing, her long lost love for music and the piano was reignited. "I think I was always a composer at heart," Hilton recalls, "but as a young girl in a small town, I had no awareness that I could create a career out of what I enjoy doing. I now have a deep and abiding love for the piano which seems even stronger after not playing for so many years".

The difficulties she experienced with her own music education, has led Hilton to contribute to music programs for children and teens, especially for those that serve the blind or the visually impaired. She has performed benefit concerts for Helen Keller's alma mater, Perkins School for the Blind, near Boston (2006, 2007), The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired, (2009, 2010), and The Junior Blind of America, (2010), Camp Bloomfield for the visually impaired, (1998, 1999) and ArtsReach (Malibu, CA). Hilton has also spoken to students at The Grammy Museum (2010) and other locations.

Performances: Hilton loves to perform: “I have a need to share our world musically. I have an incredible band, but the solo shows that I do also go over really well with audiences”. Hilton explains how her compositions or arrangements were inspired, to draw listeners in to her instrumental jazz. “I’ve had adults ecstatically proclaim that they could really hear what I was communicating – that they could really ‘get it!’ Others have been moved to tears, or call an evening ‘magical’, and then I’ve had teens shout out ‘YOU ROCK!’ Touching others musically is really what I desire to do.”

Radio: Hilton’s music is played on hundreds of radio stations in the U.S., Canada and around the world, and has been featured prominently on shows like NPR’s Morning Edition, various airlines and XM. Broadly appealing to all ages, Hilton’s albums appeared on many radio charts such as JazzWeek, CMJ, and Earshot Jazz/Canada.

Television: Hilton has been featured on CBS/Boston and WGN/Chicago.

Written Word: A published author, Lisa Hilton has also written for Jazz Times and Jazziz magazine. She is currently working on a book about musicianship, and appears in the Random House book, “The New Face of Jazz”, by Cicily Janus. She has had a music blog on her website since 2001.

Workshops: Due to the challenges in her own music education, Hilton is now very committed to music programs for children, teens and college students. Hilton also enjoys working with people who are blind or visually impaired, such as programs at Perkins School for the Blind near Boston, the Junior Blind of America's Camp Bloomfield in Malibu, and The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired

Favorite jazz pianists: Brad Mehldau, McCoy Tyner.

Musical influences: Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (february 20- 26) - Anat Cohen

2011-02-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

Anat Cohen
http://www.AnatCohen.com

An established bandleader and prolific composer, idiomatically conversant with modern and traditional jazz, classical music, Brazilian choro, Argentine tango, and an expansive timeline of Afro-Cuban styles, Anat Cohen has established herself as one of the primary voices of her generation on both the tenor saxophone and clarinet since arriving in New York in 1999.

In September 2008, Anat Cohen released Notes From The Village, her fourth album as a leader. Recorded at Avatar studios in New York City, the album builds on Cohen's acclaimed 2007 releases, captures the thrilling energy of her live shows, and proves her to be an artistically adventurous writer and performer. Notes From The Village finds Anat leading a quartet of some of the most sought-after, engaging young performers in New York, including pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Omer Avital, and drummer Daniel Freedman, with accompaniment from guitarist Gilad Hekselman on three tracks. The album features compositions written by Cohen as well as her interpretations of songs by Fats Waller, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke and Ernesto Lecuona.

“In preparing for the recording,” says Anat “I really wanted to capture the free, risk-taking, open quality this band achieves when performing live. I also wanted to stretch my compositions, and arrangements.” Early responses to the album have been overwhelmingly positive; The New York Times’ Nate Chinen wrote that “Notes From The Village is a resounding confirmation; yes, she is the real deal”, DownBeat Magazine awarded the release four stars, stating that “Cohen makes it seem easy, mixing a gift for melody and an improvisational fluidity that has few peers today.” Anat’s previous outings, Noir and Poetica were released simultaneously in April 2007, inspiring a string of enthusiastic reviews. The Washington Post said that “Cohen has emerged as one of the brightest, most original young instrumentalists in jazz [...] [she] has expanded the vocabulary of jazz with a distinctive accent of her own.” The Village Voice spoke of her “Enviable insouciance” and how “she alludes to the mystical in a merry way,” and Downbeat magazine expressed the opinion that “Noir could be a classic” and “[Cohen’s] stately intonation and unforced elegance on clarinet could take her to the top.”

Anat has performed for audiences in New York’s Village Vanguard, Jazz Standard, Iridium, The Jazz Gallery, and the JVC Jazz Festival. She has also appeared at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, San Francisco’s Yoshi's, Boston’s Regattabar, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. Anat’s July 2007 engagement at the Village Vanguard in New York was a historic one; Anat is the first female reed player, and the first Israeli to headline at the club. Ms. Cohen’s accomplishments have been recognized in a flurry of awards and distinctions from critics and fans alike; She topped the Rising Star- Clarinet category in DownBeat Magazine’s critics poll in both 2007 and
2008, and placed prominently in a total of four categories including Rising Star Jazz Artist - where she ranked second and was the only female artist to make the list. Anat was also mentioned on DownBeat’s readers poll in 2007 and 2008. The Jazz Journalists Association named Anat Cohen Clarinetist of the Year by in both 2007 and 2008 – the first time in the history of the awards that an artist has earned top clarinet honors two years running. Noir and Poetica both appeared on many year-end best-of summary lists, including those of Paste magazine, The New York Sun, Slate, JazzTimes and others.

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Anat grew up with musical siblings; her older brother Yuval is himself a saxophonist of note, and her younger brother, Avishai, is one of New York’s busiest trumpeters. She began clarinet studies at age 12 and played jazz on clarinet for the first time in the Jaffa Conservatory’s Dixieland band. At 16, she joined the school’s big band and learned to play the tenor saxophone. The same year, Anat entered the prestigious “Thelma Yelin” High School for the Arts, where she majored in jazz. After graduation, she discharged her mandatory Israeli military service duty from 1993-95, playing tenor saxophone in the Israeli Air Force band.
In 1996, Anat matriculated at Berklee College of Music in Boston. There she met faculty member Phil Wilson, who encouraged her to play clarinet, and other inspiring teachers such as Greg Hopkins, Ed Tomassi, Hal Crook, George Garzone, and Bill Pierce, and an elite international peer group of students.

During her Berklee years, Anat visited New York during breaks between semesters, making a beeline for Smalls to soak up the hybrid of grooves, world music and mainstream jazz that people like Jason Lindner and Omer Avital were then evolving. Back in Boston, she played tenor saxophone in a variety of musical contexts with various bands including Afro-Cuban, Argentinean, klezmer, contemporary Brazilian music and classical Brazilian choro. Anat also began her association with Sherrie Maricle’s top-shelf allwoman big band Diva Jazz Orchestra, which continued into the new millennium.

Once ensconced in New York, Anat quickly found work in various Brazilian ensembles like the Choro Ensemble and Duduka Da Fonseca’s Samba Jazz Quintet, and started performing with David Ostwald’s “Gully Low Jazz Band,” which explores the music of Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet and their Pan-American contemporaries. Anat documented her bona fides on her debut CD, Place and Time, one of All About Jazz-New York’s “Best Debut Albums of 2005.” On the liner notes for Notes From the Village, Ira Gitler writes “She is formidable. Long may she continue to enrich the music in myriad ways.” There is every indication that her star will continue to rise for a long time to come.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (february 13 - 19) - Esperanza Spalding

2011-02-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (february 13 - 19) - Esperanza Spalding

http://www.esperanzaspalding.com/

If “esperanza” is the Spanish word for hope, then bassist, vocalist and composer Esperanza Spalding could not have been given a more fitting name at birth. Blessed with uncanny instrumental chops, a multi-lingual voice that is part angel and part siren, and a natural beauty that borders on the hypnotic, the 25-year-old prodigy-turned-pro might well be the hope for the future of jazz and instrumental music.

Spalding was born in 1984 and raised on what she calls “the other side of the tracks” in a multi-lingual household and neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Growing up in a single-parent home amid economically adverse circumstances, she learned early lessons in the meaning of perseverance and moral character from the role model whom she holds in the highest regard to this day – her mother.

But even with a rock-solid role model, school did not come easy to Spalding, although not for any lack of intellectual acumen. She was both blessed and cursed with a highly intuitive learning style that often put her at odds with the traditional education system. On top of that, she was shut in by a lengthy illness as a child, and as a result, was home-schooled for a significant portion of her elementary school years. In the end, she never quite adjusted to learning by rote in the conventional school setting.

“It was just hard for me to fit into a setting where I was expected to sit in a room and swallow everything that was being fed to me,” she recalls. “Once I figured out what it was like to be home-schooled and basically self-taught, I couldn’t fit back into the traditional environment.”

However, the one pursuit that made sense to Spalding from a very early age was music. At age four, after watching classical cellist Yo Yo Ma perform on an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the roadmap was suddenly very clear. “That was when I realized that I wanted to do something musical,” she says. “It was definitely the thing that hipped me to the whole idea of music as a creative pursuit.”

Within a year, she had essentially taught herself to play the violin well enough to land a spot in The Chamber Music Society of Oregon, a community orchestra that was open to both children and adult musicians. She stayed with the group for ten years, and by age 15, she had been elevated to a concertmaster position.

But by then, she had also discovered the bass, and all of the non-classical avenues that the instrument could open for her. Suddenly, playing classical music in a community orchestra wasn’t enough for this young teenager anymore. Before long she was playing blues, funk, hip-hop and a variety of other styles on the local club circuit. “The funny thing was, I was the songwriter, but I had never experienced love before. Being the lyricist and the lead singer, I was making up songs about red wagons, toys and other childish interests. No one knew what I was singing about, but they liked the sound of it and they just ate it up.”

At 16, Spalding left high school for good. Armed with her GED and aided by a generous scholarship, she enrolled in the music program at Portland State University. “I was definitely the youngest bass player in the program,” she says. “I was 16, and I had been playing the bass for about a year and a half. Most of the cats in the program had already had at least eight years of training under their belts, and I was trying to play in these orchestras and do these Bach cello suites. It wasn’t really flying, but if nothing else, my teachers were saying, ‘Okay, she does have talent.’”

Berklee College of Music was the place where the pieces all came together and doors started opening. After a move to the opposite coast and three years of accelerated study, she not only earned a B.M., but also signed on as an instructor in 2005 at the age of 20 – an appointment that has made her the youngest faculty member in the history of the college. She was the 2005 recipient of the prestigious Boston Jazz Society scholarship for outstanding musicianship.

In addition to the studying and the teaching, Spalding’s years at Berklee also created a host of networking opportunities with several notable artists, including pianist Michel Camilo, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Pat Metheny, singer Patti Austin, and saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joe Lovano. “Working with Joe was terrifying,” she recalls, “but he’s a really generous person. I don’t know if I was ready for the gig or not, but he had a lot of faith in me. It was an amazing learning experience.”

Spalding’s journey as a solo artist began with the May 2008 release of Esperanza, her debut recording for Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, which went on to become the best selling album by a new jazz artist internationally in 2008. The highly acclaimed release was the first opportunity for a worldwide audience to witness her mesmerizing talents as an instrumentalist, vocalist and composer. The New York Times raved, “Esperanza has got a lot: accomplished jazz improvisation, funk, scat singing, Brazilian vernacular rhythm and vocals in English, Portuguese and Spanish. At its center is a female bassist, singer and bandleader, one whose talent is beyond question.”

Soon after release, Esperanza went straight to the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart where it remained for over 70 weeks. Spalding was booked on the Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live, the CBS Saturday Early Show, the Tavis Smiley Show, Austin City Limits and National Public Radio. Other highlights included two appearances at the White House, a Banana Republic ad campaign, the Jazz Journalists Association’s 2009 Jazz Award for Up and Coming Artist of the Year, the 2009 JazzWeek Award for Record of the Year, and many high profile tour dates, including Central Park SummerStage in New York and the Newport Jazz Festival. 2009 was capped by an invitation from President Obama to perform at both the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway – where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded – and also at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

In early 2010, Spalding was the subject of an in-depth profile in The New Yorker, she was also featured in the May 2010 Anniversary issue of O, The Oprah Magazine’s “Women on the Rise” (in a fashion spread that features portraits of 10 women who are making a difference in various careers), and she was again nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association for their 2010 Jazz Award for Up and Coming Artist of the Year.

If Esperanza marked a brilliant beginning for this gifted young artist, then Spalding’s August 2010 release, Chamber Music Society, sets her on an upward trajectory to prominence. Inspired by the classical training of her younger years, Spalding has created a modern chamber music group that combines the spontaneity and intrigue of improvisation with sweet and angular string trio arrangements. The result is a sound that weaves the innovative elements of jazz, folk and world music into the enduring foundations of classical chamber music traditions. Co-produced by Esperanza and Gil Goldstein (with string arrangements provided by both), Chamber Music Society finds Esperanza with a diverse assembly of musicians: pianist Leo Genovese, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, percussionist Quintino Cinalli, guitarist Ricardo Vogt, and vocalists Gretchen Parlato and the legendary Milton Nascimento. The string trio is comprised of violinist Entcho Todorov, violist Lois Martin and cellist David Eggar.

In addition to touring with Joe Lovano, Spalding has also performed with pianist McCoy Tyner.

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (february 6 - 12) - Wayne Wallace

2011-02-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (february 6 - 12) - Wayne Wallace

http://www.walacomusic.com/index.html
HISTORY AND EDUCATION

•Born in San Francisco, CA
•San Francisco State Performance Major
•Private study with Julian Priester, Bobby Hutcherson and Will Sudmeier La Escuela Nacional in Havana Cuba
INSTRUMENTS

•Trombone · Keyboards · Vocals
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS

•Co-composed and co-arranged, along with Jon Jang, the soundtrack to "Speaking in Tongues," an award-winning documentary about bilingual education, currently broadcasting nationwide on PBS: www.speakingintonguesfilm.info
•Received a 2002 San Francsico Arts Comission grant for composing the music to The Quilt
•Received a 2002 Creative Work Fund grant for composing the music to The Quilt
•Composed and arranged the music for Entre El Aliento y El Sol for the New Shoes/Old Souls dance company, in January 1999
•Composed and arranged the music for The Quilt, a spoken word/dance piece based on a quilt designed by the artist Faith Ringold
•Composed and arranged the music for Dance Variations a suite for piano, cello and percussion for Jean Jeanrenaud of the Kronos String Quartet
•Received a 1996 grant from the ZellerbachFoundation for composition of a Jazz/Afro-Cuban musical suite
•Taught a Jazz and Blues Workshop at the National School of the Arts in Havana Cuba, in March 1994
•Received a 1993 N.E.A. grant for jazz composition to compose a three part suite Digging Up the Roots reflecting the diverse musical cultures of the San Francisco Bay Area
•Composed and arranged the music for the American Conservatory Theater 1993 production of Pecong by Steve Carter
•Awarded the 1993 Bay Area Theater Critics Award for best original score in a drama for the musical Pecong
•Co-composed and arranged the music for the 1991 Theater Works world premiere of the musical Go Down Garvey by Danny Duncan
•Taught a Afro-Cuban music workshop in West Germany June-July 1989

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (january 30 - february 5) - John Beasley

2011-01-30T06:08:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (january 30 - february 5) - John Beasley

http://www.reverbnation.com/johnbeasleymusic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1h8LWQReiE

In demand US pianist, composer and arranger John Beasley has played with everyone from Miles Davis and Chick Corea to Steely Dan and James Brown. His recording credits include Hollywood blockbusters Finding Nemo and Austin Powers and he is MD for hit shows American Idol and America’s Got Talent. His latest tour brings together bassist Buster Williams and multi-reedist Bennie Maupin, two original members of Herbie Hancock’s Sextet with drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, to play music from Beasley’s latest CD Letter to Herbie, a tribute album to Herbie Hancock.

---------------------------------
Growing up around musicians, Beasley learned how to play piano, trumpet, oboe, drums, saxophone and flute and, because of his love for jazz, declined an oboe scholarship from the Julliard after high school. Beasley went on to play, tour and record with some of the biggest names around, including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Queen Latifah (MD), Christian McBride, Steely Dan (MD), James Brown, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, The Spice Girls, Jessica Simpson and Clint Black. While touring with Miles Davis, Beasley was inspired to release his first of eight solo recordings, which was produced by Steely Dan’s Walter Becker
Recognizing his talent for composing and arranging, major film studios such as Paramount, Disney and MGM have added Beasley's original piano sound and music to their projects. His work can be heard on box office hits WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Erin Brockovich, Godfather III, A Bug's Life and Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me and TV shows Cheers, Family Ties, Star Trek and Fame.

With the popularity of reality shows, Beasley, started working as Musical Director or Arranger on some of the top music and dance shows, including American Idol, Pussycat Dolls Presents, The Search for the Next Doll, America’s Got Talent and Singing Bee. On Season 4 of American Idol, Beasley was Associate Musical Director overseeing the 12 female finalists. He arranged the selected songs and coached and rehearsed the contestants for their performances. To his credit, Carrie Underwood took the title and went on to earn a GRAMMY and be a No. 1 country music sensation.
Today, Beasley continues to release new music, tour with his band, juggle studio work (commercials, TV and films), conduct workshops, produce other artists, perform and produce music award specials, work on music reality shows, and tour with Queen Latifah as her Musical Director. His eighth album, Letter to Herbie, a tribute to 2008 GRAMMY winner, Herbie Hancock, which features Christian McBride, Jeff “Tain” Watts and Roy Hargrove was released April 2008, topping the Jazz Week Charts and up for Grammy consideration.
Beasley’s latest tour brings together bassist Buster Williams and multi-reedist Bennie Maupin, two original members of Herbie Hancock’s Sextet (Mwandishi and Sextant), with drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, to play music from Beasley’s latest CD Letter to Herbie, a tribute album to Herbie Hancock.

“the one-time keyboardist for Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, reflects a variety of generational influences, incorporating the emphatic chordal clusters of Herbie Hancock, the rhythmic quirkiness of Monk and the lush intelligence of Art Tatum into a highly refined personal voice.”
-- Los Angeles Times

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (january 23 - 29) - Jane Ira Bloom

2011-01-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week - Jane Ira Bloom

Photographer: Kristine Larsen

http://www.janeirabloom.com

Soprano saxophonist/composer Jane Ira Bloom has been steadfastly developing her unique voice on the soprano saxophone for over 30 years. She is a pioneer in the use of live electronics and movement in jazz, as well as the possessor of "one of the most gorgeous tones and hauntingly lyrical ballad conceptions of any soprano saxophonist - Pulse."

Her continuing commitment to "pushing the envelope" in her music has led to collaborations with such outstanding jazz artists as Kenny Wheeler, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell, Rufus Reid, Matt Wilson, Bob Brookmeyer, Julian Priester, Jerry Granelli, Matt Wilson, Jay Clayton, Mark Dresser, Bobby Previte, & Fred Hersch. She's also spearheaded a collaborative world music group, "Atlantic/ Pacific Waves" featuring world music virtuosi Min Xioa-Fen on Chinese pipa, Jin Hi Kim on Korean komungo, and Mark Dresser on bass. She has performed at such diverse venues as Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Museum of Modern Art, the Kennedy Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Smithsonian's Einstein Planetarium, and the Montreal, JVC, and San Francisco Jazz Festivals as well as regular club engagements in NYC and tours of England, Portugal, Switzerland and Brazil with her current quartet.

She was recently awarded a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship in music composition. Winner of the 2007 Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Award for lifetime service to jazz, the 2001, 2003, & 2006 Jazz Journalists Award for soprano sax of the year, the Downbeat International Critics Poll for soprano saxophone, the Charlie Parker Fellowship for Jazz Innovation and the International Women in Jazz Jazz Masters Award, she is the first musician ever commissioned by the NASA Art Program, and was also honored by having an asteroid named in her honor by the International Astronomical Union (asteroid 6083janeirabloom).

A strong visual thinker and a cinematic stylist, Bloom's affinity for other art forms such as painting, film, theatre and dance has both enriched her music and brought her into contact with other innovative artists such as actors Vanessa Redgrave & Joanne Woodward, painter Dan Namingha, and legendary dancer/ choreographer Carmen DeLavallade. She has composed for the American Composers Orchestra (NYC), the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, the Pilobolus, Paradigm, & Philadanco Dance Companies, TV movie features (Shadow of A Doubt/ NBC-TV), and film soundscores (John Sayles' Silver City) writing works for large ensemble involving her signature movement techniques. She has also collaborated with classical composers premiering new works for soprano saxophone ("Sinfonia" by Augusta Read Thomas). Bloom is the recipient of numerous grants including two artist fellowships in jazz composition from the Chamber Music America / Doris Duke New Jazz Works Program for the creation of Chasing Paint, a series of compositions inspired by painter Jackson Pollock that premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and a suite of new compositions for her current quartet.

"Sometimes I throw sound around the band like paint and other times I play and feel as if I was carving silence like a sculptor."

The Philadelphia Music Project commissioned her premiere of Unexpected Light - a unique collaboration of improvised sound & light with world renowned lighting designer James F. Ingalls.

She has recorded and produced albums of her music dating from 1977 to the present. In 1976 she founded her own record label & publishing company (Outline Music) and later recorded for ENJA, CBS, and Arabesque Records. Her CD Like Silver, Like Song featuring keyboardist Jamie Saft, bassist Mark Dresser, and drummer Bobby Previte appears on the innovative Artistshare label.

Bloom has been the subject of a number of media profiles; she has been featured on CBS TV's Sunday Morning, Talkin' Jazz on NBC-TV, TIME Magazine's Women: The Road Ahead special issue, in the publication Jazzwomen: Conversations w/ 21 Musicians, in the Library of Congress Women Who Dare calendar, in Life Magazine's "Living Jazz Legends," on NPR's Morning Edition, Jazzset, Live From the Kennedy Center w/ Dr. Billy Taylor, and in the documentary film Reed Royalty hosted by Branford Marsalis. She is on the faculty of the New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music in NYC, holds degrees from Yale University and Yale School of Music and studied saxophone with woodwind virtuoso Joseph Viola. Nat Hentoff has called Bloom an artist "beyond category." Bill Milkowski has called her "A true jazz original...a restlessly creative spirit, and a modern day role model for any aspiring musician who dares to follow his or her own vision."

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (January 16 - 22) - Toshiko Akiyoshi

2011-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa Artist of the Week (January 16 - 22)- Toshiko Akiyoshi

Toshiko Akiyoshi’s unique contributions to the jazz world have evolved like falling dominoes through a series of events that started with a piano-loving little Japanese girl in China and brought her to prominence as an unparalleled pianist, composer and leader of the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. Toshiko’s recordings have received a total of 14 Grammy Award nominations.

Manchurian-born Akiyoshi’s interest in the piano started at age six, by the time her family had moved back to Japan at the end of World War II. Toshiko had developed a real love for music. She soon began playing piano professionally, which eventually led to being discovered by pianist Oscar Peterson in 1952 during a Norman Granz Jazz at the Philharmonic tour of Japan. On Peterson recommendation, Toshiko recorded for Granz, and not long after, she went to the U.S. to study at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

Her years in Boston, and later on in New York, developed her into a first class pianist. Her interest in composing and arranging came to fruition when she moved to Los Angeles in 1972 with her husband, saxophonist/flutist Lew Tabackin. The following year they formed the world-renowned big band that is now known as the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin. The band, which began as a vehicle for Toshiko’s own compositions, grew in stature during its 10 years on the West Coast and gained a reputation as one of the most excellent and innovative big bands in jazz. The late Leonard Feather, eminent jazz critic and author, summed up the brilliance of Toshiko Akiyoshi big band in his review of that album, “... greatness is greatness, whether on the East Coast, the West Coast in Tokyo or anywhere else in the world, I think you will find it in this magnificently variegated, consistently exciting example of one of the outstanding orchestras of our time.”

In 1986 Toshiko was the only Japanese New Yorker ever to receive New York City’s Liberty Award. In 1992, her work was performed by the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, and the following year by the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. In 1996 Maestro James De Priest conducted the Portland Symphony in a program of Akiyoshi’s works. In 1993 a live concert of the big band, “Strive for Jive,” was released in video. Toshiko realized a long time dream in 1996 when she completed her autobiography. “Life With Jazz.” The book is now in its fifth printing in Japanese and will soon be translated into Korean. Among the many honors she has received are the Shijahosho (1999, from the Emperor of Japan); the Japan Foundation Award, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosetta (2004, from the Emperor of Japan); and the Asahi Award (2005, from the Asahi Shimbun newspaper). NEA Jazz master (2007)

In 2002 Toshiko retired her big band projects and returned to the piano, touring as a trio and sometimes a quartet with her husband, Lew Tabackin. Summing up her own career, Toshiko, with characteristic modesty commented in an interview with the San Bemardino Sun, “I would hope that my work might have more substance and more quality rather than quantity of notes. And I hope the notes I produce today are more selective than 20 years ago.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5ZeJpgscj8&feature=player_embedded#!

Artist of the Week: Ayako Shirasaki

2010-10-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Artist of the Week: Ayako Shirasaki

BIOGRAPHY:

Recognized in her native Japan as a jazz prodigy (in the 5th grade she was already transcribing Bud Powell solos), Ayako Shirasaki while yet a pre-teen won many prizes including the Grand Prize at the Asakusa Jazz Competition. Her professional career began at the tender age of twelve when she began regular appearances at the “J” jazz club in Tokyo. Her extraordinary talent was soon recognized, and she was featured in Swing Journal.

Extremely versatile, Ayako majored in classical music at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and performed as a classical pianist for several years after graduation. But the love of the jazz idiom instilled by her father from the age of five won out, and Ayako soon returned to her first love, winning in 1995 second prize in the prestigious First Annual Heineken Jazz Competition.

In 1997 Ayako moved to New York City where she currently resides. Her talent won her a scholarship in the masters program at the Manhattan School of Music where she studied performance with such noted teachers as Kenny Barron and Ted Rosenthal and composition with Mike Abene.

Ayako is fast making a name for herself as one of the most exciting and inventive pianists on the New York jazz scene. She has been heard at the Blue Note, The Kitano, Birdland, Cobi’s Place, Dizzy’s Club, Sugar Hill Bistro, Swing 46, Copeland’s, Cleopatra’s Needle, and Kavehaz. Her unique style and strong rhythmic sense have made her much in demand. She has played with Lewis Nash, Kalil Madi, John Benitez, Steve Kirby, Kengo Nakamura, Kenny Garrett, Clarence Penn, Kit McLure and Harold Ousley.

Ayako released two self-produced CDs in 2002, “Live in New York” with her trio and “The Duo Live” with vibraphonist Tim Collins. In August 2003, her major debut CD “Existence” (Lewis Nash on drums, Marco Panascia on bass) was released in Japan. Her second major CD “Musically Yours” was released in June, 2005. In April 2006, Ayako’s long-waited solo piano album “Home Alone” was released. Additionally she has been featured on Marian McPartlands “An NPR Jazz Christmas with Marian McPartland and Friends, Vol. 3″ and recently on “Best of 1st International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009″.

www.ayakoshirasaki.com

ARTISTIC PROFILE:

“Ayako Shirasaki is a devoted, virtuosic, daring and expressive pianist.” - Howard Mandel, president of the Jazz Journalists Association and senior contributor DOWNBEAT Magazine, September 2009

“Ayako is an extremely gifted musician. She is blessed with great technique, a fertile and creative imagination, a firm understanding of the jazz tradition and a real love for the music. I recommend Ayako without reservation.” - Pianist, Kenny Barron

“She is one amazing musician, and an incredible pianist and composer. One of the greatest pianists I’ve ever heard! Don’t dare miss her. Ayako has everything that makes a musician great.” - Pianist, Jessica Williams

“Jazz improvisation at the highest level.” - Jazzthetik, German Jazz Magazine, April 2009

“Shirasaki is a virtuoso whose technique ranges from a tender touch like the late Tommy Flanagan, and brisk runs like Bud Powell, but with a brilliant creativity all her own.” - Greg Thomas, Chief editor, Harlem World Magazine

“She’s awfully good: rhapsodic when the material demands but still quite capable of swinging with Powellish drive.” - Paul Blair, Hot House Jazz Magazine, November 2007

“Ayako has a very good sense of time and advanced harmonic ideas.” - Ted Rosenthal, Pianist and Thelonious Monk Competition Winner

“Ya’ know, the good thing about this girl is that she really can swing!!” - Dr. Buster Brown , Tap Dancer

“Ayako, you are the very best!” - Cobi Narita, Music promoter

COMPETITIONS & SPECIAL EVENTS:

- Performance at Jazz Journalists Association Awards Gala 2010, New York (video)
- 1st International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009, Germany, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg
- Guest on Marian McPartland’s radio show “Piano Jazz” 2006; National Public Radio
- Finalist in the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Piano Competition 2005 and 2006; Washington, D.C., USA
- Finalist in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition 2004, 2005 and 2006; Jacksonville, Fl., USA
- Member of the 2003 Jazz Aspen Snowmass Emerging Artist Program; Aspen, Co., USA
- Second prize in the First Annual Heineken Jazz Competition 1995
- Grand Prize at the Asakusa Jazz Competition; Asakusa, Japan

CONCERTANTE PROJECTS:

Ayako is equally comfortable entertaining jazz piano audiences in a solo setting or as leader of a larger ensemble. Ayako attributes her ability to excel in both settings due to her command of numerous musical genres and her ability to provide a strong time feel, as if her left hand assumes the role of a seasoned bassist or percussionist. Ayako`s ability to collaborate across a wide range ofmusical settings is evidenced in recent duo performances with tap dancers, vibraphonists and horn players. Influential musicians cited by Ayako include Bill Evans, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Billy Strayhorn. Ayako has performed tribute concerts in honor of several of these jazz legends and plans on performing more in the future.

Artist of the Week: Ceumar

2010-10-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

Artist of the Week: Ceumar
www.ceumar.net/
Here's a crystal clear voiced brazilian singer, named "Ceumar" ( pronounced as "say-ooh-mar") , whose name could have been an artistic reference: heaven (Ceu) and the sea (Mar) - very lyrical and a justifying metaphor for her musical approach.

When asked, Ceumar will reveal the truth of her name: it's a combination of her father's and mother's names. At home the young Ceumar was exposed to the music of artists like Milton Nascimento, Lo Borges, Clube da Esquina, Joyce and Boca Livre. When starting her own musical adventure, Ceumar tended to choose the less obvious road, not very eager to sing the songs "everybody" already sung before her. That was illustrated by her more or less first show, which she called "30 Músicas que você não ouve no radio" (30 Songs you don't hear on the radio) and contained songs by Egberto Gismonti, A Barca do Sol, Hermeto Pascoal and others.

Ceumar plays with ..

She has made performances with premier Brazilian artists such as Vitor Ramil, Nilson Chaves, Lui Coimbra, Sergio Perere, Mauricio Tizumba. ceumar & jazztrioRecently, she has participated in the project DISCO DE OURO – TROPICALIA (“Golden Record – Tropicalia” ) with Lula Queiroga, Sergio Dias (Mutantes) and Rebeca Matta.

Last years she performed a lot in Europe with a wonderful jazztrio from Amsterdam NL ( Mike del Ferro - Olaf Keus - Frans van der Hoeven ) and with the african-european-brazilian crossover group Kokoura. Recently Ceumar also performed with the great American jazz-singer Deborah Carter.

History: Ceumar played at ..

During the last 5 years, Ceumar made performances in Curitiba (Paiol, Guairinha), Itajai – Santa Catarina (Winter Festival), Porto Alegre (Santander Cultural), Campinas, Rio de Janeiro (Novo Canto Project, Bolsa Nova Project), Belem (SESC DOCA), Sao Luis (Circo da Cidade), Brasilia (CCBB, Feitico Mineiro), Belo Horizonte (TIM Mov. Perc – 2005) besides her performances in Sao Paulo – capital and countryside.

In 2005, joined the Projeto Pixinguinha (Pixinguinha Project) roaming about the North and Center regions of Brazil. She also joined the Festival Cultura (Cultura Festival) exibited by the TV Channel “ TV Cultura”, with the song ACHOU! (by Dante Ozzetti and Luiz Tatit) achieving the second place.

In 2006 & 2007 Ceumar performed many shows in The Netherlands, Spain and Belgium. Some of these concerts were together with guitarist Dante Ozzetti, others were accompanied by the Mike Del Ferro Trio or Kokoura.

Highlights:

Festival Mundial, Bimhuis Amsterdam, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tropentheater Amsterdam, De Doelen Rotterdam, Zuiderpershuis Antwerpen (Belgium), Rasa Utrecht (NL), Sfinx Festival( Belgium).

Artist of the Week: Flavia Bittencourt

2010-10-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Artist of the Week: Flavia Bittencourt

http://www.flaviabittencourt.com.br

Em seu segundo trabalho Flávia Bittencourt viaja na obra de Dominguinhos. O CD Todo Domingos, em edição independente, mostra uma cantora forte que ousa e experimenta. Ela coloca seu toque pessoal em cada uma das doze releituras especialíssimas escolhidas na imensa obra do compositor.

Por ser de lá, na certa por isso mesmo. Flávia Bittencourt é de São Luis, Maranhão. Dominguinhos é de Garanhuns, Pernambuco. Os dois estados no Nordeste brasileiro, região de cultura rica e de forte identidade musical. Flávia e Dominguinhos são artistas do mundo. Ela, jovem e talentosa cantora atenta aos movimentos mais delicados de sua arte. Ele sanfoneiro e compositor consagrado, autor de diversos sucessos que permeiam o inconsciente coletivo. A mistura dos dois se mostra mágica em um álbum de nobre abordagem contemporânea.

Nesse encontro Flávia deita belíssima voz, cheia de ritmo, em clássicos como Lamento sertanejo, Tenho sede e Abri a porta. Com coragem chega até a Eu só quero um xodó, música das mais presentes no dia-a-dia do país. E – pasmem – ela consegue trazer vida nova partindo de elementos do bumba-meu-boi e da música flamenca. Os arranjos foram maturados de maneira coletiva com a banda. “Geralmente eu penso na música, começo a cantá-la sozinha e as idéias começam a surgir”, conta Flávia. No disco passam arranjos assinados por Jayme Vignoli, Leandro Saramago, Luiz Flavio Alcofra, Silvério Pontes, Alessandro Cardoso, Gérson da Conceição, Charlles da Costa, Thiago França e Rogério Fernandes

Flávia está irresistível em Sete meninas, dessas gravações quentes que fazem até o chão dançar contagiado pelos metais e percussão. Ao mesmo tempo se mostra especialmente lírica na releitura delicada para Tenho sede. E esquenta com tons de reggae Abri a porta, hit pop do grupo A Cor do Som no início dos anos 80.

E a festa soma presenças. A celebração de Dominguinhos se estende a seus parceiros. Aqui um painel variado que vai de Gilberto Gil a Guadalupe; de Djavan a Manduka; de Toinho até Anastácia, a mais presente. Passa também a presença de Jorge Benjor, celebrado na música "O Babulina", lançada por Dominguinhos em 1976.

Mais eis que o próprio compositor se faz presente, voz agreste acolhedora e sanfona aconchegada no peito, na íntima "Diz amiga". A amiga em questão não resistiu e incluiu uma composição própria e inédita, "Seu Domingos", homenagem dentro da homenagem.

A difícil seleção de repertório parte de uma carreira de mais de 40 anos do compositor. Assim que revelou ao homenageado a intenção de fazer o disco, Flávia ganhou apoio de Dominguinhos que ofereceu a ela discos raros, em que ela mergulhou em horas de pesquisa. “Foi um processo difícil porque eu tinha material pra fazer alguns discos e tinha que escolher só doze faixas. Mas também não queria deixar de lado alguns clássicos que são tão lindos”, revela.

A relação de Flávia Bittencourt com a música de Dominguinhos vem dos discos que o pai ouvia em casa. Mais tarde, já colegas de profissão, o encontro nos bastidores de um evento em que se apresentavam. O compositor convidou a cantora para interpretar o clássico De volta pro aconchego. O caminho de amizade levou Dominguinhos a participar do primeiro CD de Flávia, lançado em 2005.

O novo passo entrelaça ainda mais as histórias. Ele, longa estrada percorrida e em plena atividade levando sua música onde o povo está. Ela, segundo CD e construindo uma história sincera e apaixonada por sua música. Juntos em Todo Domingos, a voz de Flávia Bittencourt e a obra de Dominguinhos foram feitos um para o outro, basta ouvir.

Artist of the Week: Harvie S

2010-10-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

www.harvies.com

Harvie S, award winning composer, arranger, bassist, educator and producer is continually challenging himself and his peers, expanding the borders of musical direction.

A legendary bassist he has performed and recorded with Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Tony Bennett, Ray Baretto, Michael Brecker, Jean Pierre Rampal, Paquito D'Rivera, Gil Evans, Art Farmer, Mark Turner, Jim Hall, Stefon Harris, Billy Hart, Lee Konitz, Yusef Lateef, Dave Leibman, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, Paul Motion, Chico O'Farrill, Danilo Perez, Maria Schneider, Zoot Sims, Toots Thielemans, Ray Vega, James Williams, Phil Woods, Louie Bellson and countless others.

He can be heard on 13 Cds as a leader. 12 as a Co-Leader and over 350 CDs as a sideman. These recordings include his work with an enormous variety of artistic voices such as James Brown, Kenny Barron, Chick Corea, Tom Harrell, Sheila Jordan, Steve Kuhn, Pat Martino, David Mathews, Virginia Mayhew, Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers,Anat Cohen, Tyshawn Sorey Mike Stern, Donny McCaslin, John Scofield, Dr. Billy Taylor, Yusef Lateef and Grover Washington Jr.

His 2008 release with jazz legend Kenny Barron "Now was the time" on High Note records was voted best of the year and topped the Jazz Week charts for over five months.

His most recent CD released in May 2010 "Cocolamus Bridge" on the Blue Bamboo Label and premieres a panoply of original compositions by Harvie.

Harvie's innovative piece "S" was a winner in the International Song Writing competition of 2006.

Harvie S was selected a Jazz Ambassador for the United States and toured throughout Europe

and Southeast Asia in this honored capacity in 2006.

He has been a guest on NPRs "All Things Considered" and "Fresh Air." His career is documented in Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz, the Grove Dictionary of Jazz and the All Music Guide. Mr. S composed the musical themes for the documentaries The Trumpet Kings, The Piano Legends and John Coltrane. He can been seen and heard on the music videos of Toots Thielemans, Pat Martino, Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton, Jane Ira Bloom and countless others.

Harvie S has been featured in print and internet articles in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Daily News, Japan Times, USA Today, Downbeat, All About Jazz, Jazziz, Cadence , Jazz Improv, Coda(Canada), Jazztimes, Swing Journal(Japan), Jazz Life(Japan), Jazz Forum(Poland), Jazz Hot (France), Hot House, Jazz Improv, The Los Angeles Times, Jazz Podium and Jazz-it (Italy).

As a bandleader Harvie S has performed at The Blue Note, The Iridium, The Kennedy Center, Montreal Jazz Festival, JVC Festival and Freehoffer Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, Temple University, the Painted Bride, Carnegie Hall, Yoshis, The Edminton Jazz Festival, The Toronto Jazz Festival, The Sugarloaf Festival, The Saratoga Jazz Festival,, Sweet Rhythm, the Philadelphia Museum After Five Series, the JVC Jazz Festival, Manhattan School of Music Jazz Festival, Flushing Town Hall Jazz Concert Series, The Rochester Jazz Festival, The Lake George Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, Cape Cod Jazz Festival, Tblissi Jazz Festival, Jazz at Riverspace, the WBGO Summer Jazz Festival, the Tarrytown Library Concert Series, the 55 Bar, the Kitano, the Zinc Bar, the Middleton County Artists in Residence Series, and the Patterson School District Arts in Education Program.

In addition to his performance career, Harvie S is an active educator. He has been a Professor of Jazz Bass and Ensembles at Manhattan School of Music for both undergraduate and graduate divisions since 1984.

He has conducted workshops, lecture demonstrations and presentations throughout the world at many venues including The Kennedy Center, The New School, New York University, Columbia University, Harvard University, the International Association of Jazz Educators, the International Society of Bassists, Yale University, Amherst College, L'Escuela de Nationale, Havana, Cuba, Carnegie Hall Jazz Education Program, Sibelius Academy, Eastman School of Music, Berklee College of Music, William Paterson College and The Henry Third Street Music Settlement.

Currently developing a new music for a variety of musical ensembles and recordings, Harvie S

is integrating his lifetime of musical experience and research into opening doors to new and exciting pathways of creative expression

Artist of the Week (september 26 - october 2) - Ana Paula da Silva

2010-09-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Artist of the Week (september 26 - october 2) - Ana Paula da Silva
http://www.anapauladasilva.com/

BIOGRAFIA

Ana Paula da Silva nasceu em Joinville/SC, Brasil. Sua musicalidade foi tomando forma ainda criança, enquanto seu pai lhe ensinava obras de grandes compositores brasileiros.

Com formação auto-didata, há treze anos a cantora Ana Paula vem desenvolvendo sua carreira musical, evoluindo naturalmente de intérprete a violonista e compositora.

Com características fortes de uma grande intérprete e sua total identidade, Ana Paula reuniu grandes músicos, como Robertinho Silva, Arnou De Melo, Beto Lopes com novos talentos brasileiros para a gravação,
entre 2004 e 2005, do seu primeiro disco solo, “Canto Negro”. Com este projeto, apresentaram-se no Festival de Jazz de Montreux, Teatro Juarez Machado,
Teatro Municipal de Itajaí, Sesc Prainha e Turnê realizada na Austria.

Desde 2004, entre Brasil e Europa, Ana Paula realizou , junto do compositor, arranjador e guitarrista
Alegre Corrêa, o disco e a turnê Por Causa do Samba.

Nos seus quatorze anos de carreira, Ana Paula já dividiu concertos com grandes nomes como Elza Soares, Tavinho Moura, Toninho Horta, Leny Andrade, Lô Borges, entre outros. Também já atuou com músicos reconhecidos no Brasil e na Europa, como Robertinho Silva, Karl Hodina,
Jeff Gardner, Wolfgang Muthspiel e realizou em 2006 uma turnê de cinco semanas com o conceituado músico Joe Zawinul, no Joe Zawinul Syndicate.

Em 2009 aprovado pelo Edital SIMDEC lançou o seu terceiro projeto um livro-cd Contos em Cantos com
produção, composições e arranjos próprios, musicando histórias.

Em março de 2010 foi convidada pelo Grupo Chá de Cevada para fazer a turnê através do Circuito de Música do SESC, cantando e tocando música autorais do catarinense Edson Marques.

No segundo semestre de 2009, realizou o CD e a turnê * Aos de casa* aprovados pelo Prêmio Pixinguinha, somente dois artistas por estado brasileiro, passou por várias universidades de Joinville como pré-lançamento, e oficial em Joinville, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Jaraguá do Sul, Pomerode e segue para Áustria em Novembro deste ano.

Para 2010, já aprovado pelo Mecenato o disco Pé de Crioula de samba que terá a presença brilhante do arranjador Claudio Jorge um ícone do samba carioca.

No atual momento com o compositor e violonista Chico Saraiva realiza shows com a música de ambos e do folclore brasileiro.

O novo trabalho de Ana Paula da Silva – Aos de Casa, foi elogiado e divulgado no site Sintonia Fina por Nelson Motta

Artist of the Week (september 19 - 25): Jennifer Zarine

2010-09-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

Artist of the Week (september 19 - 25): Jennifer Zarine

Originally from the small town of Ghent in upstate NY, Jennifer eventually performed her way through most of the county and the Capital Region. She then went on to study at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where she earned a BM in vocal performance.

Upon the completion of her classical training, Jennifer moved to New York City with a focus in Musical Theater. This focus led her to the two year intensive program at Circle in the Square Theater School. Though Jennifer always had a love for jazz, it was here where her vocal teacher suggested she give it a whirl.

After receiving her theater certificate, she began performing throughout the city singing in cabarets, off and off off Broadway shows and various jazz clubs including Kavehaz (now closed) and Mannahatta (also now closed). She promises that she is not the reason for their closing as she has also sung at plenty of venues that are still currently open!

Her debut album, Fresh Made Cuppa Tea is a dream come true... a compilation of standards and classic rock songs with a fresh jazzy twist. Jennifer’s love for her family, friends and tea were the inspiration for the album.

Artist of the Week (september 12 - 18) - Lawrence Lebo

2010-09-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Lebo Biography

"Don't Call Her Larry, Volume 3" completes the blues trilogy Ms. Lebo has been working on with style. A brilliant collection for young and old, the songs evoke the past masters while inspiring the next wave of blues greats to follow suit. Easily the best album in the genre I have heard this year.”

- Christopher Llewellyn Adams, CashboxMagazine.com

“She sounds like what a daughter spawned by Ella Fitzgerald and Bob Wills might have”

- Dirty Linen Magazine

"She's hard to catagorize, and that's good!" - L.A. Jazz Scene

“DON’T CALL HER LARRY, VOL. 3 : AMERICAN ROOTS” - LAWRENCE LEBO brings her “Don’t Call Her Larry” trilogy to an anti-pop, deconstructed climax.

Hailing form Southern California, singer/songwriter/composer LAWRENCE LEBO is an artist who is enthralled with and dedicated to American Roots Music. Her journey began with her critically acclaimed debut Ep titled “LAWRENCE LEBO and her LITTLE BIG BAND:DON‘T CALL HER LARRY ”. With the release of her first collection, LEBO interpreted eclectic 30’s and 40’s Big Band Blues, using the vehicle of an eight piece “Little Big Band” surprisingly comprised of traditional bluegrass instrumentation, creating a hybrid of Americana Blues/Jazz/Roots, with vocals extraordinaire! Ace banjoist PAT CLOUD’S Charlie Parker influenced banjo work is not to be missed. The Ep was recorded live to 2 track and originally mastered to vinyl at 45rpm. It was later re-released on CD as "DON'T CALL HER LARRY, VOL. 1". The work garnered rave international reviews. The Ep's success got the attention of NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO who featured Ms. LEBO on the WEEKEND EDITION show, hosted by Liane Hansen.

The success of her first endeavor sparked her second release"DON'T CALL HER LARRY, VOL. 2", This time LEBO reinterprets her songbook with an acoustic quartet captured in a lice setting, comprised of vocals, guitar, bass and violin. The CD includes new tunes that showcase LAWRENCE’S songwriting and arranging talents along with her powerful vocals. LEBO swings, scats and moans her way through both originally penned compositions, and originally arranged classics that run the gamut from rocking electric blues, acoustic swing, to contemporary jazz.

In the age of trilogy, LEBO conjures a masterful offering. In “DON’T CALL HER LARRY, VOL. 3 : AMERICAN ROOTS” she continues to explore the depths of American Roots music, reinterpreting her songbook in a duet setting, featuring herself and bassist DENNY CROY (Doug MacLeod, Brian Setzer Orchestra). Stripped down to an organic setting, the stellar vocalist creates vivid imagery with her texturally diverse vocal styling. In an age where singers are manipulated with technology and slick production, LEBO goes bar-room-raw, minimal, and shows us exactly what she can do. In addition, LEBO has penned new works. They are American Roots hybrids of acoustic jazz/blues, western swing, and a heart wrenching folk tribute to the sudden loss of her dearly loved yellow Labrador Retriever, titled “Rose, Rose”. Notables contributing on the CD are PHIL PARLAPIANO (John Prine, Lowen &Navarrow, Dave Koz) on accordion, and MIKE ACOSTA (Brian Setzer Orchestra) on saxes. “DON’T CALL HER LARRY, VOL. 3 : AMERICAN ROOTS” is certain to thrill loyal LAWRENCE LEBO fans, as well as to attract new followers with its compelling ability to differentiate itself from the pack.

Ms. LEBO has worked long and hard at developing her craft. In addition to her more than 20 years experience as an accomplished vocalist, band leader and songwriter, Lawrence was driven to expand her natural talents through various educational programs. In the 1980s, she attended the vocal program at Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, California. With this educational background, a steady performance schedule and raising family, Lawrence returned to traditional academia in 2000, earning an Associate of Arts degree in music at Santa Monica College, and then transferring to UCLA to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree.

"An education at UCLA was not something I could afford,” says Lawrence. Nevertheless, she poured herself into her studies at UCLA and the hard worked paid off. Ms. Lebo received two of UCLA’s highest honors, including a Regents Scholar and a Gold Shield Alumni Scholar. Lawrence proudly notes, however, “The highlight of my experience at UCLA was getting to study Duke Ellington under Professor Kenney Burrell. It just doesn‘t get any better than that!” In the summer of 2005, Lawrence graduated from UCLA with Latin Honors. On the heels of this educational achievement, Lawrence released, DON‘T CALL HER LARRY, VOLUME 2. Currently LEBO teaches a Blues singing techniques workshop at world famous McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica.

Intellectually curious and stubbornly original, LAWRENCE LEBO continues to explore American Roots music and develop her art in ways that defy categorization. Ms. LEBO can be found performing at events, festivals, night clubs and exclusive private parties. She can be found on the world wide web at www.lawrencelebo.com For Booking Information or Press Kit contact On The Air Records at (818) 708-9565 or email at: lawrencelebo@lawrencelebo.com.

Artist of the Week (august 29 - september 4) - Kenia

2010-08-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

http://officialkenia.com
Bio

The artist was born Kenia Acioly into a family of Italian origins in the city of Nova Iguaçu, a distant working class suburb of Rio de Janeiro. When she was six, Kenia’s family moved to Copacabana. Later, she lived in Niterói, Rio’s sister city across Guanabara Bay, and Leblon, one of the city’s most upscale neighborhoods. Each stop along the way provided opportunities to explore the local cultural peculiarities that go into making Rio and its neighboring environs one of the world’s most exotic locales.

An interest in music came early; she studied piano and learned to play the guitar by ear. Singing however, became her path to success in music world. Influenced by such Brazilian greats as the late Elis Regina, she also began listening to such North American artists as Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRea and George Benson. And her choice of music to interpret came not from the bossa nova of the 1960s but from the talents of the generation of composers that followed and put the Brazilian sound on the world map once again.

Arriving in the U.S. in 1980, Kenia quickly established herself as the new Brazilian singer on the scene and recorded her debut in the States with trumpeter Claudio Roditi on his album Red on Red. Several years later, she launched her solo recording career, producing four popular and critically-acclaimed albums for the MCA and Denon labels between 1987 and 1991. She also established herself as one of the most popular and successful U.S. based Brazilian musicians since the heyday of Sergio Mendes and Brazil ‘66. In 1997, Kenia launched her own label, Mooka Records, with a particularly ambitious effort; Project Ivan Lins, a tribute to the one of Brazil’s most prolific and popular contemporary songwriters, featuring Lins himself as a special guest.

Artist of the Week - Carol Morgan

2010-08-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

Artist of the Week - Carol Morgan

http://www.carolmorganmusic.com/

Bio:

Carol Morgan is a jazz trumpeter, composer, author and college professor who resides in NYC. Originally from Texas, she is a Juilliard graduate who has worked with many remarkable teachers including Chris Gekker, Mark Gould, Ingrid Jensen, and Dennis Dotson.

Carol's discography includes three CD's as a leader. The Carol Morgan Trio CD, Opening, featuring Harvie S and Rich DeRosa was signed by Blue Bamboo Music and released in early 2010. Other session work includes solo outings, Classic Morgana and Passing Time with the Carol Morgan Quintet, as well as filling side-person roles on releases by DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Hawk-Richard Jazz Orchestra, The Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, NPR's The Engines of Our Ingenuity, Thomas Helton, Henry Darragh and Calvin Owens. As a composer she has been commissioned by DiverseWorks, the Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble, the Arch-diocese of Houston/Galveston and St. Thomas Presbyterian Church, Houston. In 2008, Carol authored what is now a highly-regarded method for jazz improvisation--a textbook entitled The Practicing Improviser.

Currently, Carol leads her own trio with bassist Harvie S and Rich DeRosa on drums, Carol Morgan's Case Study--featuring Helen Sung and Mike Moreno, and is a member of the New York-based DIVA Jazz Orchestra. Recent performing venues include Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC), Small's Jazz Club (NYC), Blues Alley (DC), the Playboy Jazz Festival (The Hollywood Bowl, LA), The Lionel Hampton Jazz Club (Paris), The Elephant Room (Austin), The Deer Head Inn (Delaware Gap, PA) and World Cafe' Live (Philadelphia).

Carol's goal as an artist and teacher is to help people enjoy music more.

2010-06-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

www.nikkionline.ca/

Nikki Yanofsky is a 16-year-old musical prodigy. Since her debut at the 2006 Montreal International Jazz Festival, where she won the hearts of the 100,000+ audience, Nikki has never looked back. She was the youngest singer ever on a Verve Records release when she recorded “Airmail Special” for the Ella Fitzgerald tribute album, We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song, alongside such musical
luminaries as Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, Diana Krall and Natalie Cole. She has also recorded the swing-era classic, “Stompin’ at the Savoy” with Grammy Award-winning artists Herbie Hancock and Will.i.am for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s audio book, On the Shoulders of Giants. Also, in the realm of popular music, Nikki was asked to
record “Gotta Go My Own Way” for Disney’s smash hit High School Musical 2. The song was included in French and English on the Canadian release of the soundtrack, and in the bonus features of the worldwide DVD release. Nikki has also starred with renowned hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean on episodes of PBS' current version of The
Electric Company and has been broadcast internationally on PBS’s youth talent showcase From the Top. In 2008, Nikki released Ella… of Thee I Swing – a live CD/DVD package recorded in Montreal.

Garnering critical acclaim, it earned Nikki two Juno nominations including New Artist of the Year and Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. Most recently, Nikki was a featured artist at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games held in Vancouver. Performing at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics as well as the opening ceremony of the Paralympics, Nikki was introduced to a world-wide audience.
Nikki was also chosen to sing “I Believe,” the anthem of Canada’s Broadcast Consortium. Written by Stephan Moccio and Alan Frew, this song quickly became a #1 hit on iTunes Canada and the Billboard Canada Top 100 chart. The single had the highest first-week sales of any Canadian artist in SoundScan history and was certified quadruple-platinum. That same week, Ella… of Thee I Swing went back to the top of the iTunes Canada Jazz Albums Chart and her single “I Got Rhythm” went to the top of the iTunes Canada Jazz Songs Chart. This was the first time since the inception of digital downloading that an artist has held these #1 positions concurrently.

Nikki has used her budding fame to help the underprivileged – becoming an ambassador for the Montreal Children’s Hospital, The Children's Wish Foundation and MusiCounts. Nikki has also recently joined her fellow Canadian artists in recording K’Naan’s
“Wavin’ Flag” for Young Artists for Haiti. Being sold on iTunes as a single and video, the proceeds will directly impact the lives of children, families and communities in Haiti through the relief and rebuilding efforts of Free the Children, War Child Canada and World Vision Canada. The local, national and international charity events that Nikki has been involved with to date have raised well over
$10 million.

Already a veteran of the touring circuit, Nikki has played to sold-out crowds at jazz festivals in Montreal, Toronto, Sapporo and Montego Bay, played Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Avery Fischer Hall with renowned composer and conductor, Marvin Hamlisch and has performed before full houses at Dizzy's in New York City's Jazz at Lincoln Center, the famed Catalina's Jazz Club in Los Angeles and even Tokyo’s historic Kabuki-za.

Nikki’s first studio album, Nikki, will be released by Decca Records in the spring of 2010. Produced by 15-time Grammy Award-winning producer Phil Ramone, it features new arrangements of classic jazz songs as well as some of Nikki’s first original music. It includes collaborations with fellow Canadian Ron Sexsmith and Grammy
Award-winning songwriter Jesse Harris as well as a song written for Nikki by Feist.
The summer of 2010 is already filling up with international tour dates. Canadian, US, UK, Japanese and European tours are all in the works including her fifth straight appearance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Artista Da Semana (junho 13-19) - Sandy Cressman

2010-06-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Artista da Semana - Sandy Cressman

Bio: Sandy Cressman

Born in New York City, Sandy began her recording career with the highly acclaimed vocal trio Pastiche, with whom she recorded two CDs, "That's R&Bebop" (Pony/Canyon/Nova) and "Remember That" (BluePrint). In 1992, Sandy began a solo career parallel to working with Pastiche, and in 1996 joined keyboardist Marcos Silva, for a steady gig at Caf»Bastille, a San Francisco jazz bistro. Silva, formerly musical director and arranger for Flora Purim and Airto, who has also worked with Toninho Horta, Dori Caymmi and other Brazilian greats, shared her passion for the music. Over a period of two years they developed an extensive repertoire, musical interplay and following in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sandy has lent her vocals to recordings by such diverse artists as Ray Obiedo (Windham Hill), Pete Escovedo (Concord Crossover) and Eddie Money (CBS).

In 1997, Sandy was featured on the debut release "Intercambio" (Good Omen,), by young Brazilian jazz harmonica player Damien. Her love of languages and world music has led her to become a much-in-demand session vocalist for Latin and World Music artists. Sandy often performs with Rebeca Mauleon-Santana, Orquesta Candela, and Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra. Sandy also composes songs for television and films, and most recently contributed a song, "Island Ways" to the film "Lulu on the Bridge" starring Harvey Keitel, Mira Sorvino and Vanessa Redgrave.

Sandy writes for the online magazine "Connecting Voices." and has lent her vocals to a number of notable artists' recordings, including: Ray Obiedo“Sweet Summer Days, Sticks and Stones and Iguana (Windham Hill Records) Pete Escovedo“Flying South (Concord Crossover Records) Eddie Money“Can't Hold Back (CBS Records) Neal Schon----Late Nite (CBS Records) Pastiche“Remember That (BluePrint Records)
and That's R&Bebop (Pony/Canyon/Nova) Damien“Intercambio (Good Omen Records) * Prince Ayo“Dancing to Africa (Polygram Nigeria) Candela“Ilusiones (Orfeo Records, Uruguay) James K“A Giggle Can Wiggle Its Way Through a Wall (Rivertown Records)

Sandy teaches vocal technique and style at two studio locations in San Francisco and at Blue Bear School of American Music. Sandy also coaches vocal groups and bands on harmony and blend and does vocal production in the studio. Most recently, she arranged and produced the vocals for Dr. Loco and the Rockin' Jalape³o Band's CD "Puro Party" (Flying Fish Records). Sandy is an associate of instructor Seth
Riggs, creator of the Speech Level Singing technique.

Artista da Semana (junho 6 - 12) - Ligia Saavedra

2010-06-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

Cantora, compositora e poetisa, neta do Maestro Jerônimo Guedes fundador da Banda Carlos Gomes de Abaetetuba-PA, nasceu no RJ e desde os seis anos de idade mora no
estado do Pará, transformando-se numa autêntica “Paraoca”.

Canta desde a década de 80 e está chegando aos trinta anos de carreira com apresentações nacionais e internacionais. Foi fundadora do Grupo Pau Brasil do Hilton
Belém, em 1985, grupo este que se manteve por vários anos a frente de vários eventos importantes no Pará e em outros hotéis da rede, inclusive no exterior. Desfeito o Grupo Pau Brasil, Lígia Saavedra, partiu para a carreira solo, participando de
vários Festivais de Música, ganhando troféus e fama pelo país além de se apresentar por muitos anos em bares, boates, teatros, praças e etc...

Participou dos Cds de Alcyr Guimarães e de Eduardo Dias, o Curumim, dois nomes de grande expressão musical no Norte do Brasil. Tem registro musical ao lado de Zeca Baleiro e Rita Ribeiro, no disco “TRIBO” quando de sua passagem por São Luís do Maranhão, aonde também foi puxadora de samba de avenida, quando cantou o samba da "Turma do Quinto", Escola de Samba do primeiro grupo ao lado de Roberto Ricci, um grande virtuose maranhense.

Nas letras escreve com a alma e é reconhecida como poetisa há alguma décadas, tendo sido premiada várias vezes por suas poesias e contos. devendo lançar seu primeiro livro de poesias no ano que vem.

Em 2002 teve sua trajetória interrompida por um câncer que a afastou dos palcos, mas,
“não dos verdadeiros amigos”, como ela mesmo diz, “ que a trouxeram de
volta”.Hoje aos 55 anos e às vésperas dos 56 e completamente curada, lançou seu primeiro CD “Além dos Muros”, com a produção e a direção musical de Pedrinho Cavalléro, onde canta Samba, Bossa Nova, Carimbó, Boi Bumba e Marabaixo, esses três
últimos ritmos amazônicos brasileiros, com grande aceitação no Brasil e
no exterior e agora Lígia Saavedra afirma que: "Sim, na estrada por onde passeiam a música e a poesia fiz meu reencontro com a Arte e com a vida".

Cd "Além dos Muros" Música brasileira com cheiro do Pará.

Visite:

http://saavedramusicachibeepoesia.blogspot.com

http://alamadeartista.ning.com/profile/LigiaSaavedra

Artista da Semana (maio 30 - junho 5) - Eddie Gomez

2010-06-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

BIOGRAPHY:
Legendary bassist EDDIE GOMEZ has been on the cutting edge of music for over four
decades. The Latin GRAMMY® award-winner’s impressive resumé includes performances with jazz giants such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan and Benny Goodman. Eddie’s unique sound and style can be heard on hundreds of
recordings spanning the worlds of jazz, classical, Latin jazz, rhythm & blues, popular and contemporary music.

Born in 1944 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Eddie moved to New York City with his family at an early age. His love of music led him to the double bass as a precocious 11-year old student in the public school system. Two years later he was accepted to the High School of Music and Art and soon began private studies with the great double bass teacher Fred Zimmerman. During these years, he performed with many
professional dance bands and was a member of the Newport Youth Band led by Marshall Brown. By 18, he had performed with such jazz luminaries as Buck Clayton, Marian McPartland and Paul Bley.

Eddie Gomez & Bill Evans

Eddie continued his studies at the Juilliard School of Music, where his contemporaries included Chick Corea, Hubert Laws, James Levine, Itzak Perlman, Paula Robinson and Gary Karr. By the end of his third year of school, he dreamed of a career as a performing jazz musician. Later that summer he joined with Gary McFarland and soon after the Gerry Mulligan Quintet.

In the spring of 1966, both Mulligan’s group (with Eddie on bass) and the Bill Evans Trio performed for a week at the famed Village Vanguard. That week at the Vanguard
changed Eddie’s life forever. When Bill Evans heard the young phenom,
he practically hired him on the spot. Bill called a few weeks later and
Eddie’s dream had been realized. At age 21, he was the bassist with
the Bill Evans Trio – and rose quickly to fame. TIME magazine declared
in its review of the trio’s first recording, “Eddie Gomez has the world
on his strings.”

Joining the Bill Evans Trio was indeed a turning point in Eddie’s career. He had arrived in a big way and the jazz community took notice. For 11 years, Eddie played an integral role in the Bill Evans Trio’s sound and evolution. This period
of vast artistic growth with Bill Evans included performances throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Asia, as well as dozens of recordings – two of which won GRAMMY® awards. During this time, Eddie also realized another dream
performing on many occasions with the great Miles Davis, in the Davis
quintet that also featured Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams.

In 1977, Eddie left the Evans Trio to explore new musical territory. For the
next decade, he performed in many diverse musical contexts, working with
Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, McCoy Tyner, Hank Jones, Nancy Wilson, Tania Maria, Ray Barreto, the All Star groups “Steps Ahead”
and “New Directions” and many others, as well as on GRAMMY®-winning recordings with Chick Corea.

EDDIE GOMEZ, Steve Gadd, and Richard Stoltzman are Special Guest Artists with Mika Yoshida (2008) In the classical music world, Eddie has been a guest artist with
The Kronos Quartet, Tashi Ensemble, Japanese marimbist Mika Yoshida and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. His recordings with Stoltzman have included “Begin Sweet
World” and most recently “The Goldberg Variations” and other pieces by
Johann Sebastian Bach. At Carnegie Recital Hall, Eddie premiered a
musical piece written specifically for him by William Thomas McKinley.

In popular music, Eddie has performed and recorded with artists such as
Bobby Darin, Tim Hardin, Carly Simon, Art Garfunkel, Mark Knoffler, Michael
Franks, Judy Collins and Jennifer Holliday. He has also been a member
of “The Gadd Gang,” Steve Gadd’s All Star R&B/jazz band. Today, Eddie tours and records with his own group, which he formed in 1992 with pianist Stefan
Karlsson and legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb. The group’s recordings
include “Live in Japan,” “Dedication” and “Uptown Music.” He is
composing for his own projects as well as for film and television most notably
for the prize-winning William Steig animation, “The Amazing Bone.” Eddie Gomez continues to enjoy an active, international career as a performer, recording
artist, composer, educator and featured guest artist on many high profile projects.

Eddie’s recent recording “Duets,” co-led with Carlos Franzetti on piano, won
Best Instrumental Album at the 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY® Awards. His recordings as a leader include “Next Future,” “Outlaws,” “Live in Moscow,” “Street Smart,”
“Power Play,” “Mezgo,” “Discovery,” “Gomez,” “Down Stretch,” “What’s New at F, “Palermo” and “Trio.” The recordings feature guest artists including Michael
Brecker,Richard Tee, Randy Brecker, Al Foster, Steve Gadd, Chick Corea, Jeremy Steig, Jack McDuff and John Abercrombie. His recordings co-led with pianist Mark Kramer include “Entropy,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Art of the Heart.” In 2006, his DVD “An Evening with Eddie Gomez” was released – with Eddie and Mark Kramer performing and lecturing on the intricacies and dynamics of improvisation.
A sought-after educator, Eddie is Artistic Director at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico where he has been professor and artist-in-residence since 2005. He has been artist-in-residence and associate professor of jazz double bass at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and recently was resident artist at Stanford University, North
Texas State University, Georgia State University, Jacksonville University,
and the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He gives master classes at many of the major universities and conservatories throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and South America.

Eddie Gomez continues to enjoy an active, international career as a performer, recording artist, composer, educator and featured guest artist on many high profile projects.

Artista da Semana (maio 23 - 29) - Antonio Adolfo

2010-05-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.antonioadolfo.com.br/

Antonio Adolfo

Filho de uma violinista da Orquestra do Teatro Municipal do Rio, carioca de Santa Teresa, aquariano da classe de 47, o pianista Adolfo aos 16 anos já pertencia ao fechado clube da bossa-nova acantonado no Beco das Garrafas, à frente de grupos como o Samba a Cinco e o Trio 3-D. No último, ele participou da peça musical Pobre Menina Rica, de Carlos Lyra e Vinícius de Moraes, e começou a acompanhar ases do setor. Mas a partir de 1967, em dupla com o letrista Tibério Gaspar, Adolfo, o compositor, transformou-se num dos detonadores da ala da toada moderna, que produziu sucessos como Sá Marina e Juliana.

Ao mesmo tempo, pilotando o grupo Brazuca, instaurou um tônus de modernidade eletrônica no pop da época (Teletema, Ana Cristina) até desaguar na autopista abrasiva da BR-3, que causou polêmica e sacudiu as estruturas festivalescas. Integrante da banda que acompanhou Elis Regina em duas excursões à Europa, um estágio com a erudita Nadia Boulanger, em Paris (além dos aperfeiçoamentos com os brasileiros Guerra Peixe e Esther Scliar), Antonio Adolfo estava pronto para mais um grande salto.

Em 77, num ato de coragem e pioneirismo, lançava o disco Feito em casa em seu próprio selo Artezanal. Era o pontapé inicial de uma tendência libertária, a do disco independente, que motivaria o aparecimento de artistas divergentes das leis do mercado tradicional.

Adolfo gravou neste sistema tanto material próprio (até música para crianças, a peça Astro Folias e Passa passa passará) quanto promoveu revisões de Ernesto Nazareth e Chiquinha Gonzaga, de pianeiro para pianeiros. Era o sinal de que como intérprete (vide sua incrível participação no III Free Jazz, no comando de três módulos de diferentes escolas da música instrumental), ele atingiu uma posição rara: a do criador contemporâneo que domina a linguagem da atemporalidade. (Tárik de Souza)

Desde 1985, Adolfo vem se dedicando a sua escola de música, o Centro Musical Antonio Adolfo, além de participar em eventos internacionais como músico e educador, sem deixar de lado sua carreira como intérprete. Recebeu dois Prêmios Sharp por seus trabalhos Antonio Adolfo e Chiquinha com jazz, respectivamente.

Como autor de material didático, lançou no Brasil sete livros pela editora Lumiar, além de um video-aula e dois livros sobre música brasileira no exterior. Durante oito anos foi o representante do IAJE (International Association For jazz Education) para a América Latina.

Recentemente Antonio Adolfo voltou a se apresentar com mais frequencia em shows, seja em formato piano solo ou em grupo. De uma de suas apresentacoes com a filha Carol Saboya, em uma Universidade dos Estados Unidos nasceu o trabalho em CD, lancado no Brasil e no Exterior: Antonio Adolfo & Carol Saboya Ao vivo/Live. E, mais recentemente, Lá e Cá/Here and There.

Artista da Semana (maio 16 - 22) - Carol Saboya

2010-05-19T13:07:00.001-07:00

Artista da Semana - Carol Saboya

http://www.carolsaboya.com.br
O ambiente sempre foi musical. Filha do compositor Antônio Adolfo, Carol Saboya foi criada em meio a acordes inspirados, partituras rabiscadas, músicas nascendo: arte em pleno processo de criação. Aos oito anos registrou sua voz pela primeira vez em dupla com Miéle no compacto A menina e a TV. Ainda menina participou como vocalista de discos de Erasmo Carlos e Ângela Ro Ro. Participou do histórico musical Verde que te quero ver e de trilhas sonoras infantis. Passou três anos estudando canto nos Estados Unidos, quando participou do CD Brasileiro, de Sérgio Mendes.

Na volta ao Brasil gravou com a pianista americana Joyce Collins e participou de um tributo a Aldir Blanc, que se emocionou ao ouvir Carol cantar a música Carta de pedra no Canecão. A menina de voz doce e afinação impecável começou a chamar atenção da mídia. O aguardado trabalho solo veio em 1998. Produzido por Almir Chediak, Dança da voz garantiu a Carol o Prêmio Sharp de Melhor Cantora Revelação do ano. No ano seguinte se debruçou sobre a obra de Tom Jobim e gravou, acompanhada pelo violão de Nelson faria, o álbum Janelas abertas.

Em 2000 é a vez de visitar o inconsciente coletivo com o repertório cinematográfico de Sessão Passatempo. Ainda nesse ano defendeu Imaginária, de Suely Mesquita e Mário Seve, no Festival da Música Brasileira promovido pela TV Globo. O álbum seguinte, Presente (2003) retomava a sofisticada e bem sucedida mistura de música pop e tradicional presente no primeiro. Para 2005 Carol prepara um CD inteiramente dedicado ao inspirado letrista Abel Silva, seu primeiro parceiro musical.

Dois anos depois, em setembro de 2005, teve a oportunidade de gravar o seu primeiro DVD ao vivo (ainda em fase de finalização), no Teatro Leblon, com concepção e direção de Paulinho Moska. No show, interpretou músicas dos seus dois discos lançados no Japão Bossa Nova e Nova Bossa e contou com a participação especial de Marcos Valle, Rildo Hora e Os Cariocas. O primeiro trabalho gravado integralmente com seu pai veio em 2006, quando lançou Antonio Adolfo e Carol Saboya - ao vivo / live. O CD surgiu a partir do show Bossa Nova Forever, um tributo à bossa nova e ao samba-jazz, que fizeram em outubro de 2005, na Universidade de Miami.

Dentre os projetos para o futuro, Carol quer se dedicar à carreira de compositora, firmar as parcerias com Abel Silva (com quem compôs Agora, Amanda, Sim, Olhos tontos) e com Marcelo Moutinho (Quando o verbo é partir) e ainda gravar um disco com as novas criações.

Artista da Semana (maio 2 - maio 8)- Lissy Walker

2010-05-05T20:37:00.001-07:00

http://www.lissywalker.com
http://jnbreview.blogspot.com/2010/04/featured-artist-lissy-walker-cd-title.html

Lissy Walker is a jazz singer, but her wide-ranging musical interests set her apart from your average chanteuse. She’s been an actress and singer for most of her life and brings a dramatic sensibility to her jazz vocals with nuances of folk, pop, and country in her performances. “When I started working on the arrangements for Life Is Sweet I chose songs by writers like Harry Nilsson, and Randy Newman because they’re the songwriters I love, along with writers we readily associate with The Great American Songbook, as well as a few from across the pond, like Ray Davies and Nick Drake.”

"I tend toward happy melodies with sad lyrics or vice versa, tunes that look at both sides of the coin. Several songs deal with mortality, or the ache of a broken heart, but the underlying theme of the album is redemption. How love affects our ability to embrace life and acknowledge the limitations of existence, and that beauty can be found in melancholy. The idea that a broken heart is better than no heart at all.”

Walker produced Life Is Sweet with bassist Jon Evans (Tori Amos, Spencer Day). The arrangements are by Walker and pianist John R. Burr. Drummer Scott Amendola (Madeleine Peyroux) and Grammy nominated guitarist Scott Nygaard complete the basic quartet. Cellist Philip Worman, organ player Julie Wolf (Ani Di Franco), trumpeter Steven Bernstein (Rufus Wainwright), and Dave Ellis on sax added discreet overdubs. “We left room in the arrangements for improvisation,” Walker says. “We worked out the feel of the songs, coming up with specific interpretations, the intros and endings, and then let the ideas flow.”

Walker’s burnished vocals have a hint of restrained passion that suggests country music, but her phrasing, which dances around before and after the beat, is pure jazz. Her low-key approach is folky at times, but raw emotion lurks just beneath the surface, adding an alluring tension to her performances.

Lissy Walker grew up in Berkeley surrounded by artists, architects, and writers, lovers of art and music in the seventies. Both parents were classical music buffs, and it was played night and day. As a child Walker studied classical piano. “I loved playing, and the lessons gave me an important base for all the music I’ve done,” Walker recalls. “When I discovered ragtime, I asked if I could take jazz piano. My parents encouraged me to teach myself, so I bought a book of Scott Joplin rags and learned to play ragtime on my own.”

“In the 7th Grade, I saw A Midsummer Night's Dream and decided I wanted to be an actress. I went to the Young Conservatory at ACT in San Francisco. At Berkeley High School, I studied classical music and appeared in musical productions. At choir rehearsals, I could hear the jazz band down the hall. I asked the jazz teacher, Phil Hardymon, if I could sing with the jazz band and he put together a combo with some of his students.” They performed to great success at the school and got a few gigs around town.

Walker went on to study theatre and voice at UCLA, then attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School Of The Theatre in New York, studying singing, dance, and acting with Sanford Meisner, the school’s founder. After graduation, Walker became a regular player with the Home for Contemporary Theater and Art. She appeared in The School For Jolly Dogs, a revue based on English Music Hall songs and Charles Mee’s The Imperialists at the Club Cave Canem, which was picked up by Joseph Papp’s Public Theater. Walker was reviewed favorably in the New York Times.

After eight years in New York, Walker and her husband, cellist Philip Worman, moved back to San Francisco. She appeared in the award-winning productions of Tom Jones and The Sea Plays and ACT’s critically acclaimed Long Day’s Journey into Night.

Walker never stopped singing, however. She took classes at Berkeley’s Jazzschool, learning to write her own charts and create arrangements. With the help of her teacher Maye Cavallaro, she made connections in the Bay Area’s jazz community. She began to develop her folk/jazz approach to arranging and singing. Gigs at local clubs and events got positive feedback. Fellow musicians encouraged her to go into the recording studio. Local singer/songwriter, Alexis Harte suggested Jon Evans as producer. “I met Jon and we clicked. We talked about doing a jazz album with folk and pop elements, to bring together all the music I love. He suggested (pianist) John R [Burr], (drummer) Scott Amendola and a few of the other players. I wanted people who had range, for an eclectic mix of styles.”

The result is a quiet classic, with the musicians placing their restrained virtuosity in the service of Walker’s subtle vocals to deliver an album that keeps revealing its emotional and musical intensity with repeated listenings.

Artista da Semana (abril 25 - maio 1)- Andrea Brachfeld

2010-04-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

http://andreabrachfeld.com/

Flutist, composer, arranger, producer, educator, business owner, Andrea Brachfeld, is a graduate of The High School of Music and Art and Manhattan School of Music. Over these past 30 years she has recorded more than a dozen CD's with many artists including, Wayne Wallace, Bobby Carcasses, Africando, Oscar Hernandez (Spanish Harlem Orchestra) and Timbalaye. Her breakthrough performance as the flutist for the popular Latin band Charanga '76, catapulted her into Salsa history and fame as the first female flutist to play this music in the United States. While in high school she received the "Louis Armstrong Award for Outstanding Student" from Jazz Interactions . Study with Hubert Laws, Jimmy Heath, and Mike Longo helped her develop her own style. Downbeat magazine referred to Andrea as "one of the finest jazz flutists around." She has twice been the recipient of the Latin New York Music Award as a flutist. She has performed with Dave Valentin, Nestor Torres, Tito Puente, and Ray Barretto among others. While in Venezuela, she had the honor of opening for Chick Corea, and Paco de Lucia. She was recently awarded the Chico O'Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award from Latin Jazz USA. Her first Latin Jazz CD, "Remembered Dreams" combines Latin originals with contemporary jazz cuts. Her second CD, "Back With Sweet Passion", is a dynamic Salsa recording featuring Grammy winner Oscar Hernandez on piano, and Alfredo De La Fey on violin. Her third CD "Beyond Standards" is a collaborative effort with Chembo Corniel, featuring jazz greats Hilton Ruiz on piano and Steve Turre on trombone. She has appeared with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra as a soloist performing her own compositions as well as those of Mike Longo, longtime musical director for Dizzy Gillespie. She is currently performing with her own group Phoenix Rising, and her latest Latin Jazz CD is ,"Into the World: A Musical Offering" with guest artists Mike Longo, Paul West and Brian Lynch.

Awards:

* Louis Armstrong Award for Outstanding Student from Jazz Interactions
* Latin New York Music Award - Twice the recipient for flutist
* Chico O'Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award - Latin Jazz USA
* Tribute to Women in Salsa - Salsation Productions, Washington DC
* Nominated as Best Latin Jazz flutist - Chip Boaz - Latin Jazz Corner

Artista da Semana (abril 18 - 24) - Mart'nalia

2010-04-26T11:29:00.001-07:00

www.martnalia.com.br/

Daughter of samba legend Martinho da Vila, Mart’nália was born and bred in the heart of the Rio
de Janeiro samba scene. Today she is one of Brazil’s most exciting new
artists, ready to carry the classic rhythms of Rio into the future.
Performing with her full band from Rio, Mart’nália is samba. Her CD’s
have been produced by legends and icons like Maria Bethania, Caetano
Veloso and Celso Fonseca. Chico Buarque sings duets with the young
artist. And everyone in Brazil, from lovers of classic styles to hipster
cariocas, has fallen in love with the music of Mart’nalia.
Mart’nália: born to the samba tradition

As a child, she would follow her father to the samba sessions of Vila Isabel. Soon she was dancing samba, and eager to be a full-fledged
sambista, she learned to play guitar, tambourine, and sing. 1985, she
started recording a few things “just for fun”, but her talent was
immediately recognized, and her first album was released, “Mart’nália
(3M//music manager, Ruy Quaresma). In 1995, her second album was
released: “Minha Cara” (ZFM//music manager, Ivan Machado). In 2002 she
released the acclaimed “Pé do Meu Samba” (Natasha Records), which she
considered her “real thing.” Produced by Celso Fonseca and directed by
Caetano Veloso, the CD was highly praised by the media and led to a long
run of live performances, which were recorded on DVD. Next came
“Mart’nália ao Vivo” in 2004 (Natasha Records). This time, the singer
took personal charge of the music production and the show was directed
by Marcia Alvarez, also in charge of the screenplay. This live album was
recorded at Olimpo/Rio de Janeiro, and had as special guests: Caetano
Veloso, Celso Fonseca, Djavan, Martinho da Vila, Moska and Zélia Duncan.

Her most recent recording, “Menino do Rio,” was released in 2006 on the Quitanda label, owned by diva Maria Bethânia who also performed on
the album, contributed with art direction, and “her” conductor Jaime
Alem, for the music direction. This
diversified album includes the song “Cabide,” a gift from
singer/composer Ana Carolina – chosen as the sound track for a popular
“novella” (a type of Brazilian soap opera) directed by Gilberto Braga.

During her entire career, Mart’nália has been a sought-after and active performer and important presence in the Brazilian music scene, in
shows throughout Brazil and Europe.
Shows & reviews

Since 2002, when “Pé no Samba” as a live show was still a project, Mart’nália decided she would always invite a friend to share the
performance. The idea was to re-create the open, relaxed atmosphere of
the rodas de samba. The best moment, she thought, would be right after
the “voice and guitar”: the guest would perform his songs, maybe a
different version of her songs, and they could sing in duet. It worked,
and the stage of Pé no Samba received artists such as Alcione, Beth
Carvalho, Caetano Veloso, Celso Fonseca, Fernanda Abreu, Geraldo
Azevedo, Ivan Lins, Jussara Silveira, Lenine, Luiz Melodia, Martinho da
Vila, Moska, Pedro Luís, Sandra de Sá, Zélia Duncan, Zé Renato and Toni
Garrido. What happened? Every performance became unique – creative
samba, always on the move.

In November, she accepted an invitation from Caetano Veloso and took part in the Projeto Pão Music, held at the park Ibirapuera, São
Paulo. In Rio de Janeiro, she sang at the Canecão, together with her
father, Martinho da Vila. These shows were part of the “Projeto Música
Popular Brasileira”. From there she went on, doing a number of concerts
in Portugal. Many more shows followed.
Some highlights of the last few years:

2005
• Mart’nália had two show seasons: one every week at the Centro Cultural
Carioca (on Wednesdays), and one every Sunday at Melt.
• She took part in “Show da Mangueira”, singing with Djavan at the
Canecão and with Emílio Santiago at Tom Brasil, in São Paulo.
• By February, the DVD “Mart’nália ao Vivo” was out, celebrated with a
party at Modern Sound, a cult record store in Rio.
• May 1st; she performed at “Encontros Tim”. Held in Copacabana beach,
the show also brought Marcelo D2, Marisa Monte and Paulinho da Viola.
• May 13 celebrates the Brazilian freedom from slavery, and a beautiful
event took place at the headquarters of Escola de Samba de Vila Isabel.
Also invited were Sandra de Sá and Zélia Duncan.
• June: Mart’nália’s European Tour started in Italy, with the 15th Latin
American Festival, in Milano. Next, she went to the cities of Porto and
Lisboa – Portugal – and from there she landed at Espaço Brasil/França,
in Paris. To round up the Tour, her last show took place in Roma.
• November: the 5th CD was recorded, with art direction of Maria
Bethânia and music direction of Jaime Alem.

2006
February: Release of “Menino do Rio.” Eclectic in style, the CD shows
unique interpretations of :
• “Menino do Rio”, a classic from Caetano Veloso.
• “Estácio Holly Estácio”, a classic from Luiz Melodia.
• “Cabide”, from Ana Carolina (became a hit song).
• “A Origem da Felicidade”, a partido alto (tradicional samba), with
Celso Fonseca, drums and percussion of Bateria da Vila Isabel.
• “São Sebastião” has the swing of Totonho Villeroy and the voice of
Maria Bethânia.
• “Soneto do teu corpo”, with successful pop music partners Moska and
Leoni.
• “Só Deus é quem sabe”, a romantic song from Guilherme Arantes.
• “Nas águas de Amaralina”, by Nelson Rufino and Martinho da Vila.
• “Casa da minha comadre”, by Roque Ferreira and Jorge Agrião.
• “Boto meu povo na rua” by Arlindo Cruz, Acyr Marques and Ronaldinho
• “Essa mania” (with Paulinho Moska)
Martn’ália’s father, the great samba lengend, Martinho da Vila writes:

“The name “Mart’nália” was an invention, a mixture of my own name, Martinho, and that of her late mother Anália. What a singer she is! Her
voice is sweet, dark, and swinging, with a distinct and unique timbre.
She also dances, plays guitar and almost every Brazilian percussion
instrument. God bless you, Mart’nália!”

Artista da Semana (abril 11 -17) - Yasmine Seydi

2010-04-10T21:17:00.001-07:00

Artista da Semana - Yasmine Seydi

http://jazznbossa.ning.com/profile/Seydi
http://www.myspace.com/yasmineseydi1

Biography

Yasmine Seydi immense love of music and dance is undoubtedly influenced by her rich cultural heritage. Her
journey began in Ziguinchor, Senegal, where she was born, then raised
in France only to follow her heart to Brazil. She began her artistic
career as a dancer with the Brasil Tropical a large troop of forty
dancers
and musicians. After touring the globe several times and appreciating
all the different expressions of each country she nonetheless was drawn
back to the melting pot of Brazil and its mix of interbreeding and
imaginary.

Three years later she returns to France where she continues her
professional
course as a dancer performing with various dance groups and cabarets,
and participating in TV broadcasts along side the singers. Music and
dance is Yasmine’s universe, here these two disciplines unfold and
entwine in choreographic harmony. Her passion is directed towards
Brazilian
songs which she studies with Rolando Faria, jazz with Michele Hendricks
and Viviane Ginapé who are within the framework of L' IACP(school of
jazz in Paris) and also with Sara Lazarus at the Bill Evans Academy
piano in Paris.

Yasmine Seydi est née à Ziguinchor au Sénégal, elle a grandi en France puis a vécu au Brésil. Elle porte en elle ses multiples influences ce à quoi
s’ajoute
un amour immodéré de la musique et de la danse.

Elle débute sa carrière artistique comme danseuse au sein de la troupe « Brasil Tropical »qui regroupe
une quarantaine de danseurs et musiciens. Après de nombreuses tournées
et après avoir parcouru les scènes du monde entier, elle réside durant
trois années au Brésil, son pays d’adoption et aussi celui de
l’imaginaire
et du métissage.

De retour en France elle poursuit son parcours professionnel de danseuse dans différents groupes de danse,

cabarets et participe à des émissions télévisées aux côtés de
chanteurs de variétés.

La musique et la danse font partie de son univers chorégraphique. Ces deux disciplines se déployant dans un espace commun, Yasmine se passionne naturellement pour le chant
et étudie la musique brésilienne avec Rolando Faria, le jazz avec
Michelle Hendricks et Viviane Ginapé dans le cadre de l’IACP (école
de jazz à Paris) ainsi qu’avec Sara Lazarus à la Bill Evans piano
Academy à Paris.

Chanteuse et meneuse de revue dans divers cabarets et salles de spectacles (Pau Brasil, Pharaon…) elle se produit aussi dans plusieurs club de jazz et salles de concerts
avec sa formation musical (7 Lézards, festival de St Denis2007, Festival

« Cores do Brasil », Blue Note (Paris), Casino de Lille, Casinos Lucien
Barrière…)

Es posible que tu navegador no permita visualizar esta imagen.

YASMINE SEYDI QUARTET

Le groupe est composé de trois musiciens (piano, basse, batterie) mais nous pouvons aussi nous produire
en formation réduite : piano, voix ou guitare, voix.

Le répertoire est basé sur la musique brésilienne (Bossa Nova) et le Jazz, à écouter ou à danser.

Il est adapté aussi bien aux concerts qu’aux réceptions et soirées thématiques.

Un voyage saisissant dans l'univers chaleureux et chaloupé de la musique brésilienne.

Une interprète à la voix d'une douceur envoûtante qui semble planer au dessus de la musique pour venir s'y poser avec une grâce infinie.

De Rosa Passos à Jobim en passant par Djavan et Gilberto Gil, Yasmine et sa voix de velours explorent un répertoire poétique, sensuel et généreux !

Not only, over many years performing as an entertainer in music and
dance at various cabarets and shows (Pau Brasil, Pharaon…) , she also
has appeared in several jazz clubs and concert halls (7 Lézards,
festival
of St Denis2007, Festival “ Cores do Brasil, Blue Note(Paris), Casino
de Lille, Casino de Saint Jean de Monts…).

Artista da Semana (abril 4 - 10) - Elizabeth Shepherd

2010-04-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/elizabethshepherd

Elizabeth Shepherd’s music is less about following a particular tradition than it is about expressing a creative spirit; she is an artist looking to share her take
on the world. Which is not surprising coming from someone who grew up
in a highly musical family, living all over Canada and France, played
tenor horn in the Salvation Army brass band where her parents were
ministers, had an early love-affair with hip-hop music, only to wind up
studying French poetry, and eventually, classical and jazz piano at
McGill University.

Her multiple industry accolades have landed her 2 Juno nominations (Canada’s Grammy equivalent), tours in Europe and across and North America,
Japan, and most recently, a show at the legendary Hollywood Bowl with
Jamie Cullum & Count Basie Orchestra. Fans and critics have drawn
comparisons to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, and Rickie Lee
Jones. And what these names all share is both an accessibility and a
distinctness – that quality people can’t quite pin down.

Depending on what the song calls for, Shepherd always draws upon her roots – be it Salvation Army origins, poetic singer-songwriter lyricism, the modal
inflections of world music, simple and sassy pop, infectiously deep
hip-hop grooves, or the harmonic complexities of jazz. Her tunes are
always a departure from convention; yet one never has the sense of
leaving the home she weaves on stage and invites us to be part of.

Artista da Semana (março 28 - abril 3) - Michaela Rabitsch

2010-03-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

http://michaelarabitsch.com/

BIO MICHAELA

Born and grown up in Upper Austria. Classical violin lessons at the age of 7; moved to Vienna with 14 to attend
Musikgymnasium and studied violin at conservatory of Vienna; completed with
university-entrance diploma.
Later on change to trumpet and studies for jazz- and popular music at the Bruckner conservatory Linz (now Anton
Bruckner private University) with Ingrid Jensen, Peter Tuscher and
classical trumpet with Fritz Handlbauer.
Plays and played with bands like: two of a kind, Hypersax, stage music at Burgtheater Wien, Just
for funk, Ladybirds, MBB, Blechvögel, Michaela Rabitsch Quartett feat.
Lukas Zimmer, Robert Pawlik Quartet, Sophisticated Ladies, Theater des
Kindes Linz, Damen der Gesellschaft, Con Moto, various Big Bands.
In the last years she focuses especially on her own compositions played
together in quartet or duo with Robert Pawlik.
"A modern day female Chet Baker" (Kyle O' Brien, Jazzscene)

Michaela Rabitsch, singer, composer and Austria’s only and top female jazz trumpet player and her ingenious partner – composer and guitar player Robert Pawlik are pleased
to release their junior release Moods. This album presents ten songs
that reflect the passion, energy and emotions of their life.

Moods is their first recording with exclusively original compositions presented by both leaders, reflecting the core of their current work. The album was recorded and mixed in
their private studio, which they try to optimize always according to
their needs, constantly looking for and achieving the ultimate sound
using vintage and only the finest gear in recording.

In the past both focused a lot on the standard repertoire – Michaela more on the Jazz repertoire and Robert more on funky and fusion side of music.

For more than ten years now they have shared their private and musical lives, playing together in their jazz quartet and their acoustic duo, writing for both groups and playing concert
tours together.

The fact that they studied extensively the Jazz standard repertoire and a lot of Jazz related music genres gives them a rich musical vocabulary to draw from. Listening to their music
will always bring new horizons to your listening palette.

Together they have developed a rich and eventful style, never trying to be purist’s only, but always looking for the core message of each song they are writing or playing, and how they
can express it best.

The fact, that Michaela is a trumpet player and singer at the same time gives her an extra venue of possibilities in expression and interpretation. “The fact that I can choose to sing or
to play a tune on the trumpet helps me to get to the essence of each
tune and it’s mood.”

As international touring artists, Michaela and Robert have performed at Festivals and Jazz Clubs not only in their home country Austria, but also in Germany,
Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania,
Israel, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece, Russia, Iran and
China.

Artista da semana (março 14 - 20) - Tia Fuller

2010-03-12T20:23:00.001-08:00

Artista da Semana - Tia Fuller

http://www.tiafuller.com

Biography

Professional Saxophonist, Composer and Educator

Jazz musicians are blessed with the desire and ability to play a genre that has a history as rich as its sound. All the greats, past and present know that it’s not enough to simply play the notes, one has to live the music and feel it with every breath. When Mack Avenue recording artist, Tia Fuller picks up her sax to play, the two become one and something amazing happens as the notes and reverberations of her musical elixir fill the room. Suddenly, everything in the universe feels right and it’s easy to see and hear why this artist and teacher, who has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, (Magna Cum Laude) and Master’s degree in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder (Summa Cum Laude), was selected to be a member of the all-female band touring with R&B star, Beyoncé. As part of the I AM..Sasha Fierce and Beyoncé Experience World Tour promoting the superstar’sCD’s, Tia has played in various venues throughout the US, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. She is a featured soloist on the Beyoncé Experience DVD (Me, Myself and I) and also appeared on number of major television shows, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Today Show, Good Morning America, BET Awards, American Music Awards and Total Request Live.

An accomplished performer in her own right, Tia has recorded three CDs with her quartet. The first, Pillar of Strength (2005/Wambui), received praise as being "an exhilarating work that introduced her as a leader who strives for perfection" (Terrell Holmes, All About Jazz Magazine). Her sophomore release, Healing Space (2007/Mack Avenue), is an offering of “melodic medicine” that the wide-eyed optimist sincerely hopes will serve as a healing agent for those who indulge in it. Tia will be releasing her third CD “Decisive Steps”, Jan. 2010, which will be her second offering under the Mack Avenue label. Her quartet was recently featured at Oris Watches/ Time Tourneau building for WBGO’s jazz festival. Tia can also be seen performing regularly with a number of bands, including the Ralph Peterson Septet, the T.S. Monk Septet, the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, the Rufus Reid Septet, the Sean Jones Quintet, the Nancy Wilson Jazz Orchestra, and Wycliff Gordan Septet.

The dynamic saxophonist has been featured in Jazz Improv Magazine, Rocky Mountain News, The Philadelphia Tribune, The Star Ledger, Downbeat Magazine and many other print and online publications. In addition to receiving numerous awards and marks of distinction, Tia was honored to be the keynote speaker at the Jazz Institute of New Jersey’s 2003 graduation ceremony, where she presented her “Journey to Success” speech. She also be featured solist playing “The National Anthem” for Detroit Tiger Stadium in Sept. 2009. Also, in January 2008, she had the privilege of participating in a press conference with pianist and composer, Danilo Perez and the Governor of the Republic of Panama, Carlos A. Villarino.

Tia believes her passion for teaching and inspiring students is in her genes because her parents were educators/administrators in the Denver Public School District. As a devoted educator, she presents lectures and teaches ensembles and masterclasses at some of the most respected institutions in the country, including Stanford University’s “Jazz Workshop,” the University of Idaho’s Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, New Mexico State University, the IAJE Jazz Convention, Purchase College, WBGO’s “Children in Jazz” Series, Duquesne University and Panama Jazz Festival.

Tia moved to Jersey City, NJ two days before the events of September 11, 2001. Despite the fact that the jazz community believed there was not much work in the area during that period, she wasn’t discouraged and used the tragic event as a reason to succeed. She got her first gig playing in a big band at a fish fry in South Jersey. Brad Leali, who was playing in the Count Basie Orchestra at the time, spread the word that Tia was a skillful saxophonist who also played the flute. This brought her to the attention of others in the jazz community, including Gerald Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Don Braden and Don Byron, which led to her performing with a number of luminaries in the world of jazz.

With music in her blood and a song in her heart, Tia was born in Aurora, Colorado to jazz musicians, Fred and Elthopia Fuller. Her father, Fred plays bass and her mother, Elthopia sings. She grew up listening to her parents rehearse in the basement of their home, as well as the music of jazz greats, such as John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughn and Charlie Parker. I

Inspired by her older sister, Shamie, Tia began playing classical piano when she was just three years old and continued until she was thirteen. She also began studying the flute when she was nine. Her interest in jazz came into fruition in high school. It was during this time that she began playing the saxophone.

The Colorado native, who now resides in Essex County, New Jersey, says playing music makes her feel as if she is a vessel for the Spirit to flow through. While listening to her songs, she wants people to be uplifted and experience a sense of restoration, compelling them to move forward not in fear, but in love and faith.

Artista da semana (março 7 - 13) - Amina Figarova

2010-03-05T22:31:00.000-08:00

http://www.aminafigarova.com
Amina Figarova is without doubt one of the most productive jazz composers
and talented jazz piano players from Europe. Amina started playing piano
and composing at a very early age. She studied as a classical concert
pianist at the Baku Conservatory, jazz performance at the Rotterdam
Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Amina made
her recording debut with Attraction in 1994, and was accepted into the
prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Colony in Aspen, Colorado in 1998.

With her husband multi-flutist Bart Platteau
central to the three horn frontline Ms. Figarova arranges for her sextet,
she plays compelling, artful and heartfelt changes on the urbane, bluesy
lyricism originally developed by the likes of Miles Davis, Horace Silver,
Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, et al. Though the recipient
of rigorous Russian musical education in the classics, Amina has come
to identify her sound with these master mainstream-progressives of recent
jazz decades after having explored aspects of the avant garde (in September
Suite, her shocked and sad response to terrorists attacks on American
soil) and multi-keyboard fusion-oriented funk (on Another Me).

On the CD Above the Clouds (Munich Records) one of the most cosmopolitan and accomplished artists in jazz today proves
that the music is a natural not a national language. Amina Figarova,
the globe-trotting Azerbaijan-born, Rotterdam-based composer-pianist-bandleader
with more than a dozen recordings to her credit has created a new album
of original songs that refresh the classic post-bop idiom established
by labels such as Blue Note, Prestige and Impulse! during the 1950s
and 1960s. Far from derivative or concept-conscious, though, Above the
Clouds unfolds as a personal, vividly colored, confidently-propelled
contemporary soundtrack, satisfying in and of itself.

Amina is stylistically wide-ranging, unwilling
to be pinned down, but most of her compositions on Above the Clouds
continue in the direction she set forth on Come Escape With Me, a 2005
release which reached top 10 status on the Jazzweek radio airplay charts
(two tracks preview her next project, a suite for nonet). Throughout
the entire album Amina's measured, graceful, touching pianism and cooly-controlled
ensemble writing demonstrate commitment and ease with a jazz idiom.

Amina Figarova performs with her own group at
many jazz festivals and jazz clubs around the world: Netherlands, Belgium,
Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, France, UK, Denmark, Israel, Bahrain,
United Arabs Emirates, Mexico, USA, Canada, Brasil, Azerbaijan, Indonesia,
South Africa, Tunisia, Dutch Antilles, Croatia, Italy, etc…

(Partly form the press release by Howard
Mandel c 2008)

Artista da Semana (fevereiro 28 - março 6) - Brigitte Zarie

2010-02-27T09:39:00.001-08:00

Artista da Semana - Brigitte Zarie

http://www.brigittezarie.com

Introducing BRIGITTE ZARIE, vocalist , composer and lyricist extraordinaire. Her new CD release , "Make Room For Me". A fantastic collection of all new , all original Jazz compositions written by Brigitte & performed by Brigitte's BigBand and Jazz Quintet. Old school never sounded so new ! An incredible rhythm section & stellar guest artists including , Randy Brecker & Jeff Golub , Tom Malone -Al Chez & Bruce Kapler from the David Letterman Show , and a host of NY's top session players helped to make this a CD to remember. Brigitte's international flavor shines thru, (she speaks 3 languages), on a second version of the title track recorded in French. She has also had songs from her catalogue performed and recorded by UK pop/opera artist Russell Watson in English and Italian. Other compositions have been featured on TV shows such as the O.C. , MTV, The Real World & TV Movies like Snow2:BrainFreeze and Future Cars. Her voice has been featured on spots for The NBA , Southwest Air , Toyota , Scotch Tape , Kay Jewelers and 2 new Feature Films for 09, FoodFight and LonelyStreets , just to name a few. "Make Room For Me". A collection of great "NEW" jazz compositions destined to be the standards of tomorrow. Get a taste and get in the mood ! Check out Brigitte Zarie at MySpace for a preview (www.myspace.com/brigittezarie) or visit www.brigittezarie.com Brigitte Zarie_"Make Room For Me" produced by Neil Jason For more info contact: Neil Jason @ NJMusic Inc. neiljason@brigittezarie.com

2010-02-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Elin

http://www.elinmusic.com/

Brand new rising star, Elin (pronounced EE-a-leen), has reached astonishing
heights on the music scene by now twice selling out Jazz at Lincoln Center -
Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, and regularly performing at other prestigious venues
such as the Blue Note, Smoke, Sweet Rhythm, The Bar Next Door, and Zinc Bar.
Her star is also on the rise in other major cities such as San Francisco, Boston,
and Miami where she shared the stage with Chaka Khan, George Benson, and
Nancy Wilson at the 2008 Jazz in the Gardens festival. This year alone Elin has
performed in New York, Japan, El Salvador, Guam, Washington DC, Florida,
California, and Boston.

Born and raised in Sweden by Peruvian and Irish parents-and fluent in five
languages-Elin is the embodiment of multiculturalism. Her debut
album, Lazy Afternoon, released in the U.S. to rave reviews by jazz
radio and critics alike, is a genre-bending mix of American &
Brazilian standards combined with fresh new originals. On the US
JazzWeek charts, where it spent 22+ weeks, it debuted as the #1 most
added album on the World Music Chart then peaked at #6. On the
Traditional Jazz Chart, it debuted as the 6th Most Added CD, and on the
College Jazz Chart it peaked at #4. Performing in seven languages,
she's a polished jazz vocalist with a pop sensibility who showcases an
ardent vocal style and an uncanny ear for melody.

Elin grew up in three distinct cultures and continents - Europe, North and
South America. She's the oldest of six children, fluent in
five languages, an eight-year resident of New York City,
instrumentalist and student of music since the age of seven, and
utterly obsessed with Brazilian music! This should give you a start at
understanding the colorful complexities and remarkable adventures from
which Elin draws her inspirations and expressions.

It all began one lazy summer afternoon in Sweden when Elin was 15,
in a moment she says altered the course of her life forever. School was
out for summer break and I'd entertain myself, among other things, by
going through my parents' huge record collection. One day, she randomly
picked one out and played it, not really knowing why, only to become
mesmerized by a sound she had never heard before. It was Joao Gilberto
and Antonio Carlos Jobim. She assumed that this was jazz. Right then
and there, she knew she was meant to sing this music. I'm going to be a
jazz singer! she proclaimed. Someday, I'm going to go to Brazil, learn
to speak Portuguese, learn to play the guitar like that, and learn to
sing this music!

Although Elin had been studying music and playing instruments since
she was seven, she never liked jazz nor considered being a singer. But
after this, she started buying jazz albums of all the great female
vocalists including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan,
and got heavily into American jazz, without realizing it wasn't exactly
the same as the music that had originally put her on this path. It
would be another seven years before Elin finally got back to her first
passion for Brazilian jazz. When my parents moved to the U.S., I was
able to attend the University of Florida. It was during this time that
I won a scholarship to attend a language course in Brazil where I could
finally learn Portuguese and delve into the music of all the great
Brazilian singers, such as Elis Regina, Leny Andrade, and Gal Costa.

But the major turning point in Elin's career as a singer came when she
met Miriam Jaskierowicz Arman, Ph. D., voice teacher extraordinaire, and
author of The Voice: A Spiritual Approach to Singing, Speaking and
Communicating (3 editions) and the CD "The First Lesson". The day
they met, Ms. Arman immediately asked one of her students to give up
her lesson just so she could teach Elin on the spot. From the very first
moment, she was convinced of Elin's talent, and it was then or never,
since Elin was scheduled to catch a flight back to NYC in just a few hours.
From then on, they worked long distance between NYC and South Florida
for several years before Dr. Arman finally moved to New York. Now, seven
years later, I can honestly say that I wouldn't have a career, or even a voice,
if it wasn't for Miriam. I owe her so much! She's the only voice teacher I ever had that taught me how to use my voice in the right way. And the learning is ongoing.

Elin continues to maintain a close connection to Brazil, the country whose
music she is so addicted to. Most recently, she spent a month in
Rio de Janeiro where she performed with world-renowned Brazilian
artists, including Durval Ferreira and Guinga. Based in New York City,
she continues to perform both in the U.S. and overseas. Her debut
album, Lazy Afternoon, showcasing a sublime mix of Brazilian and
American classics combined with original songs, was released on
September 5th, 2006 to rave reviews from critics and radio stations
across the country.

Artista da Semana (fevereiro 14 - 20) - Min Rager

2010-02-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Min Rager

http://www.ragermusic.com/min/minOpen.html

http://www.goear.com/listen/20c2f12/nothing-to-gain-nothing-to-lose-min-rager

Born in Seoul, Korea, Min Rager began her jazz career performing in local jazz clubs. Her reputation quickly grew and by 1996 she was performing with some of Korea's top jazz musicians in a variety of settings from clubs to concerts.

In 1997 she moved to Montreal to attend McGill University where she studied with Wray Downes, Jeff Johnston, Kevin Dean, Andre White, Gordon Foote and Jan Jarczyk.

While at McGill, she continued to develop as a pianist and composer and graduated 2003 with the distinction of Outstanding achievement in Jazz Piano.In 2003 Min formed a quintet as a vehicle for her original compositions and arrangements. This group, featuring some of Montreal's finest musicians, has performed in several premier venues including Upstairs and La Maison de la Culture Frontenac and toured nationally with the assistance of the Canada Council for the arts.

In 2004 this group with members Kevin Dean-trumpet, Kieran Overs-bass, Andre White-drums, and Donny Kennedy-alto saxophone completed a studio recording for the CBC Radio II program Jazz Beat. The show aired nationally in October 2004 and presented a repertoire of new compositions written especially for these musicians. The recording was released as Min's debut CD Bright Road on the EFFENDI label in October of 2005.

At the Montreal International Jazz Festival during that same year, her Quintet was nominated for the Grand prix de jazz General Motors. Also that year, Min's Trio (featuring Andre White on drums and Alec Walkington on bass) performed at Montreal's L'OFF Festival de Jazz where she was the recipient of the Best New Artist award.
In 2008 Min received a commission from CBC to compose a jazz suite for 2 pianos. The work, lasting 10 minutes, was submitted to the European Broadcasting Union as part of The Handel Project 2009 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the composer's death. Mins suite was recorded by CBC as part of a concert at Pollack Hall featuring NYC tenor saxophonist Walt Weiskopf and is available to stream on the CBC website Concerts on Demand.

Min is currently on staff both at McGill University as a part-time faculty member where she teaches courses in the jazz department and at the McGill conservatory where she teaches jazz piano.

Artista da Semana (fevereiro 7 - 13) - Jill Barber

2010-02-05T14:31:00.001-08:00

Artista da Semana - Jill Barber

www.jillbarber.com

http://www.goear.com/listen/5184191/oh-my-my-jill-barber

If you believe they don’t write songs like they used to, here is new hope for old romantics. On her new album Chances, Canadian chanteuse Jill Barber picks up the torch where the golden age of music left off. Taking a giant step forward from the typical confines of the singer-songwriter , Jill delivers an album of ten original, fully orchestrated songs that strongly evoke – and could themselves become - classics. From the moment you hear her sultry voice on the opening title track, you are transported to another time and place. “The best songs ever written are the ones that somehow transcend time and fashion, “says Jill. ”They may be old, but they haven’t aged.

It is that timeless quality that I aspire to in my own songwriting. A seasoned performer with a growing fan base across North America and the UK, Jill gained acclaim as a 2008 double-Juno nominee and multiple East Coast Music Award winner for previous releases For All Time (2006) and Oh Heart (2004). In February 2008, Jill was given the extraordinary chance to perform in concert with Symphony Nova Scotia as part of its Pops Series. The results evoked the rich sounds of Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf and Etta James. It was clear that Jill, previously a self-proclaimed “smoky folkie”, had reached a new level. To recreate the magic of a live orchestra, Jill enlisted producer and long-time collaborator Les Cooper.

His gorgeous arrangements for a skilled backing band with a 10-piece string section were recorded live at The Glenn Gould Studio. Exquisite guest vocals by the Good Lovelies and The Sojourners and a special appearance by Ron Sexsmith contribute to a contemporary album of songs that capture the lush sounds of a bygone era. “Now I can finally claim to be making ‘popular music’. So what if it’s only what was popular 50 or 60 years ago,” says Jill, who composed many of the songs during an intensive three-week artist residency at The Banff Centre For the Arts. “They were kind enough to give me a studio space and leave me to my own devices. It gave me a chance to devote myself entirely to the writing process.” Also a first, Jill co-wrote a number of songs with producer Les Cooper and renowned singer-songwriter, Ron Sexsmith, who has also collaborated with Elvis Costello and Coldplay. “At first I was a little intimidated to work with Ron, but when we sat down to work, we had such a good time that I forgot what it was I was nervous about. We wrote five or six songs together in short order. Three of them appear on this album.” (“Chances,” “Old Flame,” and “One More Time”.)

Jill chose the album title Chances as befitting her approach to both music and matters of the heart. “ “Chances” is a love song, but it’s really about the mysterious role that chances play in our lives.” Recently, Jill took another chance and relocated from her adopted home of Halifax to Vancouver, as a result of the chance meeting that inspired the song. “I am drawn to write about love because it is a theme for the ages. Romance, on the other hand, seems to have gone out of style in much of modern music. I like to think of myself as a hopeful romantic, rather than a helpless one.”

Artista da Semana (janeiro 31 - fevereiro 6) - Luca Mundaca

2010-01-29T18:47:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Luca Mundaca

Everywhere she goes, Luca Mundaca seems to attract a devoted following of fans. Whether she’s playing a concert in Sao Paulo, Brazil, headlining a night of world music at New York City’s famous The Living Room club, or touring clubs in the United States, Luca’s combination of personal warmth and musical virtuosity captivates everyone who watches her perform.

“Her abilities are unlimited,” says Seth Rothstein, vice president of marketing at Sony Legacy records. “She has a stunning voice of great intimacy and emotion, and her songwriting is first-rate.”

Luca’s music began at age 15 in Brazil, when her mother bought her the only guitar the family could afford: a clunky and cheap guitar that cost $30 new. With no money for sheet music, Luca taught herself to play, and wrote all her own songs. She locked herself in the bedroom of her family’s house south of Sao Paulo and practiced for 10 hours a day. The guitar’s cheap strings sliced her fingers, so she learned to stick her hands in the freezer to numb the pain before returning to play.

She became the lead singer in a Brazilian pop fusion band, but soon discovered the music that spoke to her soul: Brazil’s own samba and bossa nova.

“I loved the swinging rhythm, the intimacy of the music,” Luca says.

Luca played her first solo gig in 1997. She earned as much money in one night as she made in a month working the hot ovens of a soap factory. That’s when she decided to become a full-time musician. After building an underground following in the bars and jazz clubs of Brazil, she sold all her equipment for a one-way ticket to New York City. Within months, she was playing at The Living Room, auditioning for jazz labels and major record studios, and catching the attention of fans and music industry veterans.

“Luca Mundaca is a classic example of a talent deserving wider recognition,” says Don Heckman, music critic for the Los Angeles Times. She is “(b)lessed with a sweetly engaging sound, impressive musicality and the rhythmic passion of her Brazilian roots.”

In addition to her own albums, Luca’s work has been featured on two Putumayo World Music compilations, “Women of the World Acoustic” and “Brazilian Lounge,” in which she appears alongside Brazilian music legends Bebel Gilberto , Adriana Calcanhoto and Marcos Vale. Her song “Ha Dias” was featured on the soundtrack for the movie “The Visitor,” and licensed for the TV show californiacation on Showtime.

Luca was also named Best World Fusion musician in 2008 by the Independent Music Awards.

Through all of her travels and successes, Luca maintains those rare qualities that set her music apart. Intimacy. Playfulness. Soul. Hearing her play reminds us that life is a fun and romantic gift to be shared with the people we love. And like all things worth doing, good music comes when years of hard work evolve into an effortless expression of joy.

http://www.lucamundaca.com/LUCA_MUNDACA.html

Jazz and Bossa

2010-01-23T22:31:00.000-08:00

Jazz and Bossa

Artista da Semana (janeiro 24 - 30) - Renee Rosnes

2010-01-22T22:41:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Renee Rosnes

http://www.reneerosnes.com/
http://www.reneerosnes.com/reneeradio.php

BIOGRAPHY

Renee Rosnes has emerged as one of the premier jazz pianists and composers of her generation. Canadian born, she began classical piano studies at age three and became interested in jazz music in high school. Shortly after relocating from Vancouver to New York in 1986, Rosnes quickly established a reputation as a formidable talent. In 1987, she joined tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson's band; in 1988, she spent a year with Wayne Shorter's Quintet; in 1989, legendary trombonist JJ Johnson invited Rosnes to become his pianist, and she performed and recorded with him for seven years. Rosnes' composition "Malaga Moon" was arranged for string orchestra by the renowned Robert Farnon and recorded on Johnson's "Tangence." Having toured with many of the greatest masters, her resume reads like a who's who of jazz.

Rosnes has released a series of nine highly acclaimed recordings for Blue Note Records, four of which have garnered Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy. Her latest release is "Black Narcissus" (2008), with bassist Peter Washington and Lewis Nash, and in September 2008, was awarded a Swing Journal "Gold Disc Award" in Japan. This album celebrates the music of tenor master Joe Henderson. Other recent releases featuring Rosnes are Bobby Hutcherson: "For Sentimental Reasons", the SFJAZZ Collective LIVE 2009: The Music of McCoy Tyner & Originals.

Rosnes also shines in the context of larger ensembles. She was the pianist for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra for ten years, led by trumpeter Jon Faddis, and has recorded three albums with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra. Her 2003 Blue Note release: "Renee Rosnes with the Danish Radio Big Band" features eight tracks, five of which were composed by Rosnes. All Music Guide wrote: "The album is a crystalline wonder of tight writing, exceptional playing, and painstaking attention to harmonic detail; it is a tapestry so varied and multidimensional in both conception and execution that it stands in a class by
itself."

Aside from leading her own trio and quartet, Rosnes is a nineteen-year member of the James Moody Quartet, frequently performs with legendary vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, and was the pianist for six years for the SF Jazz Collective, an all-star band that has featured such artists as Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton, Miguel Zenon, Nicholas Payton, Dave Douglas and Joe Lovano. Rosnes also often collaborates with her husband, pianist Bill Charlap, in a two piano setting.

"Rosnes rubs balm in jaded ears. She offers exquisite balances of delicacy and power, witty and
weighted ideas, assertiveness and deference." Down Beat

"If you looked closely, you would have sworn you saw steam rising from the piano at the Vanguard."
The New York Sun

Discography:

Renee Rosnes (Blue Note)
For The Moment (Blue Note)
Without Words (Blue Note)
Ancestors (Blue Note)
As We Are Now (Blue Note)
Art & Soul (Blue Note)
With A Little Help From My Friends (Blue Note)
Renee Rosnes With The Danish Radio Big Band (Blue Note)
Life On Earth (Blue Note)
A Time For Love (VideoArts Japan)
Black Narcissus (Pony Canyon Japan)

Selected Discography as a sideman:

Bobby Hutcherson: "For Sentimental Reasons" (Kind of Blue)
JJ Johnson "Let's Hang Out" (Verve)
JJ Johnson "Heroes" (Verve)
Joe Henderson "The Blue Note Years" (Blue Note)
Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen: "Friends Forever" (Milestone)
Rich Perry: "So In Love" (Steeplechase)
SFJAZZ Collective: "Live 2009: The Works of McCoy Tyner and Originals"
Marian McPartland: "Just Friends" (Concord)
Joyce: "Astronauta: Songs of Elis" (Blue Jackel)
Steve Turre: "One4J" (Telarc)
Walt Weiskopf: "Anytown" (Criss Cross)
Jimmy Scott: "But Beautiful" (Milestone)
Gary Thomas: "The Seventh Quadrant" (JMT)
Gerald Wilson: "New York, New Sound" (Mack Avenue)
George Mraz: "Duke's Place" (Milestone)

Artista da Semana (janeiro 17 - 23) - Melody Gardot

2010-01-15T22:57:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Melody Gardot

www.melodygardot.com/

Biography

Pull down your shades and light some candles. A simple, yet poignant blend of jazz and folk is headed your way. At 22, singer-songwriter Melody Gardot has a hauntingly smooth voice that can melt even the coldest of hearts.

Melody Gardot has set the bar for what it means to be a musical athlete. Drenched in a sublime vapor of mellow blues, eclectic folk, and the faintest essence of jazz, she breaks forth with her debut full length album, Worrisome Heart. The record is an effervescent 11-track collection of original songs co-produced by Melody Gardot and Grammy-Award winning producer Glenn Barratt. With a superb narrative and inventive vocal-scat patterns, the pianist/guitarist tackles heartache full on by way of velvet tongue and alluring disposition.

Few females successfully master the art of capturing mood and emotion the way Gardot does. There is an expressive candor and yearning in her voice--an insatiable longing reminiscent of greats like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone. Her roots as a piano player in nightclubs of Philadelphia undoubtedly set the framework for developing her post-midnight sultry sound. Though a motor vehicle accident left the young singer disabled, hidden behind dark glasses and a tempting smile is an extraordinary young woman whose daily struggles feed her artistic pursuit:

“I believe in sharing your heart with people, no matter how hard it may be” says Gardot.

At the age of 19, Gardot was hit by a car while riding a bicycle. The injuries sustained mean Gardot now needs to wear dark glasses and carry a cane. Prompted by a tending physician who believed music would help her regain some of her former cognitive abilities, her first musical venture was in 2005, an EP titled, “Some Lessons” recorded from her bedside.

Gardot’s story garnered attention as a fighter who has overcome adversity and risen above her limitations. City Paper Philadelphia honored her with a People’s Choice award saying, “To our eyes, nobody's a more inspiring, more talented fighter than young singing-songwriter phenom Melody Gardot. She turned the pain of a life-changing car accident into surprisingly mature and utterly enthralling music.”

“It was a most unusual start, but when you come from a place where things are tough it makes it that much easier to appreciate the times when life is easy.” she says.

In addition to the trio of musicians who accompany Gardot live, the record features an impressive cast of musicians including guitarist Jef Lee Johnson (Billy Joel, George Duke, Aretha Franklin), Kurt Johnston (Bon Jovi) and trumpeter Matt Cappy (Jill Scott, Kirk Franklin, Dave Chapelle Movie). Poised and ready the young singer shines on “Worrisome Heart”, proving she is an undeniable lyrical contender who from the very first word will knock you out.

All about Jazz

Artista da Semana - Sofía Rei Koutsovitis (janeiro 10 - 16)

2010-01-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Sofia Rei Koutsovitis

http://sofiamusic.com

“ As the Argentine singer Sofía Rei Koutsovitis led her multinational band,(…) the passion and clarity with which she assayed a tricky mix of South American rhythms and jazz-inflected harmonies made clear why she has been embraced by New York City audiences from Carnegie Hall to the hippest downtown haunts. ”
-Phil Lutz, New York Times

Sofía Rei Koutsovitis,“one of the most versatile and in-demand singers on the New York music scene” (All About Jazz), is a Buenos Aires native, a vocalist and a composer who mixes and elegantly fuses South American rhythms with a jazz aesthetic in a unique and extremely seductive way. Singing in Spanish, Portuguese or English, Sofia's voice is so graceful as sophisticated and reflects her immersion in modern and progressive jazz while also responding to the pull of ancestry and the appeal of organic, pan-musical connections.

In Danilo Perez' words: "She knows how to combine the best of her Argentine roots with the skills and passion necessary to make many contributions to our music community". Her own project is grounded in traditional South American rhythms such as chacarera, zamba and vidala from Argentina, Afro-peruvian festejo and lando, Afro-Uruguayan candombe, Colombian cumbia and bullerengue and other Brazilian genres that merge involving jazz harmonies and rich improvisations. Her ensemble produces a range of textures as diverse as the cultural roots of its members, an international cast that includes some of the most exiting young talent from North and South America. Her debut CD, Ojalá, received great critical acclaim and was chosen a top 10 album of 2006 by the Jazz Journalists Association. A follow-up CD “Sube Azul” is being released in Europe by the label World Village (Harmonia Mundi) in the Summer of 2009.

Sofia has also recorded, performed and collaborated with renowned artists and bands such as Lionel Loueke, Danilo Perez, Folklore Urbano, Russ Ferrante (Yellow Jackets), Alcatraz, Pavel Urkiza (Gema y Pavel), Avantango, John Scofield, Bob Moses, Aquiles Baez and Hector Martignon. She toured Europe with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and premiered with the group Cerulean Skies, a piece commissioned by the New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna. She was recently featured with vocal giant Bobby McFerrin in Instant Opera at Carnegie Hall.

Sofia has toured Europe, Asia, North and South America singing at renowned international festivals and venues such as the Carnegie Hall (NYC), Kennedy Center (Washington DC) , Lincoln Center (NYC), the Blue Note (NYC), the Chicago World Music Festival (Chicago, IL), Aspen/Snowmass Jazz Festival (Aspen, CO), the International Jazz en Lima Festival (Peru), the Festival Iberoamericano de las Artes (Puerto Rico), Cite de la Musique (Paris, France), the Festival de Jazz de Barcelona (Spain), the IAJE Conference 2008 (Toronto, Canada), the Lapataia Jazz, the World Music Festival (Uruguay) and the International Jazz and Modern music Festival (Bogota, Colombia).

“ Koutsovitis sings a varied, engaging set, with plenty to dance to, plenty to get down with, and plenty to think about. She’s going for an ambitious goal: original, creative and technically challenging music that’s as exciting to a Bacchanalian crowd as to the ivory tower listener. “
-The Live Music Report, Canada

Artista da Semana (janeiro 3 - 9 ) - William Cepeda

2010-01-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - William Cepeda

Get Your Own Free Hypster.com Playlist.
www.williamcepeda.com

Biography

William Cepeda - trombone, composer, producer

William Cepeda comes from a well known family rooted in music. The Familia Cepeda is famous for their performances of folkloric music with African roots, the ‘Bomba,’ and as keepers of traditional Puerto Rican music for many years. The legendary Cepedas’ have produced many of Puerto Rico's most respected Afro-Rican percussionists, singers, dancers, composers and instrumentalists. Now, in William Cepeda, the young multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger who was nurtured by the twin spirits of bomba and bebop, Puerto Rico's potent rhythms and entrancing melodies radiate out to enthrall an international audience hungry for new Latin sounds.

Despite his family’s intimate association with folkloric music, as a soloist Cepeda went his own way. His interest in jazz and great talent has enabled him to develop a unique jazz style which he calls “Afrorican Jazz”. The music is a fusion of jazz with the musical themes so prevalent in the folk music he grew up with.

Born in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Cepeda was immersed in the rhythms and melodies of the native danza, bomba and plena and even the folk music of the jibaro. With this background and family history, he started playing percussion with friends by age ten. In his teens, Cepeda picked up the trombone and got an early start as a professional musician.

Cepeda’s formal musical training includes BA degrees from Berklee College of Music in Boston and from the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico. He also attended the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York, on a full scholarship, where he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance. The training exposed Cepeda to some of the greatest jazz musicians and taught him complexities of jazz improvisation and composition. He studied and played with such notable jazz musicians as Slide Hampton, Donald Byrd, David Murray, and others. He also played and recorded with Latin music artists such as Oscar De Leon, Paquito d’Rivera, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri. When he is not touring, Cepeda is busy in the recording studio. As a recording artist, he appears on over 100 recordings as well as jingles and movie soundtracks.

Cepeda also played with and learned much from Dizzy Gillespie, one of the founders of Latin Jazz. The association began in 1989 when Cepeda was hired by Gillespie during a tour by Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra. Joining the tour with Miriam Makeba, Cepeda participated in the fusion of jazz with South African music. On his return to Puerto Rico in 1990, after the tour, and inspired by collaboration with Gillespie and Makeba, Cepeda created his Afrorican jazz style. He had made a unique contribution in fusing the distinct musical styles and traditions of Africa and Puerto Rico, in a way that only Rafael Cortijo had done before with the major difference being the addition of jazz.

A chance encounter with Gillespie had opened a great artistic vehicle for Cepeda. It turned into an invitation to tour Europe with Gillespie, a lasting relationship, and unique musical style. It has afforded Cepeda to show his talents as a composer as well as an accomplished trombonist.

In 1997, Cepeda was selected one of the most important and influential Puerto Rican composers. His talent has brought him more than just popular recognition. It has won him many awards as well as grants from such diverse groups as the American Composers Orchestra, the American Composers Forum, the Association of Hispanic Arts and the Latino Arts Advancement Program. In2002 Cepeda was honored with a Meet The Composer’ New Residencies Program award to be a composer-in-residence of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico for the next three years. During this residence Cepeda began writing music for many different kind of groupings, from chamber ensembles to big bands and symphonic orchestra, and developing artistic collaboration with dance and theater ensembles. Cepeda is currently on the faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, teaches part-time and conducts seminars and workshops.

But Cepeda has also been successful as a record producer. He produced “Bombazo” (1998) for Grupo Afro Boricua,( highly recommended) as well as his own CD’s on the Blue Jackel label. “My Roots and Beyond,” (1998) and “Branching Out,” in 2000. He has started his own record label Casabe and has released “Live at Montreux,” and “Unity,” both in 2007.

Trombonist /composer /arranger William Cepeda is part of a new generation of musicians who have not only mastered the skills a jazz artist requires, but combine them with the traditional music of their homeland, creating a new and challenging repertoire. Cepeda calls his own variation on this theme “Afrorican Jazz.”

“This is my contribution to Puerto Rican music...Nothing like this has been done before, because while there are plenty of great jazz albums inspired by Cuban rhythms and music, Cuban-jazz fusions and such, there's nothing quite of the same calibre out there for Puerto Rican music and jazz. And there should be. It's time. You know, don Rafael Cepeda said that when the Puerto Rican people understand the value of their music and folklore, they will fight with great force to defend their honor. This music is about my people and for my people.”

“Traditional Puerto Rican music isn't heard that much outside of the island and it's a shame. We have a very strong music. By using a variety of instruments and the wealth of jazz resources, I have brought this rich tradition to another level, to a wider audience but also to a new level of feeling, more in line with the experience of today. I'm putting a little fire into it, with the result, I hope, of offering a dynamic and beautiful music for many, many people to enjoy.” William Cepeda

Artista da Semana (dezembro 27, 2009 - janeiro 2, 2010) - Anke Helfrich

2009-12-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Anke Helfrich

http://www.anke-helfrich.de

sept. 2009 Concerts in Southafrika and Namibia with Anke Helfrich Trio (supported by Goetheinstitut
and Federal Foreign Office)

july 2009 teaching at the Jazzworkshop in Meran/l; Anke Helfrich Trio plays at Aarhus Jazzfestival/DK

may 2009 Anke Helfrich Trio plays on Jazzcruise in Spain

march 2009 Anke Helfrich Trio invited to "BMW World Jazz Award" in Munich; Nils Landgren Projekt
"Respect" Jazzfestival
jan./feb. 2009 JazzToDay -Tour: 14 Doublebillconcerts with Anke Helfrich Trio/Manu Katché Band
(Kammermusiksaal/Philharmonie Berlin, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Theaterhaus Stuttgart
a.m.m.) Anke Helfrich plays concerts in Mallorca/Spain

nov. 2008 Jazzfestival Cagliari/I; Mariann’s Jazzroom Bern/CH, Jazz in Ministergärten/Berlin

sept. 2008 Recording the CD “Stormproof“ for ENJA Records with Henning Sieverts (b), Dejan Terzic
(dr) and specialguest Nils Wogram (pos); Anke Helfrich Trio Musikfest
Bremen/Spiekeroog

july 2008 Jazzfestival Bingen, Jazzfestival Ettlingen and Flims-Klang-Festival/CH with Anke Helfrich Trio;
Jahrhunderthalle Bochum “Paul Kuhn-Geburtstagskonzert“

april 2008 German Jazzmeeting Bremen: Anke Helfrich Trio represents (among 9 other bands) the
German Jazzscene today

march 2008 Anke Helfrich Trio plays at Kurt-Weill-Festival, Dessau and Brestonias
Jazzfestival/Lithuania (supported by Goetheinstitut)

dez. 2007 Penang Jazzfestival/Malaysia, Cagliari/Sardegna with Anke Helfrich Trio

sept. 2007 with Jens Winther Quartet in Peking/China supported by the danish Cultural Institut;
Jazzfestival Viersen with Anke Helfrich Trio feat .J.Winther

juli 2007 Jazz im Park/Hamburg Anke Helfrich Trio (a.o. Madeleine Peyroux&Band, Reunion feat. Till
Bröner, Wolfgang Haffner&Band)

june 2007 Solokoncerts NDR/Hamburg, Philharmonie/Luxemburg

may 2007 Anke Helfrich playing at the finals of the “M.L.Williams Competition“ in Washington DC/USA

march 2007 Jazzfestival Emsdetten, BR-liverecording Anke Helfrich Trio concerts with specialguests
like Nils Wogram, Jens Winther and Claus Stötter

june 2006 on number 3 of the German Jazzcharts with the CD “Better times ahead“. proposed for
"German recordaward"

may 2006 Release of the CD "Better times ahead" Anke Helfrich Trio feat. Roy Hargrove, CD
Releasekoncerts in Germany and Switzerland, radiopresentations and reviews in all
jazzmagazins.

nov. 2005 CD-recording "Better times ahead" with Anke Helfrich Trio: Martin Gjakonovski (bass), Dejan
Terzic (drums) and Specialguest Roy Hargrove (trumpet & fluegelhorn)

sept. 2005 A.H.Trio in Cagliari/Italy

may 2005 Balticum Jazzcruise with Witchcraft, Paul Kuhn, Dave Glasser, Gianni Basso, Roman
Schwaller, Ack van Rooyen a.o.

feb. 2005 concert with Jimmy Woode in Weinheim; music for the film “Föhr.Insel.Mosaik” from Michael
Steuer with Martin Gjakonovski and Dejan Terzic.

july 2004 soloconcert at the Beethovenhouse in Bonn, A.Helfrich Trio at Jazzbaltica

april 2004 Mediterranean Sea-Jazzcruise with Witchcraft, D.Goykovich, Paul Kuhn, Charlie Antolini,
Jiggs Wiggham a.o.

march 2004 CD recording with Witchcraft in Weinheim, and with Barbara Jungfer in Berlin

nov. 2003 Anke Helfrich receives “Jazzaward of the city of Worms”

march 2003 Anke Helfrich Trio opens the Jazzfestival in Sofia/Bulgaria

nov. 2002 part of the “Jazz Lexikon“ ( Martin Kunzler, rororo-Verlag)

march 2002 tour through Germany (Jazzfestival Mannheim, Jazzfestival Emsdetten..)

dec. 2001 Anke Helfrich receives 2. price “Jazzaward Baden-Württemberg“, radiorecording at the
Theaterhaus Stuttgart.

nov. 2001 concert "Anke Helfrich Trio" in Cagliari/ Sardenia

march 2001 radioportrait in HR1; tv-liverecording at RNF, CD-presentationtour in Germany

feb. 2001 broadcast of a TV-special about Anke with interviews, rehearsals, concerts called SWR3 - "Kultur-Cafe"

sept. 2000 release of her debutalbum "You'll See"; CD-presentations in radiostations: BR, Radio
Bremen, Deutschlandradio Berlin, HR, WDR, MDR, SWR für den proposed for the
award of “german recordcritics“ (Vierteljahrspreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik").

feb. 2000 Anke Helfrich receives “Muddy's Club-Award 2000” in Weinheim.

1999 recordingsession for her first album as a leader "You`ll see" in New York: A. Helfrich (p), J.
Weidenmueller (b), J, Rueckert (dr), feat. Mark Turner (sax)

1999-2004 member of Jürgen Seefelder Quartett

since 1999 member of the faculty at the “University of music and performing arts” in Mannheim.
Teacher at jazzworkshops.

sept. 1998 Anke Helfrich Trio wins “Hennessy Jazz Search 1998” in Munich

1997-2002 Jazzpianoteacher musicschool Viernheim.

1997 touring Germany and Spain with her trio (Getxo Festival, Jamboree Barcelona, Subway
Cologne, Hessen Jazz Festival)

1996 Anke Helfrich Trio wins "European Jazz Competition" in Leverkusen.

1996 6 month-stay in New York with a dutch scholarship, lessons with Kenny Barron, Larry
Goldings, Dado Moroni a.o. Concerts in clubs and cafés.

1994-1996 concerts with C. Breuer-Fee Claasen Quintett and Saskia Laroo´s Color (North Sea Jazz
Festival, Jamboree Barcelona, radio and tv-productions. ).

1994 4 week workshop in Banff/Canada (with Jim Hall, Kenny Wheeler, John Clayton, Robin
Eubanks..)

1993 three week engagement “Anke Helfrich Trio“ in Istanbul/Turkey (feat. Carolyn Breuer and Özay)

1989 - 1994 studies in Hilversum/ Netherlands at the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten“.
She recieves her “master in performing arts” and “master in teaching”

cd releases:
- Anke Helfrich: “Stormproof“ feat. Nils Wogram (2009)
- Anke Helfrich Trio feat. Roy Hargrove: “Better times ahead” (2006)
- Barbara Jungfer Quintett: “Berlin Spirits” (2004)
- Witchcraft: “Witchcraft live” (2004)
- Anke Helfrich Trio feat. Mark Turner: "You`ll see" (2000)
- Christian Eckert Quartet: "Up "(1998)
- Jens Bunge: "With all my heart "(1996)
- Christian Eckert Quartet: "Musing"(1995)

radio- and
tv-recordings SDR, HR, SR, WDR, BR, RNF, SWR, radio- and tv-stations in the Netherlands.

played with Johnny Griffin, Jimmy Woode, Benny Bailey, Roy Hargrove, Tony Lakatos, Johannes
Enders, Gianni Basso, Dave Glasser, Jens Winther, John Marshall, Thomas Stabenow,
Thomas Heidepriem, Stacy Rowles, Jürgen Seefelder, Keith Copeland, Thomas
Bramerie, Mark Turner, Johannes Weidenmueller, Jochen Rueckert, Wolfgang Haffner,
Christian von Kaphengst, Martin Gjakonovski, Dejan Terzic u.a.

concerts Germany, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Sweden, Netherlands, Bulgaria, USA

workshops: D. Thompson, K. Wheeler, J. Hall, M. Levine, H. Fraser, R.Beirach

Artista da Semana (dezembro 20 - 26) - Marilia Gabriela

2009-12-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Marilia Gabriela

MARÍLIA GABRIELA

BIOGRAFIA DE MARÍLIA GABRIELA, PARA O MUSEU DA TELEVISÃO BRASILEIRA

Marília Gabriela Baston de Toledo nasceu em Campinas, interior de São Paulo, em 31 de maio de 1948. Moça inteligente e irrequieta, formou-se como professora primária e então prestou vestibular para várias faculdades. Passou em todas ,mas logo resolveu ser modelo, pois era alta, elegante, esguia e fotografava bem, o que lhe rendeu uma curta, mas bem sucedida carreira como modelo. Logo, porém, conseguiu iniciar a carreira de jornalista. Era o ano de 1969, e Marília era bem jovem. Entrou como estagiária do "Jornal Nacional" da Rede Globo. Lugar ótimo para uma garota. Tanto que no mesmo ano, foi chamada para ser apresentadora do telejornal " Hoje", feito em São Paulo. Em 1972, estreou no "Fantástico", com uma reportagem sobre o aniversário de Carmem Miranda. Logo depois foi contratada para ser repórter especial do" Fantástico",e fazia viagens por todo Brasil.

Na década de 80, Marília foi âncora do programa "TV Mulher ", que foi um grande sucesso no Brasil, e ficou no ar até 84. Tinha como co-apresentadores o jornalista Ney Gonçalves Dias, a então sexóloga Marta Suplicy , que foi anos depois, eleita prefeita da cidade de São Paulo, o estilista Clodovil Hernandez e o cartunista Henfil. Nessa época, ela gravou dois discos pela Som Livre. Ainda na década de 80,Marília Gabriela foi correspondente da TV Globo na Inglaterra, durante seis meses. Foi se elevando muito no conceito nacional.

Em 1985, a jornalista apresentou o programa "Marília Gabi Gabriela", na TV Bandeirantes. De 1987 a 1994 apresentou o programa "Cara a Cara", onde entrevistou políticos e personalidades nacionais e internacionais. No período da primeira eleição para presidente, após o Golpe de 64, destacou-se por mediar o primeiro debate entre Lula e Fernando Collor de Mello, também pela Bandeirantes. Em 1997 foi contratada pelo SBT, onde apresentou o "SBT Repórter", durante quatro anos. Esteve ainda na TV Gazeta, onde conseguiu o maior salário de uma apresentadora, o que porém durou pouco tempo. No SBT apresentou ainda: "De Frente com Gabi", programa inicialmente semanal e que, a partir de maio de 2002, passou a ser apresentado de segunda a sexta-feira. Na primeira década do século 21, Marília Gabriela passou a apresentar o programa "Marília Gabriela Entrevista" no canal a cabo GNT, exibido no Brasil e em Portugal.

Embora sendo considerada a melhor jornalista televisiva do Brasil, Maria Gabriela, não satisfeita, estreou como atriz de teatro. Foi em 2001,quando protagonizou a peça:" Esperando Beckett", escrita e dirigida por Gerald Thomas.

Participou também, como atriz, de filmes e telenovelas. Na telenovela:" Senhora do Destino" da Rede Globo, escrita por Aguinaldo Silva, Marília Gabriela interpretou duas personagens em fases distintas: Josefa Magalhães Duarte Pinto, uma jornalista no período da ditadura militar, e sua filha, Guilhermina de Medeiros Duarte Pinto Lefevre. Em 2003, estrelou ao lado do ator Gianecchini o espetáculo;" Peça sobre o Bebê". Fez sucesso, quando estrelou a peça:"Lady Macbeth', que ficou em cartaz por uma temporada no Teatro do Sesc Pinheiros.

Marília Gabriela casou-se pela primeira vez aos 22 anos, com o empresário Reinaldo Haddad, mas ficou viúva. Foi casada por dez anos com o tenista Zeca Cochrane, responsável pela popularização das pulseiras Sabona no Brasil. Com ele teve dois filhos: o apresentador Christiano e o ator Theodoro. Maria Gabriela foi casada, por vários anos, com o ator Reynaldo Gianecchini, de quem se separou em outubro de 2006.
Ele é mais de 20 anos mais novo do que ela.

.Além de dois LPs gravados na década de 80, a apresentadora fez um disco em homenagem ao cantor Dick Farney em 2003. O trabalho teve direção musical da cantora Simone e contou com a participação de Gianecchini em uma das faixas.

Em seus quase 40 anos de carreira, Marília Gabriela já entrevistou bem mais de 10 mil pessoas.

Artista da Semana (dezembro 13-19) - Brenda Hopkins Miranda

2009-12-11T19:34:00.001-08:00

Artista da Semana - Brenda Hopkins Miranda

Get Your Own Free Hypster.com Playlist.

Brenda Hopkins Miranda is a talented pianist, composer, arranger, improviser, band leader, writer and educator born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

An exceptional and natural rhythmic inventor, she conjures up her own worlds - some jagged, others even more broken and interrupted. And she is good at it, putting the notes in the right places. Her repertoire includes original arrangements of traditional and contemporary Puerto Rican, Caribbean and Latin American songs and well as her own compositions. This music is about spirit, essence, intensity, passion, and honesty.

Hopkins Miranda has toured and/or recorded all over Latin America and the U.S. with international recording artists like Bob Moses, Oskar Cartaya, George Russel, Charlie Sepulveda, Peter Row, William Cepeda, Anthony Carrillo, Cachete Maldonado, Paoli Mejias, Endel Dueño, Juancito Torres, Polito Huertas, Oscar Stagnaro, Furito Rios, Eggie Castrillo, Luis Enrique Julia, Ricardo Montaner, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pandora, Lucecita Benitez, Glenn Monroig, Ednita Nazario, Yolandita Monge, Roy Brown, Puya, Yeva, Choco Orta, Roberto Figueroa, Luis Angel, Jessica Cristina, Marco Antonio Muñiz, Lourdes Robles, Zorayda Santiago, Chucho Avellanet, Proyecto M, Hilda Ramos, Plena Libre, Tambo Tropical, Los Pleneros del Coco, Seres de Plasticina, Michael Bullock Quartet and many others. She was invited to play for the Dalai Lama during his first visit to Puerto Rico. Was the first woman musician invited to appear on the TV show En Clave de Jazz TV, included in the most important Puerto Rican Pianists list of the En Clave de Jazz radio show, performed at the first women in jazz concert in Puerto Rico E-Jazz and other jazz festivals such as Boriquen Jazz Fest, Mayagüez Internacional Jazz Fest, las Noches de Jazz del Hotel Marriot, las Noches de Jazz del Cafe de la Plaza en Santurce and the Festival de Jazz Chivas Regal. She was the keyboard player for four years for the TV show Marcano el Show which included performances with musical guests Tito Puente, Sheila E., Nestor Torres, Dave Valentin, Charlie Sepulveda, El Gran Combo, Franco de Vita and many others.

Also, Hopkins Miranda was Director of the Music Program at the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. She has been a faculty member at the Metro Interamerican University and the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico. She also gives master classes, seminars and workshops at different institutions and teaches privately, since she is deeply committed to music education. Her music related articles have been published in various important newspapers and magazines.

Brenda Hopkins Miranda is the most important female pianist from Puerto Rico today. Pianist, improviser, composer, arranger, group leader and educator, she holds a solid international professional career that includes tours, recordings and concerts both as a band leader and guest musician for world renowned artists. She has performed all over the world, has composed and recorded music for several CDs and short films, has several articles on different musical themes, and has given out master classes, workshops and conferences on improvisation, personal style and creativity.

Her music is a melting pot that includes every place and experience in Brenda's life transformed through a modern musical language approach. Her piano's percussive push and energy, and her intense and expressive touch unite with a passion for creative improvisation, making every concert a unique experience. “…Brenda, who has recorded two CDs and has been the most consistent female exponent of jazz in the last years.”

www.myspace.com/brendahopkinsmiranda
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brenda-Hopkins-Miranda/71085646129

Artista da Semana (dezembro 6 -12 ) - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers

2009-12-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers

Lavay Smith, vocalist and bandleader of the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, grew up in Southern California and the Phillipines. She has become an internationally recognized Diva of Jazz and Blues, with a singing style influenced by Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith, Little Esther Phillips and other legendary greats.

This sultry chanteuse evokes a sensuous era of Jazz queens and sexy pinups and adds a modern, feminist twist. No wonder Los Angeles Magazine chose her as one of the sexiest people around! Lavay’s big, bluesy voice, exciting stage personality, and glamorous approach attract crowds around the world. According to Fox TV, the band has become “a San Francisco Landmark”, winning numerous awards including a “Wammie” and a “Bammie”. In 1998, the reader’s of San Francisco’s two major newspapers, the Chronicle and the Examiner, voted Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers the “Best Band” in the annual readers poll.

Important publications have sung the praises of Lavay Smith and her band, including Downbeat, The Los Angeles Times, Jazziz, The Boston Globe, Blues Revue, The New York Press, Living Blues, and the Alternative Press (see attached pages for juicy quotes). Television and Radio appearances include Public Television’s “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer”, Fox TV’s “Fox Files”, and NPR’s “To The Best of Our Knowledge”. World famous celebrities have jumped on the Lavay Smith bandwagon as well. Johnny Otis says “Lavay is wonderful! She and her band are a breath of fresh air.” Dan Aykroyd, a.k.a. Elwood Blues, says of Lavay’s debut album, “One Hour Mama”, “...this CD is guaranteed to make you feel better.” Even President Clinton has seen the light, proclaiming, “I love this band - they’re great!”

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers maintain a busy schedule, including extensive touring throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Japan. They have performed at many prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival, The Playboy Jazz Festival at The Hollywood Bowl, The San Francisco Blues Festival, The Toronto Jazz Festival, The Santa Barbara Jazz Festival, The Ottawa Jazz Fesitval, The Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, The San Francisco Jazz Festival, The Salt Lake City Jazz Festival, The Doheny Blues Festival and Jazz Aspen/Snowmass. When not on the road, Lavay and her band are showcased in the San Francisco Bay Area's premier nightclubs, including the Cafe du Nord, Biscuits & Blues, Enrico’s, Jazz at Pearl’s, Ashkenaz, Rancho Nicasio, Kuumbwa Jazz Center and Moe's Alley.

Lavay’s latest CD, “Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Miss Thing” (Fat Note Records) incorporates a variety of classic American musical styles, including swing, bebop, salsa, jump blues, and New Orleans R&B. Enlisting the arranging talents of David Berger, arranger for Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the album includes six outstanding original tunes, many classics, and several obscure gems. Lavay and the band have produced an epic, best-selling album that is great for both dancing and listening.

Lavay approaches her material from the standpoint of an independent woman, combining world-class singing and musicianship with hilarious, provocative lyrics. Lavay’s musical stance is echoed in her real life role as owner of her own record label, Fat Note Records. Her debut CD, “One Hour Mama” received widespread critical acclaim and became a smash hit, outselling most independent releases. Her second CD, "Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing!" received a prestigious 4 & 1/2 Star review from Downbeat Magazine, and remained on the Billboard Jazz Charts for 20 straight weeks, reachng number 10. Her red-hot stage presence and high musical standards ensure that this sexy diva will continue to be a best-selling independent phenomenon well in the new millennium.

For Booking, call Jim Cassell of The Berkeley Agency 510-843-4902, or send an email to mail@berkeleyagency.com

To contact Lavay Smith, send an email to lavay@lavaysmith.com

The Red Hot Skillet Lickers

Mike Olmos (Trumpet) was raised in Merced, CA. He moved to the Bay Area in 1997 to attend California State University, Hayward, to pursue a degree in music. Mike is currently the Trumpet player for the legendary Etta James. He has performed with Rosemary Clooney, The Stan Kenton Alumni Big Band, Michael Feinstein, Jon Hendricks, Michael Brecker, Maria Schneider, as well as many other local Bay Area greats. He has recorded with Matt Catingub's "Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat Pack", Rosemary Clooney, Mike Vax, Cannonball, Madeline Eastman and The Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra. Mike is regularly seen performing around the Bay Area with Madeline Eastman, the Contemorary Jazz Orchestra, and the Fil Lorenz Nonet/Big Band, as well as his own quartet.

Bill Ortiz (Trumpet) was born and raised in San Francisco. Bill is currently the Trumpet player for the legendary Carlos Santana. He has played/and or recorded with Tito Puente, Quincy Jones, En Vogue, Bobby Hutcherson, Bennie Maupin, Peter Apfelbaum and the Hieroglyphics Ensemble, Don Cherry, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Otis Clay, T.L.C., Pete Escovedo, Toni, Tony, Tone, Airto and Flora Purim, and Boz Skaggs. Bill played on Santana’s historic multiple-grammy winning album “Supernatural”, including the smash hit "Smooth”. That’s right-that was Bill performing with Carlos Santana at the Grammies! He has been touring with Santana ever since, and is featured on Santana's upcoming album. Bill’s hot new album is now available.

Allen Smith (Trumpet) was raised in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and played with the Navy Band during World War II, replacing Clark Terry. After World War II, Allen moved to San Francisco and worked with T-Bone Walker, Saunders King, and many others. He then went on the road with Johnny Otis in 1947. He has recorded with Duke Ellington, Gil Evans and Benny Goodman, and has performed with many of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Quincy Jones, Gerald Wilson, Joe Williams, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and many others. Allen’s fantastic new CD, "Cornocopia" is now available on BluePort Records.

Danny Armstrong (Trombone & Vocals) was born and raised in San Diego. Danny has performed and recorded with many greats, including Rufus Thomas, Archie Bell and the Drells, Pete Escovedo, Elvin Bishop, Elouise Laws, Ann Peebles, The Legendary Sy Klopps Band, The Coasters, Bobby Freeman, and Lee Oskar. He performed with the legendary Johnny Otis’ working band for years in addition to his work with Lavay Smith. In addition to being the world’s greatest trombone player, you can hear Danny’s wonderful singing in duets with Lavay as well.

Jules Broussard (Alto and Tenor Saxophones) was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. He learned to play by listening to Louis Jordan, Illinois Jacquet, and Earl Bostic in the 1940's. He has played and/or recorded with Ray Charles, Little Esther Phillips, Johnny Otis, Big Mama Thornton, Earl Grant, John Handy, Santana, Boz Skaggs, Steve Miller, Van Morrison and many other music greats. Jules is a renowned bandleader in his own right with a superb brand-new CD out entitled “Jules Broussard...With Strings Attached”. You can find out about Jules and his band and order his CDs at broussard.com.

Howard Wiley (Tenor Saxophone) is a Bay Area native. He performed with Lauryn Hill’s band on her 2007 world tour. He has worked with Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, David Murray, Faye Carol, Marcus Shelby, Bill Bell, Bishop Norman Williams, and many other greats. Howard has several superb CDs under his own name, including his latest CD “The Angola Project”, which features an exciting lineup that includes vocalists Faye Carol, Jeannine Anderson and Lorin Benedict, trumpet, tenor sax, two violins, piano, two basses and drums. You can find out more about Howard and order his CDs at his website, howardwiley.com.

Rhythm Section

Charlie Siebert (Guitar) grew up in New York City and Los Angeles. He has performed with Larry Vukovich, Mal Sharpe and the Blue Room Boys. Charlie was the co-founder of the Molasses Brothers along with his brother Chris. He is currently teaching English in Jinan, the capitol of Shandong Province in China, and plans to travel throughout Asia and beyond. You can reach Charlie at emailcharlie@yahoo.com. You can also visit Charlie and check out some great photos from China at facebook.

David Ewell (String Bass) hails from Berkeley, CA, and graduated from Berkeley High's nationally renowned music program. David toured the world with Lauryn Hill in 2007. He has worked with Arthur Blythe, Bobby Watson, Greg Tardy, Babatunde Lea, Mark Levine, Bishop Norman Williams, Randy Vincent and many other greats. David often performs in a trio format with New York-based Piano player Marc Carey as well as The Howard Wiley Trio. He is also a founding member of the excellent Brazilian band Vivendo de Pao and performs regularly with The Supplicants. You can visit David at myspace.

Darrell Green (Drums) grew up in Oakland, CA and lives in Harlem. Darrell tours with Sherman Irby from the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Steve Turre and Jeremy Pelt. He has performed with Dr. Lonnie Smith, Stephon Harris, Marlena Shaw, Myron Walden, Tony Monaco, Faye Carol, Marcus Shelby, Howard Wiley and Dave Ellis. Darrell is also a Jazz educator, and he works with students of all ages at Jazz Camp West and The Young Musician's Program at UC Berkeley. You can visit Darrell at myspace.

Chris Siebert (Piano, Arranger, Bandleader) grew up in New York City and Los Angeles. In addition to founding the Red Hot Skillet Lickers with Lavay Smith in 1989, he has also played and/or recorded with Snooky Pryor, Taj Mahal, Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, Alvin “Youngblood” Hart, Little Charlie & The Night Cats, Big Bones, Los Lobos, The Turk Murphy Alumni Band, Bo Grumpus, Denise Perrier, Brenda Boykin, Ledisi and Sugar Pie DeSanto. A noted authority on swing, jazz, and blues music, Chris, along with Lavay, was a special consultant to MCA Records for their re-issue of the classic Decca recordings of Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Lunceford and Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb. Chris is the musical director for the band, writes most of the arrangements and composes the original songs with Lavay Smith. You can visit Chris at myspace and facebook.

David Berger (Arranger) is from Long Island and makes his home in Manhattan. He is a renowned arranger, and is know as the world’s foremost authority on the music of Duke Ellington. In addition to his outstanding original arrangements and compositions, he is a noted transcriber. He has contributed a large percentage of the arrangements performed by Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. David has written for John Hendricks, and his arrangements were featured in the Broadway show “Sophisticated Ladies.”

David’s leads his own orchestra, the Sultan’s of Swing, one of the finest Big Bands in the world, and has featured such legendary performers as Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Marcus Belgrave, Britt Woodman, Bill Easley, Art Baron and many others. The wonderful Aria Hendricks is the featured vocalist. They perform regularly in Manhattan, and go on the road as the house band for the acclaimed jazz ballet “The Harlem Nutcracker”.

David travels the world as conductor, presenting his own music as well as programs of the music of Duke Ellington. He often conducts his own transcriptions of Ellington’s Sacred Concerts, featuring all-star ensembles that include performers such as Jessye Norman.

David Berger & The Sultans of Swing have 3 CDs available on Such Sweet Thunder Records: “The Harlem Nutcracker”, "Doin' the Do!" and their latest release, "Marlowe", which Dan Morgenstern of the Institute for Jazz Studies at Rutgers University call "some of the best big-band writing and playing you're likely to hear".

David has contributed many arrangements to the Lavay Smith repertoire, including 7 charts on our CD “Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Miss Thing!” David's chart for our original tune "The Busy Woman's Blues" from that album is now available from Smart Chart Music in an expanded Big Band version which includes lyrics. You can hear it and order it at smartchartmusic.com.

For more information about David Berger & The Sultans of Swing, check out sultansofswing.com.

Artista da Semana (novembro 29 - dezembro 5) - Ligia Piro

2009-11-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Ligia Piro

http://www.ligiapiro.com.ar/inicio.html?novedades

Nació en Buenos Aires. Se formó en el Conservatorio Nacional de Música L. Buchardo en canto, con los maestros Roberto Britos y África De Retes. En la escuela de teatro de Agustín Alezzo se formó como actriz. Trabajó en distintas obras de teatro, como “Vino de Ciruela” (dirección: Rubén Pires) y en musicales como “Nine” (dirección: David Leveaux), “Gotan” y “El romance del Romeo y la Julieta” (dirigidas por Manuel G. Gil) entre otras.
Abocada al jazz y a la bossa nova desde el año 1995, realizó presentaciones en todo el circuito porteño y festivales de jazz. Su carrera solista la llevó a grabar su primer CD: “LP” en el año 2003, el que presentó en distintos teatros de Bs. As: teatro PTE. ALVEAR, teatro ND ATENEO, LA TRASTIENDA, teatro LA COMEDIA (Rosario), etc.
En el año 2005 gana el Premio KONEX a mejor intérprete solista de jazz y recientemente lanza su segundo CD: BABY!

Nominaciones:
1996- Premio ACE. Revelación por “Gotán”
2003- Premio Estrella de Mar por mejor musical unipersonal
2003- Premio ACE mejor actriz por “Vino de ciruela”

Artista da Semana (novembro 22 - 28) - Pauline Jean

2009-11-20T20:17:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Pauline Jean

Jazz vocalist Pauline Jean is a native New Yorker of Haitian descent. In 2007 Pauline graduated cum laude from the Berklee College of Music with a BM degree in Vocal Performance. After graduating from Berklee, Pauline returned to New York and immediately became actively involved in the music community. Pauline has been building on the classic art form of jazz by adding her own fresh approach. Her repertoire includes original compositions, unique arrangements of the standards, blues and traditional Afro-Haitian music fused with jazz. Her musical renditions are performed both in English and in her parents’ native tongue kreyòl. Pauline's velvety voice has a range from the low resonance and earthiness of the great Sarah Vaughan to the electrifying voltage of Nina Simone.

Her extraordinary performances have led her to share the stage with a variety of musicians such as Nina Simone’s percussionist Leopoldo Fleming, Randy Weston, Dave Valentin, Ted Curson, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ingrid Jensen, Miriam Sullivan, Luis Perdomo, Alvin Atkinson, Jr., Buyu Ambroise and Emeline Michel.

Pauline has been featured in many venues such as: Lincoln Center, United Nations, Scullers Jazz Club, St. Peter’s Church, Metropolitan Room, Kitano, Chelsea Art Museum, Zinc Bar, Minton's Playhouse, Cachaca, SOB’s, Sage Theater, Enzo’s Jazz Room and the Berklee Performance Center. She has also performed at the 2nd Annual Women in Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival-New York, the Haitian Jazz Festival and the St. Kitts-Nevis SAS Jazz Reggae Vibes Festival.

Her most recent successes include performing at the 44th International Pori Jazz Festival in Finland and a tribute to Nina Simone at The Cabaret at the Connoisseur Room in Indianapolis, where she was celebrated with standing ovations by an enthusiastic audience for three stellar performances.

Pauline released her debut CD A Musical Offering in June 2009. The album is stirring and best described as swingin’, bluesy and soulful. Musicians on this project include: Sharp Radway (piano), Corcoran Holt (bass), Alvin Atkinson, Jr. (drums), McClenty Hunter (drums), Markus Schwartz (percussion), Marcelo Woloski (percussion), Jean Caze (trumpet) and Thaddeus Hogarth (harmonica).

For more information about Pauline, please visit her website at www.paulinejean.com.

FOR BOOKING INQUIRIES PLEASE EMAIL: pauline@paulinejean.com

Pauline Jean

Artista da Semana (novembro 15 -21) - Anat Cohen

2009-11-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

Artista da Semana - Anat Cohen

Anat Cohen

An established bandleader and prolific composer, idiomatically conversant with modern and traditional jazz, classical music, Brazilian choro, Argentine tango, and an expansive timeline of Afro-Cuban styles, Anat Cohen has established herself as one of the primary voices of her generation on both the tenor saxophone and clarinet since arriving in New York in 1999.

In September 2008, Anat Cohen released Notes From The Village, her fourth album as a leader. Recorded at Avatar studios in New York City, the album builds on Cohen's acclaimed 2007 releases, captures the thrilling energy of her live shows, and proves her to be an artistically adventurous writer and performer. Notes From The Village finds Anat leading a quartet of some of the most sought-after, engaging young performers in New York, including pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Omer Avital, and drummer Daniel Freedman, with accompaniment from guitarist Gilad Hekselman on three tracks. The album features compositions written by Cohen as well as her interpretations of songs by Fats Waller, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke and Ernesto Lecuona.

“In preparing for the recording,” says Anat “I really wanted to capture the free, risk-taking, open quality this band achieves when performing live. I also wanted to stretch my compositions, and arrangements.” Early responses to the album have been overwhelmingly positive; The New York Times’ Nate Chinen wrote that “Notes From The Village is a resounding confirmation; yes, she is the real deal”, DownBeat Magazine awarded the release four stars, stating that “Cohen makes it seem easy, mixing a gift for melody and an improvisational fluidity that has few peers today.” Anat’s previous outings, Noir and Poetica were released simultaneously in April 2007, inspiring a string of enthusiastic reviews. The Washington Post said that “Cohen has emerged as one of the brightest, most original young instrumentalists in jazz [...] [she] has expanded the vocabulary of jazz with a distinctive accent of her own.” The Village Voice spoke of her “Enviable insouciance” and how “she alludes to the mystical in a merry way,” and Downbeat magazine expressed the opinion that “Noir could be a classic” and “[Cohen’s] stately intonation and unforced elegance on clarinet could take her to the top.”

Anat has performed for audiences in New York’s Village Vanguard, Jazz Standard, Iridium, The Jazz Gallery, and the JVC Jazz Festival. She has also appeared at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, San Francisco’s Yoshi's, Boston’s Regattabar, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. Anat’s July 2007 engagement at the Village Vanguard in New York was a historic one; Anat is the first female reed player, and the first Israeli to headline at the club. Ms. Cohen’s accomplishments have been recognized in a flurry of awards and distinctions from critics and fans alike; She topped the Rising Star- Clarinet category in DownBeat Magazine’s critics poll in both 2007 and
2008, and placed prominently in a total of four categories including Rising Star Jazz Artist - where she ranked second and was the only female artist to make the list. Anat was also mentioned on DownBeat’s readers poll in 2007 and 2008. The Jazz Journalists Association named Anat Cohen Clarinetist of the Year by in both 2007 and 2008 – the first time in the history of the awards that an artist has earned top clarinet honors two years running. Noir and Poetica both appeared on many year-end best-of summary lists, including those of Paste magazine, The New York Sun, Slate, JazzTimes and others.

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Anat grew up with musical siblings; her older brother Yuval is himself a saxophonist of note, and her younger brother, Avishai, is one of New York’s busiest trumpeters. She began clarinet studies at age 12 and played jazz on clarinet for the first time in the Jaffa Conservatory’s Dixieland band. At 16, she joined the school’s big band and learned to play the tenor saxophone. The same year, Anat entered the prestigious “Thelma Yelin” High School for the Arts, where she majored in jazz. After graduation, she discharged her mandatory Israeli military service duty from 1993-95, playing tenor saxophone in the Israeli Air Force band.
In 1996, Anat matriculated at Berklee College of Music in Boston. There she met faculty member Phil Wilson, who encouraged her to play clarinet, and other inspiring teachers such as Greg Hopkins, Ed Tomassi, Hal Crook, George Garzone, and Bill Pierce, and an elite international peer group of students.

During her Berklee years, Anat visited New York during breaks between semesters, making a beeline for Smalls to soak up the hybrid of grooves, world music and mainstream jazz that people like Jason Lindner and Omer Avital were then evolving. Back in Boston, she played tenor saxophone in a variety of musical contexts with various bands including Afro-Cuban, Argentinean, klezmer, contemporary Brazilian music and classical Brazilian choro. Anat also began her association with Sherrie Maricle’s top-shelf allwoman big band Diva Jazz Orchestra, which continued into the new millennium.

Once ensconced in New York, Anat quickly found work in various Brazilian ensembles like the Choro Ensemble and Duduka Da Fonseca’s Samba Jazz Quintet, and started performing with David Ostwald’s “Gully Low Jazz Band,” which explores the music of Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet and their Pan-American contemporaries. Anat documented her bona fides on her debut CD, Place and Time, one of All About Jazz-New York’s “Best Debut Albums of 2005.” On the liner notes for Notes From the Village, Ira Gitler writes “She is formidable. Long may she continue to enrich the music in myriad ways.” There is every indication that her star will continue to rise for a long time to come.

http://www.AnatCohen.com
http://www.imnworld.com/anatcohen
http://shorefiremedia.com/clients/acohen

Artista da semana (novembro 8 - 14) - Miguel Zenón

2009-11-07T07:01:00.001-08:00

Artista da Semana - Miguel Zenón

http://www.miguelzenon.com/index.htm

Miguel Zenón Bio

“This young musician and composer is at once reestablishing the artistic, cultural, and social tradition of jazz while creating an entirely new jazz language for the 21st century.”

--MacArthur Foundation,2008.

Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There, he studied classical saxophone at the famed Escuela Libre de Musica. Although Zenón was exposed to jazz while in high school, it wasn’t until he began his studies at the Berklee School of Music that his formal jazz training began. After graduating from Berklee, Zenón received a scholarship to attend Manhattan School of Music and in 2001, he received a Masters in Saxophone Performance. The distinguished list of educators he has studied with include: Angel Marrero, Leslie Lopez, Rafael Martinez, Danilo Perez, Dick Oatts, Dave Liebman, George Garzone and Bill Pierce.

In his relatively short, but rather illustrious career, Zenón has performed and/or recorded with a quite a diverse array of artists including: David Sanchez, Charlie Haden, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Bobby Hutcherson, Bob Moses and Mozamba, The Either Orchestra, Guillermo Klein y Los Guachos, The Mingus Big Band, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, Ray Barretto, and Steve Coleman, among others.

In 2004 Zenón was asked to become one of the founding members of the SF Jazz Collective; an octet whose past and present members include Joshua Redman, Bobby Hutcherson, Nicholas Payton, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas and Brian Blade. The members, who participate in a residency period where they workshop and rehearse new music, divide their time (roughly two months) between composing, performing and teaching. The SF Jazz Collective has toured in the US, Canada, Asia, and Europe and to date, have released five critically acclaimed live recordings, garnering them a spot in the Downbeat Critic’s Poll Rising Star Small Group category in both 2006 and 2007 – an honor which, coincidentally, they shared with Zenón’s own quartet.

The Saxophonist and Composer has released four recordings as a Leader. His debut CD Looking Forward, was selected by the New York Times as the number one independent jazz record of 2002. In 2004, after being one of the first artists signed to Marsalis Music, he released the critically acclaimed Ceremonial. This same year also marked the beginning of three consecutive years on the top of the Downbeat Critic’s Poll in the Rising Star Alto Sax category. Zenón topped that category as well in 2008,making that the fourth time in the last five years. In 2005 Zenón was honored by Billboard magazine as one of the “Faces to Watch-- 30 Under 30: Top Young Acts and Executives.” That year Zenón also released Jibaro, a tribute to the "Musica Jibara" of Puerto Rico and commissioned by a grant from the New York State Council of the Arts. Like his previous recordings, Jibaro was uniformly well received and appeared on many top ten lists including The New York Times, Latin Beat, El Nuevo Dia, and the Chicago Tribune. In 2006, the readers of Jazz Times Magazine voted him the Best New Artist of the Year. Awake, his fourth recording as a leader was released in April 2008. It was chosen as one of the Best Jazz Cd's of 2008 by Jazz.com, Jazz Improv Magazine, Cuadernos de Jazz, JazzTimes and El Nuevo Dia, among others. (Read Reviews)

In addition to touring extensively throughout the US and Europe and Latin America with his quartet, Zenón has made teaching a priority in his professional career. In 2003, as part of the Kennedy Center’s Jazz Ambassador’s Program, Zenón’s quartet was selected to teach and perform throughout West Africa. Since then he as done master classes, clinics and/or residencies in such diverse institutions as the Banff Centre, University of Manitoba, LeMoyne College, UMASS-Amherst, the Brubeck Institute, Berklee College of Music, Conservatoire de Paris, Rotterdam Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Amsterdam Conservatory and the Diaz Institute. Zenón also serves as a private saxophone instructor at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York. Starting in the Fall of 2009, Zenón will be joining the Jazz Faculty at the New England Corservatory in Boston,MA.

In April 2008 Zenón received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation to work on his next project, which focused on Plena Music from Puerto Rico. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Grant, also know as the “Genius Grant”.

Artista da Semana: Dani Gurgel (novembro 1 - 7)

2009-10-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Artista da Semana - Dani Gurgel

Biografia

DANI GURGEL trilhou uma escalada de instrumento a instrumento até encontrar o seu: a voz. Como instrumentista foram 15 anos. Dani foi saxofonista da big band regida por Roberto Sion e da banda que acompanhava o Zimbo Trio. Foi quando nasceram suas primeiras músicas que começou a cantá-las, despretensiosamente, no grupo de compositores “Quincas”.

Ao montar o repertório de seu primeiro show solo, após bastante dedicação ao novo instrumento, Dani Gurgel decidiu-se pelas canções de seus contemporâneos, ao invés das já consagradas. Assim surgiu a série de shows “Dani Gurgel e Novos Compositores”, que direcionou o repertório de seus três discos e foi tema do concerto que fez junto com a Orquestra Tom Jobim, como convidada e curadora.

A cantora e compositora foi vencedora na categoria música popular do Prêmio Nascente, mantido pela USP, onde se formou em Comunicação Social. Da faculdade, ela traz o interesse pelas mudanças na música com o digital, já abordado no seu trabalho de conclusão de curso em 2007, e também a busca incansável por novos meios de levar seu som até o público.

AGORA – Dani Gurgel e Novos Compositores, terceiro disco da cantora e compositora paulistana Dani Gurgel, é inspirado na série de shows homônima apresentada em 2007, na qual Dani convidava seus contemporâneos a participarem dos shows e apresentarem suas músicas. O novo trabalho reúne canções inéditas e conta com a participação de 23 jovens músicos da nova cena musical brasileira. Um trabalho eclético, amarrado pela interpretação de Dani, combinada com cada convidado. Brincando, vai do jazz ao pop. Há sambas, como “Linha na Pipa”, de Vinicius Calderoni, grooves, por exemplo, “Clinch”, de Danilo Moraes e Ricardo Teté, e outros quase eruditos, como a canção “Depois”, parceria de Dani com Tatiana Parra.
credits
released 16 September 2009
Produzido por Thiago Rabello
Co-produzido e idealizado por Dani Gurgel

Dani Gurgel [voz]
Thiago Rabello [bateria]
Debora Gurgel [piano]
Daniel Amorin [baixo acústico e elétrico]
Michi Ruzitschka [violão e guitarra]
André Kurchal [percussão]

Participação especial:
Conrado Goys [violão] em "Lé com Cré"
Jaziel Gomes [trombone] em "Clinch"
Ubaldo Versolato [clarinete e clarone] em "Lé com Cré" e "Depois"

E os compositores, que participam em suas respectivas canções:
Rafa Barreto, Vinicius Calderoni, Danilo Moraes, Ricardo Teté, Dani Black, Leo Versolato, Tatiana Parra, Tó Brandileone, Leo Bianchini, Demetrius Lulo, Wagner Barbosa, Ricardo Barros.

http://www.danigurgel.com.br/musica/index.html

Dani Gurgel - Neneca from Dani Gurgel on Vimeo.

Artista da Semana: Gretchen Parlato (outubro 25 - novembro 1)

2009-10-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

Artista da Semana - Gretchen Parlato

http://www.gretchenparlato.com/

bio —

Gretchen Parlato´s voice is a thing of wonder. Striking the ideal balance between precision and flexibility, she is never predictable, blurring the lines between singer and instrumentalist as she takes a lyric—and at other times improvised flights of wordless fancy—to places it´s never before been. On In a Dream, her debut album for ObliqSound, which releases August 25, Parlato and her intuitive support team reinvent constantly, Parlato impeccably articulating in a voice so ethereal that the listener might very well feel that he or she is "in a dream."

Coming four years after her self-titled debut, In a Dream finds Parlato embarking on a beguiling journey deep into the heart of both her own compositions and classic material by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and others—all of which she instantly makes her own. Each song emerges as a unique world unto itself, yet there´s an undeniable thread linking them all together.

Aligning with a virtuosic quartet she describes as "inspiring, creative, sensitive, musical souls"—Lionel Loueke on guitar, Aaron Parks on piano and Fender Rhodes, Derrick Hodge on acoustic and electric bass, and drummer Kendrick Scott—Parlato brings the warmth and compelling command of her much-heralded live performances to 10 exquisite new peeks into her artistic personality. In a Dream firmly places Gretchen Parlato in the upper echelon of today´s vocal artists.

Both Hancock and Shorter are already fans. Hancock has said that Parlato has a "deep, almost magical connection to the music," and Shorter has said "in an inconspicuous way, Gretchen plays the same instrument as Frank Sinatra."

Michele Locatelli, the album´s producer and co-founder of ObliqSound, notes that Parlato´s desire to blend a broad range of musical influences sets her apart. "Even though her means of expression is jazz-based, it goes beyond that. The defining thing about her, however, is her subtle sense of rhythm and timing: she makes a song seem easy when it´s not."

From the opening number, her interpretation of Wonder´s "I Can´t Help It," best known via Michael Jackson´s rendition, Parlato´s extraordinary vocal calisthenics, immaculate sense of timing and nuanced phrasing are in full bloom. Parlato transforms the song into a breathy neo-bossa nova, joined solely by Loueke´s closely intertwined, sweet guitar lines and vocalized percussion and bass accompaniment. "The song just grew organically and has continued to develop every time we play it," Parlato says.

The song list runs the gamut from classic Brazilian—"Doralice," learned from the legendary singer/guitarist Jo„o Gilberto—to the flowing "Turning Into Blue," penned by the bassist Alan Hampton, with lyrics by Parlato based on Buddhist teachings. The way in which she stretches out the word "turning," then catches up with "into blue" is indicative of Parlato´s innate ability to work miracles with a lyric and hold the listener´s attention via her ingenuity. Ellington´s "Azure," says Parlato, "taps into that dreamlike state we can be in when we long for someone and feel completely alone. I love to reveal the beauty in the darkness." Performed in a 5/4 rhythm, the track features a stunning bass solo by Hodge.

Hancock´s "Butterfly," she says, "is about the beauty of simplicity and space. I arranged it so that we could play around rhythmically, while still allowing the lyrics to shine through." In this arrangement, Parlato stays on top of the groove without deviating, even while exploring every nuance it has to offer. Shorter´s "ESP," not surprisingly the purest jazz track on In a Dream, eases in via meditative vocalizations and ultimately gives way to Parks´ spellbinding Rhodes solo and intricate drum work from Scott. The title track, with music by the young pianist Robert Glasper and lyrics by Parlato, is appropriately dreamy, a groove-based, harmony-rich rumination on the otherworldly quality of being in love.

Two tracks, "Within Me" and "On the Other Side," arrived via guitarist Francis Jacob. On the first, Parlato´s vocal sneaks in with a whisper, then barely rises, yet remains dynamic and alluring. Appropriately introspective, she drills deep inside of the lyric and instinctively delivers it the way it begs to be delivered. The latter song is more rambunctious, a tight weave of precision, melody and heart. "Weak," which closes the album, was originally performed by the R&B trio SWV in 1992. Says Parlato, "I thought it would be cool to sing this song in a new way and have people say, ´Wait, why do I know this?´"

The theme of the album´s title, In a Dream, runs throughout each song. "Every song has a purpose, relates to my life in some way, and tells a story," Parlato explains. Her own story begins in Los Angeles, where she was born into a highly artistic and musical family that shaped her ears. In her youth, Parlato soaked up every sound that came her way, from rock and pop to classical, musical theatre, soul and R&B and, especially, African percussion and the sensuous rhythms of Brazil—all of which worked its way into her nascent style. Jazz gained a special foothold in her musical life because, she says, it forces an artist "to figure out who you are and find your own voice."

Her talent became apparent in her early childhood—in fact, In a Dream includes a handful of snippets of Parlato belting out songs in perfect rhythm and remarkable pitch at age 2! "I thought it was fitting to try to work these early recordings in with my current music, because it shows the first steps of my musical path, who I am, where I come from," she says. "It makes me realize that music was in me since the very beginning, I had no choice but to pursue it and share it."

As she grew, Parlato´s musical abilities blossomed. She attended the L.A. County High School for the Arts, later graduated from UCLA with a BA in Ethnomusicology/Jazz Studies, then went on to attend the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, as the Institute´s very first vocalist. That was followed by a 2003 move to New York to pursue her dream. A year later, Parlato won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition and, in 2005, self-released her debut.

In the years since, Parlato´s star has only risen. She´s toured internationally with her own band and as a guest of many A-list artists; notable performances include La Villette in Paris with Wayne Shorter as her guest, the Hollywood Bowl with Oscar Castro-Neves, Gal Costa, Ivan Lins, and Dianne Reeves, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Her recording credits include Terence Blanchard´s 2005 Grammy-nominated album Flow, Kenny Barron´s The Traveler, and Esperanza Spalding´s 2008 self-titled album. She was recently featured in The Documentary Channel´s 4-part series "Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense," and in a special called "Rising Stars" on Japan´s NHK-TV, with a one-hour focus on Parlato. Glowing reviews have followed her around, such as the one from the New York Times´ Ben Ratliff that singled out her attention to rhythm and dynamics, and proclaimed, "It´s evident that she´s an extraordinary singer."

Adds Lionel Loueke, "She is the only singer that I never have to account for or change the way I play; the guitar and the voice are so well balanced that no one is ever out in front." That is in fact true of each of her accompanists. Inherently aware of the leader´s ability to find herself within a given song, the musicians instinctively find their place alongside her and serve to accent Parlato´s fine-tuned arrangements.

Parlato is understandably proud. "I sing from my heart and soul and hope that people feel that. I just want them to feel something. That could be joy or sadness, as long as it moves them in some way." Anyone who is not moved by In a Dream is quite possibly incapable of moving at all.

Artista da Semana (outubro 18 - 24) - Mariana Aydar

2009-10-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Artista da Semana - Mariana Aydar

Biografia

Aydar é filha de Mario Manga, integrante do grupo Premê, e de Bia Aydar, produtora de diversos artistas brasileiros, entre os quais Lulu Santos e Luiz Gonzaga. Nesse ambiente, ficava atrás dos palcos, dormia nos camarins [1] e ia junto com os cantores para o estúdio, aprendendo muita coisa só observando.[2][3]

A trajetória musical teve início em 2000. Em 2004, após anos de estudo no Brasil e na Berklee School of Music, em Boston, morou em Paris por um ano. Lá conheceu Seu Jorge, que a convidou para abrir os shows na turnê européia. De volta ao Brasil em 2005, passou a investir no disco de estréia, Kavita 1, lançado em setembro de 2006.[4]

Mariana, que estudou cello, violão e canto,[2] já esteve no palco com Seu Jorge, Elba Ramalho, Dominguinhos, Arnaldo Antunes, Toni Garrido, Samuel Rosa, Daniela Mercury , Céu, João Donato, entre outros.

É considerada como integrante de uma safra de cantoras no cenário da nova MPB.

Em abril de 2007, a música "Deixa o Verão" foi convocada para entrar na trilha sonora do seriado adolescente Malhação 2007, da Rede Globo.

Em agosto para setembro de 2007, Mariana Aydar foi indicada a Revelação no VMB (Video Music Brasil), realizado pela MTV

Em janeiro de 2008, realizou o primeiro show em Salvador, na Praça Tereza Batista, no Pelourinho, para um público superior a mil pessoas totalmente envolvido e conhecedor das ´músicas do repertório da cantora. O show foi uma parceria entre o Projeto Pelourinho Cultural, do IPAC - SECULT, com o produtor baiano Chicco Assis e o Movimento ChA Com Cultura.

Em 2009, a música "Prainha" entrou para a trilha de Malhação 2009, sendo tema do Ceará.
[editar] Discografia
[editar] Álbuns

* 2006 - Kavita 1
* 2009 - Peixes, Pássaros E Pessoas