Jun 11 2013
The Seduction of Piano and Voice. I have seen and heard several releases of piano and voice through the years. The minimalist approach is always very seductive, especially when one artist seems to be an extension of the other. Voice and piano blend in as if they were one single instrument. This miraculous combination …
Jun 10 2013
There is just a lot to celebrate today. Among several birthdays, I would like to feature the following: Bibi Ferreira (June 10, 1921 – Rio de Janeiro, RJ), actress, singer, director, composer. Guinga (June 10, 1950 – Rio de Janeiro, RJ), composer, singer, guitarist. João Gilberto (June 10, 1931 – Juazeiro, Bahia), composer, singer, guitarist. …
Jun 05 2013
In Excellent Company — Again! While touring in Europe in 2006, Celia Malheiros met Danish pianist Thomas Clausen. A musical affinity was born and with it, the desire to do an album together. It did not take very long to gather the results of that encounter with After the Carnaval. Celia is definitely on the …
May 24 2013
I first wrote about this album when I purchased the Brazilian version of the CD over a year ago. Now with the U.S. release on Adventure Music, a wider audience will have the opportunity to experience the phenomenal music these guys create in honor of Egberto Gismonti and Hermeto Pascoal.
May 10 2013
Samba in a Jazz Tradition Jamba is what you get if you mix jazz with samba. The recipe is simple: take a few good sambas, perform them in a jazzy way and add some spices. But don’t underestimate the performance. It’ll take good musicianship to come to a satisfying result. The Andréa Dutra Quartet …
Apr 22 2013
Beautiful Freedom With their fourth album the guys from À Deriva once again show their originality and their drive for innovation. The band is together in the same line-up ever since their self-titled debut album in 2006. And that shows. It’s a fact that changing line-ups can add new perspectives, but in the case of À Deriva the chemistry between …
Apr 11 2013
Going Her Own Way With Pra Mim Você É Lindo Katia Bronstein (Rio, 1965) is back in the Musicland. We had to do without a new cd for about 5 years; it’s good to hear her again. Right away, Katia’s warm voice and her unique music sound familiar again and seduce the listener. The long wait between …
Apr 04 2013
Just Like Fine Wine Antonio Adolfo never seems to stop. He has been an iconic Brazilian musician, composer, arranger and producer since the late 1960s. His numerous awards continue to be collected as if he were a perpetual motion machine. The most recent recognition came from the XVI Annual Brazilian International Press Awards 2013 this past March, when it was announced that …
Mar 27 2013
Unpretentious Craftsmanship Pianist Kenny Barron and Brazilian Music — the two go well together. Kenny’s love for Latin Music was fueled by working with Dizzy Gillespie (on, among others, Jambo Caribe in 1964 and The Melody Lingers On from 1966 on which they recorded “Mas Que Nada” from Jorge Ben). With his participation on Bossas & Ballads (released by Stan Getz …
Mar 07 2013
Impressive Not too many musicians will get away with it: releasing a CD that not even reaches the length of thirty minutes. Leave it to Vinícius Cantuária to do so. It must have got something to do with the continuous high quality of his music and the element of surprise. For an extended bio of …
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