Articles by Ernest Barteldes
Arturo O’Farrill & Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra at Town Hall
by Ernest Barteldes
Arturo O' Farrill & Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra With guests Hamilton de Holanda, Yamandu Costa and Cyro Baptista Town Hall New York, NY June 7, 2024 Backed by the 18-piece Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, pianist Arturo O'Farrill started a celebration of Brazilian music with “Alafia," a Latin-tinged jazz tune before welcoming Cyro Baptista to the stage for a rendition of Hermeto Pascoal's “Bebe," a syncopated, northeastern Brazilian tune that showcased many of his ...
Continue ReadingBaby do Brasil at City Winery New York
by Ernest Barteldes
Baby do Brasil City Winery New York, NYSeptember 23, 2023 Backed by a six-piece band (guitars, drums, percussion and keyboards), Baby do Brasil (formerly known as Baby Consuelo) took to the stage showcasing a collection of hits from her five-decade career, including her time as a member of the legendary band Novos Baianos, which was discovered by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil during the late '60s. Among the highlights of the evening was ...
Continue ReadingMarisa Monte at SummerStage in Central Park
by Ernest Barteldes
Marisa MonteSummerStage in Central ParkNew York, NYJuly 2, 2023 Preceded by a set by DJ Lara, Marisa Monte took the stage backed by an eight-piece band that included legendary bassist Dadi with “Portas," the title track and lead single of her 2022 album of the same name. She followed with a collection of songs from her three-decade career--something she hadn't done in previous international tours, which mostly focused on tunes from her newer works.
Continue ReadingNey Matogrosso at Town Hall
by Ernest Barteldes
Ney MatogrossoTown HallNew York, NY April 22, 2023 On a rare Stateside appearance, Brazilian singer Ney Matogrosso took to the stage of New York's Town Hall for only the second time in his 50-year career for a stripped-down set of what he described in Portuguese as “an evening of Brazilian classics." Backed solely by pianist Leandro Braga, Matogrosso started out with a spirited rendition of “Nada Por Mim," a '80s hit for ...
Continue ReadingRoberto Carlos at Radio City Music Hall
by Ernest Barteldes
Roberto Carlos Radio City Music Hall New York, NY May 8, 2022 Backed by a 17-piece band that included eight horns under the musical direction of maestro Eduardo Lages, Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos took to the stage at Radio City Music Hall opening with “Emoções," a song that has been his signature opener since its release on his 1981 self-titled album (CBS Records). The tune relies heavily on the horns, and the intro seems based ...
Continue ReadingLila Downs at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn
by Ernest Barteldes
Lila Downs BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park Brooklyn, NY June 29, 2017 Backed initially by an eight-piece band directed by saxophonist (and husband) Paul Cohen, singer, songwriter and activist Lila Downs began her set with an up-tempo rendition of “Mezcalito," a tune that talks about mezcal, Mexico's lesser-known cousin of tequila. She kept things up-tempo until she got to the classic ballad “Cucurrucu Paloma" written my Mexican songwriter Tomás Méndez in ...
Continue ReadingGisela João and Acoustic Trio at Schimmel Center
by Ernest Barteldes
Gisela João and Acoustic Trio Schimmel Center at Pace University New York, NY February 25, 2017 The evening, which was part of the Fado Festival in New York (a multi-venue event dedicated to disseminate fado--Portugal's most traditional genre--in the United States) began with a set of traditional instrumental fados performed by the acoustic trio formed by Ricardo Parreira (12-string Portuguese guitar), Nelson Aleixo (classical guitar) and Francisco Gaspar (acoustic bass). The songs ...
Continue ReadingMariza at Town Hall
by Ernest Barteldes
Mariza Town Halk New York, NY October 15, 2016 As part of her first major U.S. tour in nearly five years (she took a break to start a family), Mariza kicked off her set at Town Hall in a more traditional manner, backed by Portuguese and Spanish guitars and acoustic bass, which acknowledged the heritage of the music of Alfama, the Lisbon neighborhood where her career began--including the classic black dress worn by most fado ...
Continue ReadingBibi Ferreira at Symphony Space
by Ernest Barteldes
Bibi Ferreira Symphony Space New York, NY September 23, 2016 On the second of her two-night residence at The Upper West Side's Symphony Space, Bibi Ferreira took to the stage with her “Four Times Bibi" show, which brings together four of her previous shows in which she paid tribute to Frank Sinatra, Argentinean tango legend Carlos Gardel, Portuguese fado singer Amalia Rodrigues and her larger than life interpretation of the music of ...
Continue ReadingRodrigo Amarante at Latin Alternative Music Conference
by Ernest Barteldes
Rodrigo Amarante Latin Alternative Music Conference at Central Park Summerstage New York, NY July 7, 2016 On his Summerstage debut, Brazilian singer-songwriter Rodrigo Amarante, backed by his own acoustic guitar and a band, kicked off his performance with an original low-tempo ballad sung in his native Portuguese. He followed that with a French-language tune. He acknowledged the audience in English, Spanish and Portuguese and continued with an up-tempo English-language song.
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