Ricardo Bacelar

Brazilian jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar makes a “Live” statement with “Nothing Will Be As It Was”

His “Live in Rio” album drops August 21 preceded by the single that aptly reflects our times

Brazil is leading the world per capita in coronavirus cases making it unlikely that people will be cramming into a concert venue anytime soon to hear live music. Then there is the recent unrest that erupted in response to civil injustices in the US that bodes to spark meaningful change around the world. These are the events that inspired contemporary jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar to release a new version of the Milton Nascimento classic “Nothing Will Be As It Was (Nada Sera Como Antes)” as a single ahead of the release of his “Live in Rio (Ao Vivo No Rio)” album, which drops August 21 from Bacelar Productions.

“‘Nothing Will Be As It Was’ summarizes the existential questions raised globally by the coronavirus pandemic. Add to it the civil injustice and unrest that has surfaced over the last couple of weeks with Black Lives Matter, which is an especially important movement. We’re talking about the subject here in Brazil, too. We have a lot of problems with racism here, but our people have not yet taken the streets to protest and have social demonstrations. The world is watching the United States and people are talking about these issues everywhere,” said Bacelar who produced the 11-song “Live in Rio” collection.

Bacelar’s 2018 album, “Sebastiana,” contains a very different version of “Nothing Will Be As It Was,” which was sung in English by American singer Maye Osorio and accompanied by an animated video that suited the pop-electronic rendition of the song. The new live version has a different arrangement and features Bacelar dueting with Brazilian vocalist-pianist Delia Fischer in Portuguese backed by a jazz band.

“I chose to release this single thinking about this moment and the lyrics of the song. The lyrics are like a photograph of the moment. It’s a very famous song in Brazil that was originally recorded in 1976 when we were under a military dictatorship. The lyrics say ‘I know that tomorrow nothing will be like before, What news of my friends will they give me? What news of you will they give me?’ People were disappearing at the hands of the dictatorial military regime. And now people are disappearing – dying – because of the virus. Everyone in Brazil, the United States and all over the world have lost friends due to the virus,” said Bacelar.

“Live in Rio” was recorded in May 2018 at The Blue Note in Rio while Bacelar was promoting “Sebastiana.” He trimmed the 17-song set to the eleven tunes that appear on the live record feeling that the selected song list on the disc represents a balanced sampling of his repertoire and body of work. The outing includes tunes penned by Brazilian icons Nascimento, Tom Jobim, Gilberto Gil and Flora Purim along with American greats Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Pat Metheny and Chick Corea. Also included is a composition that Bacelar wrote with producer Cesar Lemos (Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio) titled “Sernambetiba, 1992” from “Sebastiana.” “I love the sound of the album because you can hear the energy of the live performance and the sound of playing in a jazz club. The Blue Note isn’t a big place – about 300 people – so you can hear the ambiance of playing in a small club. The microphone on the piano picked up the other instruments like the drums and saxophone because it’s a small place. The sound is very different than what you get in the studio where the sound is more clean,” said Bacelar who was accompanied by guitarist João Castilho, saxophonist-flutist Danilo Sina, double bassist Alexandre Katatau, drummer Renato Endrigo and percussionist André Siqueira.

The idea of dropping the live album now began earlier in quarantine when Bacelar sat to record a solo piano piece for his social media. It made him think about the isolation people were feeling and the role live music plays and the unique energy it possesses.

“The time in isolation is accompanied by multiple experiences and music is a fundamental vehicle for perception, connection and the formation of perspectives that bring meaning to the events on personal, spiritual and emotional levels. I wanted to remind people of the sound of live music. People need the warm sound and feelings of live music as opposed to the electronic stuff we hear on studio recordings. By listening to this live album, you can embrace the warm sound from the safety and comfort of your home.”

As an artist, Bacelar wants “Live in Rio” to be viewed as more than just a live recording. He wants the album to have impact, to say something, which is clearly reflected in his choice of the first single.

“The album is not only about the songs. Without art and abstraction, life is meaningless. Artists have to have a position, make a statement about something and have a voice – not just sing and play piano. The album is a concept – with the arrangements, the cover, the lyrics. It’s important to me to send an important message.” “Live in Rio (Ao Vivo No Rio)” contains the following songs:

“Killer Joe” “Toda Menina Bahiana” “Nothing Will Be As It Was” “Senõr Blues” “Partido Alto” “So May It Secretly Begin” “Caicó Cantiga” “Água de Beber” “Sernambetiba, 1992” “Nanã” “Blue Miles” Show less

JazzCorner  - “Jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar crafts a masterful celebration of Latin American music from a Brazilian perspective”  Writen in Music – “Sebastiana brengt een veelvoud in jazzstijlen samen. Van smooth tegen slick jazz aanleunend naar authentieke Latin jazz met een dikke Braziliaanse flavour”. Drimble - “Sebastiana is voor de Braziliaanse pianist Ricardo Bacelar een ode aan Zuid-Amerika.”  Jazz Weekly -  “Ricardo Bacelar brings his Brazilian keyboard concepts along with a fresh and energetic core team”. Roughly Recommended  - “This new Jazz, Brazilian fusion album is a delight for any sophisticated music listener. With a vast array of collaborations, the culturally accentuated project has brought together the best in music from all over the world”. Unsigned Interviews -  “Multi-instrumentalist Ricardo Bacelar has recently released his brand new album ‘Sebastiana’, a collection of sounds influenced by different musicians, and instruments.”. Jazz Corner  - “His newly released third album revisiting Brazilian classics and introducing his own compositions is a multicultural celebration of Latin music”. SkopeMag  - “He gathered an ensemble of Latin American musicians to honor the roots of Brazilian music while incorporating each musician’s unique culture on a jazz- centered album.” Music News Today  - “Ricardo Bacelar has truly created something outstanding that captures the music of Brazil in all its glory”. World Jazz News -  “The multi-genre album is receiving airplay from a variety of jazz radio formats and the disc has been lauded by reviewers for its artistic vision, authenticity and cultural significance. ” TheJazzWorld.com “The collective employed uniquely Latin American rhythms and instruments on the lushly-layered tracks”. Jazz Chill Music -  “The Brazilian duo’s comprehensive approach for the contemporary jazz and trippy fusion session included inviting musicians from Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and the U.S.” BWW Music World – “The record includes vocal drops of the late Jackson do Pandeiro, an influential Brazilian percussionist and singer, adding character and cultural impact to the offering.”  NewsBlog – “A collection of authentic instrumentals and vocal songs for global consumption showcasing Brazilian classics and originals.”  Jazz HQ -  “Latin-American rhythms and instrumentation illustrate Bacelar’s own tunes as well as interpret works from illustrious Brazilian composers”. First View  - “Ricardo Bacelar's Sebastiana is a piece of cultural history, contemporary art, style guide, musical ethnology, throughout an object of desire for aficionados of Brazilian Music”. The Urban Music Scene – “the ethereal “Nothing Will Be As It Was,” featuring two Americans – vocalist Maye Osorio and pedal steel guitarist Steve Hinson – on the multi-format crossover radio single portrayed in a striking animated video”. Soul and Jazz and Funk -  “There he assembled a team to create a music that honours the roots of Brazilian music yet incorporates each individual player's culture and musical heritage”.  The Smooth Jazz Ride -  “A gentle blend of melodies that warrants a careful listen if only to catch the whispery nuances and subtle musical intangibles, Sebastiana does both jazz and Brazilian music justice here”.  Russel Trunk ́s Magazine -  “...Richard Bacelar now brings us his third album, and most ambitious yet, the beautiful, and stunningly creative Sebastiana”. Midwest Record -  “The kind of set that stands toe to toe with great sets on this order extant, Bacelar should drop the writs and stick to the hits, we need more of this in the world”.  Radio Miami -  “Así se dan la mano en el álbum, con la música brasileña, el Vallenato de Colombia, la Timba de Cuba, la Bomba de Puerto Rico y otros ritmos de nuestros países”. Smooth Jazz Daily “ - With Sebastiana pianist Ricardo Bacelar pursues a completely new concept”. A La carta – Radio/TV España “...Ricardo Bacelar ha publicado uno de los álbumes más interesantes de los últimos meses dentro del apartado del sub-género latin-jazz, en una sofisticada ramificación carioca. Una explosiva amalgama de ritmos tradicionales, con arreglos muy elegantes y contemporáneos que han dado como resultado una sorprendente fusión de elementos musicales latinos y brasileños”. Lee Bailey ́s EURWEB – Electronic Urban Report “...Sebastiana because it makes me want to dance and I love to dance”! FirstPress – The mixture of Latin cultures make for a very different sound and Ricardo Bacelar had the keyboard popping all through the project. On The Spot Music -  “Though Bacelar’s exceptional keyboard skills underpin the album, the rest of the band are allowed space to breathe musically, a pleasingly democratic arrangement which gives a real feeling of energy to the tracks”. HillRag “Jazz pianist Ricardo Bacelar ́s new release focuses on the roots of Brazilian music with its sprawling list of reinterpretations and originals such as the ethereal Nothing Will Be As It Was”... TOP 40 Charts  - “Sebastiana is Ricardo Bacelar’s third album and one which transcends musical styles and extends way beyond trends and fashions”.

Silky Denims – “It shows contemporary arrangements and a strong jazzy accent, with a subtle percussion that confirms South America's influence”.  Donloe ́s Lowdown -  “...he gathered a collective of musicians from all over the Latin-American diaspora and granted them the freedom to inject their unique cultural identities”  HillRag – “Along with the two new Bacelar-Lemos tunes and three stirring solo piano pieces from Mr. Bacelar such as “River of Emotions,” “Parts of Me”and “The Best Years,” Sebastiana revisits songs from Brazilian composers”. Sonic News  - “Ricardo Bacelar – Brazil’s Modern Jazz Genius.Through a combination of improvisation, meticulous composition and intense studio work, Ricardo has created a timeless release which is evocative, inspiring and often deeply moving”. The Washington Informer  - “Ricardo Bacelar broadens World view”. Music For All  - “...o destaque vai para o álbum “Sebastiana”, registro onde Ricardo Bacelar trouxe uma nova dimensão à música de origem brasileira”. PressParty – “Bringing the old world and the new from Latin America and taking in influences from around the world”. AllEvents.In  - “Pianista, compositor e arranjador, Ricardo Bacelar traz com “Sebastiana” uma nova dimensão à música de origem brasileira, conferindo-lhe um toque latino-americano e uma sonoridade mais internacional”. The Pulse of Entertainment – “They mix the cultures Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, and Cuba”.  GreatScott P.R.oductions – “Ricardo Bacelar jetted from his home in Brazil to Miami, the place he calls “the center of Latin music in the world,” RHODES Magazine -  “Ricardo Bacelar dispensa apresentações. O pianista, compositor e produtor brasileiro tem uma carreira recheada de sucessos”. RTBF Auvio – “Une pertinente réussite à nos yeux Focus Sebastiana de Ricardo Bacelar – Le pianiste jazz et arrangeur Ricardo Bacelar propose une relecture latino-américaine d’un pan de la musique brésilienne”. Keys and Chords  - “Dit is pas zijn derde album, en er staan authentieke instrumentale stukken op en 4 gezongen songs, ofwel Braziliaanse klassiekers en originele composities”.  IsraBox  - “By researching traditional rhythms, an arrangement laboratory was conceived to implement the fusion of Latin American and Brazilian music elements”. Blogue de Lisboa -  “O resultado é inusitado e apresenta uma importante contribuição para o cenário da música brasileira no contexto internacional”. Blogue de Lisboa -  “O álbum foi muito bem recebido pela imprensa e rádios americanas da área do Jazz”.  Evensi  - “Esta é uma das poucas faixas cantadas do álbum, e conta com a participação de Maye Osorio (EUA), convidada a abrilhantar a canção com a sua voz cativante”.  SimplyVideos -  “The video just makes you want to live in this world”. Peraweb – “O álbum Sebastiana ganha distribuição planetária, chegando ao mercado do Brasil via Tratore”.  Diário do Nordeste -  “Sua “Sebastiana” é jazzística, mas sem conservadorismo, e carregado de latinidade”.  Já aqui -  “Foi alvo de arranjos capazes de efetivar a fusão de elementos da música latino- americana com a música brasileira”. O Povo  - “... o álbum faz uma releitura de ritmos latinos através de um encontro variado de sotaques”.  O Povo  - “... o disco Sebastiana traz uma proposta ambiciosa de rever a música brasileira a partir de olhares múltiplos e estrangeiros”.  Tapis Rouge  - “... realiza uma releitura latino americana de uma porção do repertório da música brasileira”. Roberto Moreira – Diário do Nordeste – “Sebastiana é uma síntese Latino Americana do Brasil”.  Catanduvas FM “Ricardo Bacelar– integrante do grupo carioca Hanoi Hanoi nas décadas de 1980 e 1990 – reapresenta outro grande sucesso de Jackson do Pandeiro, o coco Sebastiana (Rosil Cavalcanti, 1953), com o toque de um ritmo venezuelano denominado sangueo e evocado na gravação pela percussão”. Balada In  - “ Disco de Ricardo Bacelar está entre os 50 discos mais executados nas rádios de Jazz dos Estados Unidos”.  Folha de Londrina -  “Piano bem brasileiro”.  Galeria - “Ricardo Bacelar lança “Sebastiana” e surpreende mais uma vez”.  Revista Keyboard – “O resultado é inusitado” Revista Música Brasileira -  “A música brasileira e a latino-americano se cruzam e se entendem em perfeita harmonia, nesse novo e bonito trabalho do pianista, compositor e arranjador Ricardo Bacelar”  Tárik de Souza -  “Sebastiana, a circunavegação latina de Ricardo Bacelar...”  O Imparcial -  “...fez pesquisa histórica de signos latinos, cujos textos estão nos encartes do CD e vinil.”.  Blog do Mauro Ferreira – G1 -  “A intenção de Bacelar no disco gravado em julho de 2017 em Miami (Flórida, EUA), com produção de Cesar Lemos, foi tocar músicas do Brasil com sons de (outros) países da América do Sul e com a influência do jazz”.  O Globo – Parada Obrigatória – “... Ricardo Bacelar inicia por Portugal a turnê do seu novo CD...” A Tribuna.com.br -  “Prepare os ouvidos. Sebastiana, terceiro álbum do compositor e arranjador Ricardo Bacelar, foi feito para ouvir inteiro e com calma. ... O disco físico é imponente e completo”.  Márcia Peltier – “O título do álbum é uma homenagem a Jackson do Pandeiro, no ano em que se completa 35 anos de sua partida, com a inclusão de sua voz em duas faixas”. (Sebastiana e The Best Years).  Correio Popular –  “... um resultado melódico e harmonioso de rara beleza. (...) O álbum é lindo, com alguns momentos particularmente comoventes,”.  Diário do Nordeste -  “...Ricardo Bacelar entra para a lista de álbuns de jazz mais tocados nos EUA”. A União -  “Ricardo Bacelar homenageia Jackson do Pandeiro em CD”. Correio Brasiliense -  “... faz releituras de músicas brasileira com pitadas de estilos de outros países latino americanos”. Correio da Paraíba - “Apesar da apropriação cultural de alguns instrumentos, Bacelar atenta pelo caráter universal da música”. Zero Hora - “Raríssimos artistas independentes têm a ousadia do pianista, compositor e arranjador cearense Ricardo Bacelar para conceber e produzir um projeto luxuoso como o do álbum Sebastiana. (...) Ricardo Bacelar faz disco para o mundo.”. A Tribuna -  “No fim de tudo, escutar “Sebastiana” - que tem esse nome em homenagem ao músico Jackson do Pandeiro (1919-1982) - é perceber o talento de Ricardo Bacelar em prestar homenagem a canções tão importantes e, ao mesmo tempo, não descaracterizá-las”.

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