Album will be released simultaneously in Portugal and Brazil
Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos is about to release a new album, Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses, curated by Zuza Homem de Mello and arranged by some of the most important contemporary Brazilian composers, with Kiko Freitas (drums), Gabi Guedes (percussion ), and with the Portuguese big band directed by Pedro Guedes.
Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses will be released on March 28th, in Portugal (CARA) and Brazil simultaneously, by the renowned label Biscoito Fino. The double CD includes classics such as “Corcovado” and “Wave” (Antonio Carlos Jobim), “Carinhoso” (Pixinguinha), “Nanã (Coisa nº5)” (Moacir Santos) and “Linha de Passe” (Joao Bosco) – the song that introduces the album.
Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses began to be outlined in 2018 and is the result of a series of happy reunions between brotherly countries, and lovers of architecture, art and music. This record is, first and foremost, a tribute to Zuza Homem de Mello, four years after his disappearance.
At the opening of “Infinito Vão”, Zuza Homem de Mello, then 85 years old, was introduced to Pedro Guedes, artistic director of Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos and, from then on “it was 'sopa no mel' (a match made in heaven), a back and forth of scores, a back and forth of information”, reads the album’s booklet. On stage, the musicians of OJM interpreted timeless classics from the Brazilian songbook, such as “Carinhoso” by Pixinguinha and “Corcovado” by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Pedro Guedes couldn’t help but wonder, “how can we grasp the immense diversity and richness of this music? How can we chose a repertoire that truly represents it, building on our accomplice condition as Portuguese musicians?”
With Zuza Homem de Mello as their guide—“a man with music in his veins and a sincere and unmistakable laugh”—who chose the songs and the arrangers, and brought from Brazil the renowned drummer Kiko Freitas (voted by the North American magazine Modern Drummer 'best drummer in the world' in the World Music category in 2019), OJM performed live at Tanoaria/Casa da Arquitetura and quickly realized that they had to record the concert, paying tribute to the generous and unforgettable Zuza.
Recorded in 2022, Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses also features Gabi Guedes, an unavoidable figure in Afro-Bahian percussion, and is now seeing the light of day with a simultaneous edition in Brazil. On March 28, the album will be released in Portugal by CARA and in Brazil by the renowned label Biscoito Fino (Chico Buarque, Guinga, Tom Zé, Maria Bethânia, Gal Costa and Rita Lee).
“It is with great joy that we begin this partnership with Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos. The artistic affinities between the orchestra and Biscoito Fino are countless and we hope that this project will be the beginning of a long musical conversation. We congratulate conductor Pedro Guedes on OJM’s entire trajectory and excellence”, says Kati Almeida Braga, founder of Biscoito Fino.
For the founder and artistic director of the Portuguese big band, “it is with great pride that we release this work curated by Zuza Homem de Mello through Biscoito Fino. This label is a reference for those who like and listen to Brazilian music.”
The album Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses is available in digital and physical formats.
Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos is about to release a new album, Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses, curated by Zuza Homem de Mello and arranged by some of the most important contemporary Brazilian composers, with Kiko Freitas (drums), Gabi Guedes (percussion ), and with the Portuguese big band directed by Pedro Guedes.
Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses will be released on March 28th, in Portugal (CARA) and Brazil simultaneously, by the renowned label Biscoito Fino. The double CD includes classics such as “Corcovado” and “Wave” (Antonio Carlos Jobim), “Carinhoso” (Pixinguinha), “Nanã (Coisa nº5)” (Moacir Santos) and “Linha de Passe” (Joao Bosco) – the song that introduces the album.
Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses began to be outlined in 2018 and is the result of a series of happy reunions between brotherly countries, and lovers of architecture, art and music. This record is, first and foremost, a tribute to Zuza Homem de Mello, four years after his disappearance.
How it all began...
In September 2018, Casa da Arquitectura opened the exhibition “Infinito Vão – 90 anos de arquitetura brasileira” and, to close it, Nuno Sampaio, executive director of the institution, invited Zuza Homem de Mello to come up with a show that intersected architecture with various cultural expressions, music in particular. “What did I suggest? A concert by a Portuguese orchestra with Brazilian music and arrangers”, wrote the Brazilian musicologist and journalist, specialized in the history of Brazilian popular music.At the opening of “Infinito Vão”, Zuza Homem de Mello, then 85 years old, was introduced to Pedro Guedes, artistic director of Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos and, from then on “it was 'sopa no mel' (a match made in heaven), a back and forth of scores, a back and forth of information”, reads the album’s booklet. On stage, the musicians of OJM interpreted timeless classics from the Brazilian songbook, such as “Carinhoso” by Pixinguinha and “Corcovado” by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Pedro Guedes couldn’t help but wonder, “how can we grasp the immense diversity and richness of this music? How can we chose a repertoire that truly represents it, building on our accomplice condition as Portuguese musicians?”
With Zuza Homem de Mello as their guide—“a man with music in his veins and a sincere and unmistakable laugh”—who chose the songs and the arrangers, and brought from Brazil the renowned drummer Kiko Freitas (voted by the North American magazine Modern Drummer 'best drummer in the world' in the World Music category in 2019), OJM performed live at Tanoaria/Casa da Arquitetura and quickly realized that they had to record the concert, paying tribute to the generous and unforgettable Zuza.
Recorded in 2022, Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses also features Gabi Guedes, an unavoidable figure in Afro-Bahian percussion, and is now seeing the light of day with a simultaneous edition in Brazil. On March 28, the album will be released in Portugal by CARA and in Brazil by the renowned label Biscoito Fino (Chico Buarque, Guinga, Tom Zé, Maria Bethânia, Gal Costa and Rita Lee).
“It is with great joy that we begin this partnership with Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos. The artistic affinities between the orchestra and Biscoito Fino are countless and we hope that this project will be the beginning of a long musical conversation. We congratulate conductor Pedro Guedes on OJM’s entire trajectory and excellence”, says Kati Almeida Braga, founder of Biscoito Fino.
For the founder and artistic director of the Portuguese big band, “it is with great pride that we release this work curated by Zuza Homem de Mello through Biscoito Fino. This label is a reference for those who like and listen to Brazilian music.”
The album Músicas Brasileiras, Músicos Portugueses is available in digital and physical formats.
