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Rafael Rocha
Dani Gurgel: DDG19 Big Band
by Katchie Cartwright
Dani Gurgel was born into a musical family in jny:São Paulo. Her mother Débora Gurgel (a busy pianist and arranger) and father (an amateur jazz saxophonist) met on the bandstand. Following her own musical path, Dani skirted gender biases in jazz culture that might have limited her opportunities by learning to do and play everything," as she put it. She is quick to point out that things are getting better," but hedged her bets by gaining proficiency in many instruments, ...
read moreAntonio Adolfo: Bossa 65
by Katchie Cartwright
In 1963, a seventeen-year-old Antonio Adolfo was already gigging professionally on the exploding bossa nova scene in Rio de Janeiro, his hometown. His career has continued unabated. For decades, he has been putting out a steady stream of admirable albums, earning critical praise and multiple Grammy nominations. His releases have often focused on the work of great Brazilian composers (Chiquinha com Jazz, BruMa, Jobim Forever), sometimes on a particular style or genre (Chora Baião, Rio Choro Jazz), on connections between ...
read moreAntonio Adolfo: Bossa 65
by Pierre Giroux
Composer, arranger and pianist Antonio Adolfo has a discography which extends to the very early days of the Bossa Nova craze that swept through Brazil and into North America. With his deep roots in the Bossa tradition, Adolfo is an internationally recognized Brazilian jazz personage. Many of his original compositions have been covered by artists such as Sergio Mendes, Herb Alpert and Stevie Wonder among many others. He has also helped to celebrate the work of well-known Bossa players such ...
read moreAntonio Adolfo: Bossa 65
by Chris May
A decade or more younger than the composer / musicians in the first wave of bossa nova artists, Antonio Adolfo began recording under his own name towards the end of the 1960s. Better known as a pianist and arranger than as a composer, though he has written some notable tunes, in recent years Adolfo has carved out a niche celebrating the work of belle epoque bossa songwriters. In 2017, Adolfo sidestepped with Hybrido: From Rio To Wayne ...
read moreGaia Wilmer Large Ensemble: Folia: The Music of Egberto Gismonti
by Mario Calvitti
L'importanza di Egberto Gismonti come compositore di musica contemporanea ha da tempo travalicato i confini del Brasile, suo paese natale (ma lui è discendente da madre siciliana e padre libanese), dove si è imposto subito come uno degli autori più influenti. La sua musica è un riuscito amalgama di tradizione folkloristica, canzone popolare e classica contemporanea, fin qui proseguendo nella scia di Heitor Villa-Lobos, con in più un deciso allargamento verso il jazz. Da tempo il chitarrista/pianista non ...
read moreAntonio Adolfo: Octet And Originals
by Richard J Salvucci
Some people can probably say what they were doing the first time they heard modern Brazilian music. The first wave hit in the early '60s with Vinicius de Moraes and Antonio Carlos Jobim, but there has been a great deal of water over the dam since then. Stylistic variety, regional variations, new composers, two generations of players, technical advances in both recording and instrumental technique have all played a part in establishing Brazilian as some of the most listenable music. ...
read moreAntonio Adolfo: Octet And Originals
by Pierre Giroux
Antonio Adolfo is a pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader in the Latin jazz tradition, but his music is informed by Brazilian musical styles of the samba, bossa, quadrilha and toada. This latest Adolfo release entitled Octet And Originals features all his original compositions and are played by a stellar band of musicians who have been connected with him for many years. This ten track outing starts with Heart Of Brazil," which is a tribute to the ...
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Heart Of Brazil
From: Octet And OriginalsBy Rafael Rocha