"Bossa Nova Singers" released in France

http://www.chapitre.com/CHAPITRE/fr/MUSIC/compilation/bossa-nova-singers,8288923.aspx

"Bossa Nova Singers", "Do It Again: The Fantastic Jazz Funk of Eumir Deodato" and "Summer in the City: The Soul Jazz Grooves of Quincy JOnes" - three CD compilations produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro for the Verve Music Group, were just released in France on January 28, 2008.

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"Opus Samba" story - "Backstage" magazine

Story about "Opus Samba" and a 4-page interview with Fabio Fonseca printed in the January 2008 issue of "Backstage" magazine.
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Fabio Fonseca: o teclado no Sambajazz
by Miguel Sá

Um pouco de música pop aqui, uma pitada de música brasileira ali, um jazz acolá, Hammond, Moog, estúdio com sala grande e 22 anos de carreira musical: estes são os ingredientes do Opus Samba, o novo disco do tecladista Fabio Fonseca

O tecladista, compositor e arranjador Fabio Fonseca é daqueles músicos que, quando tem um disco que nós gostamos dos arranjos, ou da produção, ou de alguma música, e resolvemos ver quem fez, acabamos encontrando o nome dele na ficha técnica. A extensa "folha corrida" de Fabio, seja como produtor, arranjador ou músico, inclui Lulu Santos, Ed Motta, Fernanda Abreu, Paralamas, Marina, Toni Platão, Leo Jaime, Gabriel O Pensador, Claudio Zoli, Luiz Melodia, Dom Um Romão e Ithamara Koorax, entre muitos outros. Pelos nomes, dá para perceber que a experiência do músico é ampla, da música pop ao jazz brasileiro.

Tudo isso começou com o compacto "Não me Iluda", da banda Cinema a Dois, em 1985, que estourou nas rádios brasileiras. Depois, Fabio Fonseca lançou o disco solo "Fabio Fonseca", pela WEA, em 1988. Um dos maiores sucessos do pop brasileiro - a música "Manoel", cantada por Ed Motta - é uma composição de Fabio de 1989. O álbum "Tradução Simultânea", de 1992, mostra o prestígio do tecladista no meio musical com os convidados Fernanda Abreu, Marina Lima, Claudio Zoli, Luiz Melodia e João Donato. Ainda na década de 90, lançou diversos trabalhos de sua autoria no exterior pelo selo londrino Far Out Recordings.

"Opus Samba", produzido por Arnaldo DeSouteiro para o selo JSR (Jazz Station Records), é um trabalho inédito para Fabio. Este é o primeiro disco do músico fundamentado na música instrumental. O repertório é baseado no Sambajazz, tocado por Fabio no órgão Hammond e teclados, Pedro Leão no baixo elétrico e Mac William na bateria. A gravação, feita quase toda ao vivo, apenas com poucos overdubds de teclados vintage em estúdio com pé direito alto, tem como resultado uma sonoridade que reproduz perfeitamente o entrosamento dos músicos.

O disco ainda contou com a luxuosa participação da cantora Ithamara Koorax na faixa "A Mulher de 15 Metros". O CD tem 12 faixas; dez são de autoria de Fabio com parceiros como Mathilda Kovak, Arnaldo DeSouteiro e Pedro Leão. As outras são "Cochise", composta por Ray Santos e gravada por Ed Lincoln nos anos 60, e "Too High" do Stevie Wonder, dos anos 70.

A revista Backstage conversou com Fabio sobre música e a gravação do álbum "Opus Samba". O músico contou detalhes do seu trabalho com teclados analógicos.
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- Qual a sua intenção ao gravar este disco? Como foi construída a proposta dele?

Este disco já é esperado por mim há muito tempo; e é, ao mesmo tempo, fruto de um amadurecimento musical e um resgate da minha formação dos anos 70, quando ficava horas improvisando com o trio que eu tinha na época, com o Sérgio Naidin na bateria e o Fabrício no baixo. Nesse período ouvia jazz, rock progressivo e músicos brasileiros como Eumir Deodato, Hermeto Paschoal e Egberto Gismonti. Durante a década de 70 usei pianos elétricos Rhodes e Wurlitzer, sintetizador Mini-Moog e um orgão Yamaha que pertenceu a minha mãe. Continuo usando basicamente os mesmos instrumentos, exceto pelo orgão Yamaha que foi substituido pelo Hammond B-3 que é muito superior. O Mini-Moog que uso agora é o mesmo da época, tem 31 anos de idade!!!

Quanto à proposta desse álbum, em 1992 eu tive a chance de trabalhar com o João Donato que fez arranjo de uma bossa nova minha, "A Mulher de 15 Metros", para o meu CD "Tradução Simultãnea" (Polygram). Na época viajei para Londres, onde conheci o famoso DJ Gilles Peterson, que me apresentou ao Joe Davis, do selo Far Out. Este contato com o Joe me levou a algumas gravações decisivas em 1997, ano de inauguração do meu estúdio Jardim Magnético. Entre elas a do CD “Woodland Warior”, do Azymuth, e algumas faixas minhas para o CD "Friends From Rio Vol.2". Isso amadureceu mais um pouco em 1998, quando trabalhei com o produtor Arnaldo DeSouteiro em dois discos: no arranjo e gravação de "Un Homme et Une Femme" para "Serenade in Blue", da Ithamara Koorax, lançado mundialmente pela Milestone/Fantasy, e logo depois o "Rhythm Traveller", do Dom Um Romão, lançado pela JSR, ambos gravados no meu estúdio Jardim Magnético. A gravação com o Dom Um foi a largada oficial para o conceito do “Opus Samba”. Isso pelo fato de ter sido também produzido pelo Arnaldo e por ter sido gravado ao vivo no estúdio, à moda antiga. Desde então comecei a enviar alguns CDRs para o Arnaldo e este processo culminou com a gravação do “Opus Samba” para o selo JSR.

-Como foi feita a escolha do local de gravação? O que tinha em mente?

Na verdade, dois fatores eram prioritários para essa gravação: o som da bateria ser "grande", no sentido de ambiência, ou seja, uma sala com pé direito alto; e a interação do trio durante a gravação; o som vazar do canal de um instrumento para outro. Não é interessante que, num disco desse tipo, o som de cada instrumento fique muito separado e limpinho, soa artificial.

-Como foi a construção deste estúdio? Foi você quem o projetou?

Essa casa/estúdio foi construida nesses moldes, com projeto do Daniel Paccaud, um arquiteto suiço, de forma a atender as necessidades acima.

-Qual a importânica da sala de gravação na sonoridade do disco? O que esta sala propiciou para você?

Se gravássemos numa sala pequena, como um som "morto", nunca teríamos obtido o resultado de "ambiente" que conseguimos com a reverberação natural da sala. Acho muito difícil - para não dizer impossível - reproduzir essa reverberação com equipamentos eletrônicos.

-Que equipamentos utilizou na gravação? Para quê? Alguma utilização fora do comum?

Utilizamos uma mesa Otari Status 18R de 48 canais. Essa é uma mesa híbrida ou seja, analógica mas controlada por computador, permitindo que, na hora da mixagem, se faça uma automação através de VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier). Sou pessoalmente adepto (ainda) do analógico sem, de forma alguma desmerecer as facilidades e vantagens dos equipamentos digitais. Daí a intenção de equilibrar os dois. O gravador digital que usamos foi o Tascam MX-2424, uma grande paixão minha, devido ao som dos conversores e a sensação de se estar usando um gravador de fita - mas com as facilidades de edição que um gravador digital proporciona.

-Quem gravou o disco?

O disco foi primordialmente gravado pelo Marco Aurélio Oliveira, que conheci nos anos noventa. Nos tornamos amigos e ele foi uma peça chave na gravação do CD ao preservar um som bem natural. O Marcio Werderits, que fez a re-instalação do estúdio para essa gravação, também participou no "setup" inicial para a gravação, além de ter mixado comigo o disco. Uma observação: quando digo re-instalação, é porque a instalação original do Jardim Magnético foi feita pelos meus amigos da Ground Control.

-Por que decidiu investir no formato de trio?

Como disse antes, as minhas experiências no esquema de trio tiveram origem nos anos 70, quando eu ficava horas inprovisando nesse formato de teclado, baixo elétrico e bateria. Sendo que nesta formação do Opus Samba, com esse repertório e essa sonoridade, me sinto muito mais perto do que sempre almejei musicalmente.

- Costuma tocar piano também ou os instrumentos eletrônicos se adaptam mais à sua proposta de trabalho?

O piano acústico ficou no passado... Estudei aproximadamente seis anos de piano clássico na minha adolescência, algo fundamental na minha formação. Porém, me considero um tecladista. Os músicos que mais me influenciaram, como George Duke, Deodato e Joe Zawinul, dentre muitos outros, todos usavam pianos elétricos e sintetizadores. Na verdade gosto muito dos instrumentos eletromecânicos como o Hammond, o Rhodes e o Clavinet ou seja, o som desses instrumentos não é gerado por componentes eletrônicos (transistores, chips etc), e sim por barras de ferro, cordas ou geradores mecânicos, o que os torna mais "vivos" e orgânicos.

-Quais são as diferenças entre o Wurlitzer e o Fender Rhodes que fizeram você optar por um ou outro em momentos diferentes da gravação?

Já tive fase de um e fase de outro. No meu CD anterior ("Tudo") usei exclusivamente Wurlitzer. Já no “Opus Samba”, nas faixas que tem piano elétrico a estrela é o Fender Rhodes. O Wurlitzer foi usado apenas em uma faixa ("Dormideira") para dobrar o orgão Hammond e dar um colorido diferente. Em termos de som, o Rhodes tem um som mais "doce", e o Wurlitzer é um pouco mais "sujinho". Ambos têm aplicações diferentes. Não sou muito fã da ação das teclas do Wurlitzer, prefiro a do Rhodes.

-Como foi feita a escolha dos instrumentos de Overdub? Você já tinha decidido isto antes da gravação ou os acrescentou depois de ouvir a base? Por que os instrumentos vintage?

As idéias de overdub vieram, na sua maior parte, do produtor do disco, o Arnaldo DeSouteiro. E foram mínimas. Com os teclados dispostos em L, eu podia passar do Hammond para os pianos e os outros teclados durante a gravação, sem perder o pique. Procuramos não sobrecarregar mas me parece que os complementos deram um toque especial, sem quebrar a sensação de espontaneidade de um disco gravado “ao vivo em estúdio”.

-Desde quando toca o Hammond?

Como havia dito, comecei nos anos 70 com um orgão Yamaha. Meu primeiro contato (de perto) com um Hammond foi num ensaio dos Paralamas na EMI, no início dos anos 90. O João Fera estava usando o recém lançado XB-2, uma versão digital feita pela Suzuki japonesa, que há muitos anos fabrica Hammonds. Logo depois comprei um XB-2. Mas em 1994 tive a chance, através da indicação do meu professor de orgão Renê Terra, de comprar o B-3 que havia sido do Ed Lincoln, e estou com este instrumento desde então. Para mim é o nº1 dos meus teclados, seguido pelo Rhodes, Clavinet, Mini-Moog e ARP Odyssey.

-Quem são as suas influências?

As principais: George Duke, Eumir Deodato, Azymuth, João Gilberto, Jimmy Smith, Hermeto Paschoal, Donald Fagen, Weather Report, Miles Davis, Walter Wanderley, Gentle Giant, Tim Maia e Stevie Wonder.

-Hoje, o órgão Hammond está bastante popular. Há formações musicais de tendências diversas que utilizam o Hammond. No jazz e no pop, dois bons exemplos, na minha opinião, são o James Carter Trio (bateria, sax e hammond) e o Soulive(que não tem baixo tb). Onde o Hammond é utilizado hoje? Por que, na sua opinião, o som dele está sendo tão procurado?

Eu passei por esse processo no final dos anos 80 e início dos anos 90 de ficar saturado com os teclados digitais e começar a retomar o contato com os analógicos e pianos elétricos. Isso começou quando comprei, ainda nos anos 80, um Oberheim OBX-A que utilizei na gravação de “Manuel” de minha autoria, no CD de estréia de Ed Motta, "Ed Motta e Conexão Japeri". Logo depois comprei um Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, que utilizei nos primeiros dois discos e respectivos shows da Fernanda Abreu, entre 1991 e 1992. O Hammond veio na sequência. Hoje existem alguns grupos estrangeiros baseados no Hammond como o Medeski, Martin & Wood, um trio novaiorquino. Gosto muito do Joey DeFrancesco, que já não é tão novo assim, mas é de uma geração posterior ao Jimmy Smith, Johnny Hammond, Jack McDuff, etc. Tive a chance de ouví-lo no Blue Note (NY) em 2002, e fiquei impressionado. É um virtuose que não só mantém, como dá um passo além na tradição do Hammond no jazz. Tem também os ingleses do James Taylor Quartet, grupo que faz um som "acid jazz" agradável.

-Na música brasileira, em que o Hammond foi utilizado?

Um grande expoente é o Walter Wanderley, que se mudou para os EUA nos anos 60 e fez grande sucesso. Claro que o Ed Lincoln também fez coisas ótimas. Existem alguns outros nomes brasileiros da época da bossa nova, todos num estilo mais "lounge" ou seja, mais leve, enquanto organistas americanos como o Jimmy Smith e o Jimmy McGriff em geral optaram por um som mais distorcido. Eu pessoalmente gosto mais do som distorcido.

-As simulações são satisfatórias? Você as utiliza? Em que elas ainda pecam?

Fica muito difícil - a não ser para certas bandas pop nacionais que têm uma estrutura maior - levar um Hammond para shows. Claro que seria maravilhoso tocar sempre ao vivo com um B-3, mas o peso literalmente é enorme. Sou totalmente favorável aos "clones" nos shows. Não sou fã dos Hammonds fabricados pela Suzuki, mas já testei alguns modelos da Roland e Korg e gostei. Ao vivo uso o Nord Electro que me agrada bastante, embora falte aquela "sujeirinha" que ajuda no som e na "pegada”. É claro que a Leslie é parte fundamental no som do Hammond. Portanto, a não ser que vá se levar uma caixa Leslie de verdade, é importante que se teste também a simulação de Leslie contida nesses "clones".

-Quais são os ganhos e os problemas ao se utilizar os Hammond no estúdio ou na estrada?

Na estrada, como disse, acho que o principal problema é o peso do instrumento. Claro que um Hammond tradicional, sendo valvulado, requer cuidados, dá uma tremenda mão de obra. Em estúdio é mais fácil, pois não se fica movimentando o instrumento, e as condições elétricas são boas. Obviamente, para quem quer moleza, é melhor ficar com o "clone" mesmo, pois em estúdio ou na estrada, cedo ou tarde, um Hammond de verdade vai necessitar de manutenção.

-Como foi a escolha dos músicos que tocam com você? Há quanto tempo está com eles?

O Pedro Leão, baixista, tocou guitarra numa das formações da banda que eu tive nos 80, Cinema a Dois, portanto o conheço há mais de 20 anos. Ele entrou para o Fabio Fonseca Trio em 1999, quando começamos as gravações do que veio a ser o album "Tudo" de 2002. Ele é de uma precisão absurda, não erra nunca!!! É craque em manter a levada, além de ser um dos caras mais legais e fáceis de se trabalhar neste planeta! O Mac William tocou comigo na época dos shows do meu álbum "Tradução Simultânea" em 1992. É um animal, do funk ao samba!!! E também um querido amigo e guru.

-Por que a gravação ao vivo? Vocês ensaiaram para gravar?

Decidimos gravar ao vivo para o som ficar quente, como nas gravações de jazz e bossa dos anos 60 e 70. Acredite se quiser: não houve ensaio algum! Basicamente foi o Arnaldo quem fez a escolha do repertório, eu fiz os arranjos em casa, com o Hammond e uma bateria eletrônica bem antiga (Roland CR5000) com rítimos pré-programados, gravei um CDR comigo tocando Hammond e essa bateria, o Pedrinho e o Mac deram uma estudada em casa, o resto foi na hora...

-Em quanto tempo gravou e mixou?

A gravação foi feita aproximadamente em uma semana, incluindo os overdubs. A mixagem foi um delírio de dois meses! Pobre Marcinho Werderits, que teve de me aturar esse tempo todo - um santo! Fizemos de 2 a 3 versões de cada faixa. A cada versão enviávamos um CDR para a avaliação do Arnaldo. À uma certa altura ainda entrou outro amigo e excelente técnico, o Alexandre Rabaço, para ajudar a desempatar. Acabamos utilizando as últimas versões desse "delírio" de 2 mêses, que eram justamente as que mais se aproximavam das “rough mixes” que o Arnaldo tinha adorado.

-Houve processamento de som na mixagem, ou você procurou se aproximar do som tirado nas tomadas?

A razão dessa demora foi justamente a intenção de se preservar o clima "ao vivo" e a sonoridade original da gravação, acrescentando alguns reverbs e equalizando na medida certa. Um dos desafios foi conseguir um brilho dosado, sem ficar excessivamente agudo. Outra questão foi a de se ter um grave também sem excessos, para não descaracterizar a sonoridade de jazz-samba.

-Que microfones foram usados? Com que intenção?

O "set" de microfones é relativamente padrão: AKG D-122 no bumbo, Senheiser 421 nos tons, Shure SM57 na caixa, AKG 414 TLII para ambiente e um par de Crowns PZM de "overs".

-Como é feita a microfonação da caixa Leslie?

Na Leslie, um par de SM57 na corneta e um Shure SM91 no grave.

-De que forma controlou os vazamentos entre os instrumentos, já que a gravação foi ao vivo? Você gosta de utilizá-los? Ou prefere isolar os instrumentos com biombos ou em casinhas?

Talvez eu possa definir como um semi-vazamento. A bateria ficou no andar térreo, com o set do Mac incorporando alguns instrumentos de percussão. No andar superior, na técnica, eu com os teclados, Pedro com o baixo, Arnaldo e Marco. Sendo que a porta da técnica era uma porta grande de correr, com frestas por onde o som escapava; ou seja, o som da Leslie vazou na bateria e o da bateria vazou nos microfones da Leslie.

-Você já participou de diversos trabalhos do unierso chamado "pop". Qual a diferença de um trabalho deste tipo para um de música improvisada instrumental? Qual o papel do produtor em um e no outro?

No pop há uma pré-produção, feita em um estudio menor, onde costumo programar as bases e os arranjos usando um programa de computador tipo Logic Audio ou, em outros tempos, uma Akai MPC. Dali as músicas já saem com os arranjos bem adiantados, aí chamamos os músicos e as gravações são feitas em "camadas". Primeiro as bases (bateria e baixo), depois os complementos (teclados, guitarras, percussão, sopros etc) e por último, a voz. No caso do jazz ou bossa, gravados de forma espontânea, o que interessa é justamente se captar o momento, onde acontece essa interação dos músicos. O que se faz é gravar alguns "takes" de uma mesma música e se escolher depois o melhor. Não se fica corrigindo depois, tem que valer na hora do "vamos ver". Errou? Pára tudo, e todo mundo toca de novo do início. Quanto à posição do produtor, não me parece ser muito diferente nos dois casos. O produtor é como um diretor de cinema, cabe a ele dirigir, opinar e decidir quando está bom ou não, dentro do conceito daquele trabalho.

-Como foi o processo de composição e seleção de composição deste álbum?

Esse sim foi um processo demorado. Foram alguns anos até o Arnaldo ficar satisfeito com as músicas que eu enviava para ele. A uma certa altura ele teve a idéia genial de regravarmos três músicas do "Tradução Simultãnea", feitas originalmente com arranjos pop. Eu nunca teria tido essa visão, é aí que entra o produtor. No final resultou num "mix" de inéditas com regravações, incluindo "Cochise" do Ray Santos, gravada nos anos 60 pelo Ed Lincoln e "Too High", tema do Stevie Wonder safra 73.

-Fale das participações do disco.

A única participação especial, elegantíssima, é da Ithamara Koorax, com quem já havia trabalhado no arranjo para uma faixa do CD “Serenade in Blue”, chamada "Un Homme et Une Femme", que tocou muito na Europa e em toda a Ásia, chegando ao Top 10 nas paradas pop do Japão, da Coréia e até da China, entrando em várias compilações. Além disso, excursionamos pela Inglaterra em 1988 no octeto do Dom Um Romão.

-Algo mais que gostaria de acrescentar?

Estou muito feliz com o resultado do disco, em todos os aspectos – execução musical, qualidade de som, capa, masterização, as boas vendas que já começam a acontecer nos Estados Unidos e no Japão, enfim, tudo mesmo. Agora é trabalhar na divulgação e cair na estrada!

"Opus Samba" - pics from the recording sessions

"Opus Samba" - Data and Liner Notes

Fabio Fonseca Trio: "Opus Samba"
Genre: Jazz
Style: Fusion, Acid Jazz
Format: CD
Release Date: September 27, 2007/January 22, 2008
Label: JSR
Catalog Number: 6054
CREDITS
Fabio Fonseca - Hammond B-3, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet D6, Sequential Pro-One, ARP Omni II, Vocals
Pedro Leão - Bass
Mac William - Drums, Percussion
Ithamara Koorax - Vocals, Percussion
Arnaldo DeSouteiro - Producer, Bells, Percussion
Douglas Payne - Liner Notes
Marcia Ferraz - Cover Photo, Coordination
Paloma Valls - Album Design
Marco Aurélio Oliveira - Engineer (Recording)
Carlos Freitas - Mastering
Gabriela Zimmer - Album Design
Marcio Werderits - Engineer (Assistant)
Alexandre Rabaço - Engineer (Assistant)
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"Opus Samba"
Fabio Fonseca Trio

If the Hammond organ tends to get the wind knocked out of it by American and European players, there is something about Brazil’s practitioners that emit the warm breeze of the Brazilian beaches and the batucada celebration of its people.

Any doubt is instantly allayed with one listen to such legends as Walter Wanderley, Ed Lincoln, Djalma Ferreira or any number of Brazil’s many Hammond journeymen. While the underrated Ely Arcoverde, Celso Murilo, Andre Penazza, Aresky Aratto and Ze Maria all come to mind, even part timers like Eumir Deodato, Primo Jr. and João Donato (most notably on Cal Tjader's soulful albums "The Prophet" and "Solar Heat") breathe a welcome breath of Brazil into their occasional forays on the Hammond.

Add to this pantheon the remarkable Fabio Fonseca. While Mr. Fonseca is probably just a part-time organ grinder, it’s not for lack of anything else to do. Fabio Fonseca is one of Brazil’s busiest and most highly regarded producers and session men.

Occasionally he finds the time to gather his trio together and record under his own name. On this occasion, he’s focusing his highly individual touch on the Hammond organ, which, incidentally, was acquired years ago from Fonseca’s friend and mentor, Ed Lincoln.

Like many contemporary jazz organists – most prominently, John Medeski – Fonseca articulates his Hammond lines with (mostly electric) keyboard counterpoints, which, naturally, personalizes the wonderful whole that is Opus Samba, his debut album for producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro's progressive JSR (Jazz Station Records) label.

Fabio Fonseca was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1961. He began playing piano at eight and while in his teens he balanced studies of classical music with electric experiments on the Wurlitzer, Fender Rhodes, Mini-Moog and Yamaha organ in the company of other young, local musicians.

In 1981, Fonseca was invited by drummer Sergio Naidin to join Nota Vermelha, a band of young locals including future Brazilian pop stars Fernanda Abreau and Leo Jaime. A year later, at the age of 22, Fonseca was invited to play with the funk band, Brylho, whose singer and guitarist, Claudio Zoli, later went on to solo success, with three albums produced by former bandmate Fonseca.

Fonseca made his debut as a recording artist in 1985 with his band, Cinema-a-Dois, on the national hit “Não Me Iluda” (RCA). His eponymous solo debut was issued by WEA in 1988, right before he joined Ed Motta’s band, where he wrote what became Motta’s signature hit, the funked-out dance floor classic, “Manuel”.

The 1992 album, Tradução Simultânea (Philips), featured much of Fonseca’s best work of the time and was notable for the beautiful “A Mulher de 15 Metros”, with Luiz Melodia sharing vocal duties and the legendary João Donato providing a sumptuous orchestral arrangement and lyrical piano accompaniment.

To witness these early triumphs, listeners can sample both “Manuel” and the otherwise unavailable Donato arrangement of “A Mulher de 15 Metros” on the fourth volume of producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro’s spectacular A Trip To Brazil (Universal) series.

The gregarious Fabio Fonseca spent the rest of the twentieth century’s last decade establishing his credentials as an influential producer for former bandmate Fernanda Abreau and many others including Marina Lima, Luiz Melodia, Edson Cordeiro, and rapper Gabriel o Pensador. His musical work over the last fifteen years also includes many arrangements and dates on a variety of keyboards for such artists as Lulu Santos, Dom Um Romão, João Donato, Ithamara Koorax, Ed Motta, Seu Jorge and the rock band Paralamas.

Mr. Fonseca has also worked with producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro on many live projects including Dom Um Romão and Ithamara Koorax’s successful 1998 European tour and the sold-out gigs the Fabio Fonseca Trio performed during the JSR Festival at the Sofitel Jazz Bar in May 2006.

Here, the Fabio Fonseca Trio follows up its acclaimed 2002 release, Tudo (Jardim Magnetetico) with Opus Samba (JSR), a brilliant and beautiful tribute to much that came before it in the Brazilian Hammond tradition and a signpost for the way forward.

“All tracks were recorded ‘live’ in the studio,” enthuses the producer, “in only three days, plus a fourth day for some overdubs. Plus, most of the songs were first takes.

“Even though Fabio already had an excellent studio (Magentic Garden Studios), where we’d recorded together before, we felt that we needed a bigger place to give the musicians a chance to interact with other as if performing live.”

That prompted Fonseca to build a new studio in Petropolis, where he and DeSouteiro are neighbors, that provided the opportunity to create a larger-than-life sound which is the hallmark of legendary engineer (and CTI sound man) Rudy Van Gelder.

“Fonseca explained to a Swiss architect what we wanted,” the producer continues. “And the studio was built in eight months, with a high ceiling and a polycentric arch that proved perfect for the ‘hot and fat’ drum sound a la Bernard Purdie that we considered essential to the album’s atmosphere.”

The footprints of many of Fonseca’s Hammond heroes can be heard tapping – or pumping pedals – here, from Walter Wanderley, Charles Earland, the CTI/Kudu albums of Johnny Hammond and more recently, Joey DeFrancesco. But one listen reveals that Fabio Fonseca walks in no one’s shoes.

The set’s first song is “Samba de Nânh 2,” a sequel to Fonseca’s captivating multi-dimensional original that appeared on Dom Um Romão’s 1998 acclaimed Rhythm Traveller (JSR). “It's the fastest track on the album and it seems to have followed well on the original we made with Dom Um,” says Fonseca. Indeed, this samba is taken at a much brisker pace than the original but, like number 1, number 2 adds a tasty dash of percussion, Clavinet and synthesizer effects to spice up the dish.

Stevie Wonder’s "Too High" from the seminal 1973 Innervisions (Motown), was suggested by producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro as a tribute to the original masterpiece. “I’ve always loved Stevie's original recording of this,” says Fonseca. “It goes without saying the amount of influence Stevie Wonder has provided for me. His music is always invested with great melody, harmony and an incredible mastery of the groove.” It was the producer’s suggestion for Fonseca to take the solo section on Fender Rhodes, in tribute to Herbie Hancock’s electrifying solo on Joe Farrell’s version for CTI.

Fabio Fonseca’s invigorating original, “Vida Vira Vida” – translated as “Life Is Life” – is the first of three revivals heard here from the 1992 Tradução Simultãnea album. While seemingly entrenched in the Brazilian Hammond tradition, there is something here that transcends its origins and begs for consideration in straight jazz terms. Fonseca says “this new ‘incarnation’ has more of a samba flavor, which gives the song a whole new life. Although it was recorded at a quite faster tempo than I originally expected, it was one of the easiest tracks to record.”

Fonseca’s deeply hued talent for crafting timeless melodies comes across most especially on his own “Dormideira”. “This is another one written in the late nineties,” he says. “It's a sweet song which I wrote with my Wurlitzer, which, by the way, is used to double the melody on the Hammond.” Producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro and singer Ithamara Koorax can be heard on percussion here. “When the trio was rehearsing this song,” says DeSouteiro, “I thought it would be fun to experiment with some bells and other percussive stuff. Since I wanted as few overdubs as possible, I called Ithamara to join me since I couldn’t do all the instruments myself.”

“Cochise” is Ed Lincoln’s biggest hit. It’s featured on one of the organist’s many eponymous albums, issued in 1966 by the Musidisc label. and, It became a huge dance floor hit in Europe during the acid-jazz 90s. Fonseca says, “I knew ‘Cochise’ from Ed Lincoln's album. My Hammond B-3 used to belong to Ed. It was his main organ for several years. I bought it in 1994. Ed has a style all his own; much different from Americans like Jimmy Smith or Jack McDuff.”

Lincoln recounted to Fabio that he had decided to record "Cochise" after hearing the original version recorded by Tito Puente, in 1963, on the album Exitantes Ritmo de Tito Puente (Tico). The song’s composer, Ray Santos, was a member of Tito's band at the time and his most frequent arranger. “I decided to ‘disrespect’ the original a little and go for freer and crazier solos to bring it to life for a new generation,” explains Fonseca. That free and crazy sensibility is probably the direct result of Luiz Eça’s commanding influence over the more pianistic qualities Fonseca brings to this particular gem.

“Tradução Simultânea” is a return to the song which gave Fonseca’s 1992 album its name. “I love to play this song in a baião/samba groove using a Tom Jobim-type Rhodes.” Indeed there is much here that recalls Antonio Carlos Jobim. Fonseca’s ARP Omni II strings lend a special touch that would no doubt make Jobim arranger Claus Ogerman particularly proud and Mac William’s brushwork unquestionably recalls João Palma’s percussive additions to Jobim’s CTI album Stone Flower.

The spirited “Samba da Copa” was the first song to be recorded for the album, in April 2006, appearing in the compilation A Trip To Brazil Vol. 5: Copa do Mundo 2006 (Verve). It most clearly suggests the influence of Walter Wanderley and the magical marriage his music made between scintillating samba and breezy pop. "It starts with a pop flavor and moves, in the second part, to a more jazzy harmony. It's an intentional contrast. When Arnaldo came up with the minimalist lyrics," enthuses Fonseca, "it opened the song's horizons even more and made it all sound just right.”

One of the album’s highlights – and the keyboardist’s personal favorite here – is “Cantagalo,” named for the street where he lives. Here, Fonseca structures a sort of ‘European samba’ that will remind some of the classy bossa novas heard in many of Ennio Morricone's Italian film scores. Listen to how Fonseca roughs up the groove a few notches by doubling his Hammond lines with the Pro-One synthesizer.

Fabio Fonseca revisits “A Mulher de 15 Metros” here with his organ trio, which instantly requires a refined reconsideration, especially given the original. This version is uplifted substantially by the vocal contributions of the enchanted and enchanting Ithamara Koorax, in her first performance with Fonseca since the pair’s collaboration on “Un Homme et Une Femme,” from the singer’s 1999 album Serenade In Blue (Milestone), where the gifted Koorax sang in French and the multi-talented Fonseca manned all the instruments and the surprisingly funky arrangement too.

“When Arnaldo invited me to record with Dom Um Romão,” Fonseca says of the legendary percussionist’s Rhythm Traveller album, “a new musical era began for me. He helped me rescue my 70s musical roots, from a time when my trio improvisations were influenced by such artists as Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett.

"Dom Um, besides helping me rescue this freedom of playing, opened a new percussive horizon, until then unexplored by me. When we toured London together, it was great. Live, he was simply amazing; a 'percussion God.' 'Missing Dom Um' is my tribute. Working with him was nother landmark in my career."

“Mr. Bertrami” is another of Fabio Fonseca’s impassioned tributes, this time dedicated to the incredible José Roberto Bertrami, a similarly gifted multi-keyboard/magician who helmed the internationally renowned Brazilian fusion jazz group Azymuth. “This one is called ‘Mr. Bertrami” because it's dedicated to that genius who was one of my first and strongest influences. I had the opportunity to attend many of Azymuth's live performances in the mid-70s. There was the great Mr. Bertrami with his toys – a Rhodes, Hammond, Clavinet, Mini-Moog and ARP Strings – a ‘Sonic Disneyland’! I was fascinated.

“It’s hard to believe that Azymuth’s 1998 Woodland Warrior (Far Out) album was recorded in my own studio and that, soon thereafter, I would be sharing keyboard duties with one of my all-time idols.” Like Azymuth, Fonseca also found more global recognition through London’s Far Out label, recording acid jazz projects with Grupo Batque (Africa Brazil), Aricia Mess, Roc Hunter and in the all-star session Friends from Rio Vol. 2.

We conclude our opus samba with another tribute, “Pro Renê,” dedicated to Fabio’s friend, Renê Terra. “It’s hard to underestimate the value Renê Terra had on my musical evolution,” says Fonseca. “In the 90s Renê gave me some organ lessons and he always made sure I knew about any good keyboard instrument that was available. That's how I got the B-3 that belonged to Ed Lincoln." This gently swaying piece evidences much love and the melodic emotion that Fabio Fonseca brings to all the work he does.

It would be especially remiss to avoid comment on the other members of the trio, who provide such marvelous contributions here. Fabio Fonseca is particularly proud of his stable mates – and the evidence heard here proves out his pride.

“I've known bassist Pedro Leão since the 80s,” says Fonseca. “It's been 20 years now. His bass playing is rock solid. He gave me and Mac the security to improvise and experiment without ever losing the time.”

Fonseca met drummer Mac “Allien” William in the early 90s, when Fonseca was doing auditions for a band to tour in support of the Tradução album. “We went some years without seeing each other,” says Fonseca. “But now he is back, better than ever. Mac is one of the strongest samba drummers of his generation – another guy I know I can always count on.”

Producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro adds, “It’s really impressive how much Mac was able to study the style of Dom Um Romão and João Palma, updating them throughout the album."

So now take a journey through Brazil’s rich Hammond organ tradition with the Fabio Fonseca Trio and discover the exciting places it’s headed with Opus Samba and, most of all, enjoy…

Douglas Payne
Mr. Douglas Payne is regarded as one of the most important historians in the contemporary jazz scene. He has written liner notes for albums by such artists as Oscar Peterson, Lalo Schifrin, Ennio Morricone, Clare Fischer, Oliver Nelson, Yusef Lateef, Hank Crawford, Lonnie Smith, Cal Tjader and Gary McFarland.

R.I.P..: Pete Candoli

Pete Candoli (b: 28.Jun.1923, Mishawaka/IN; d: 11.Jan.2008, Studio City/CA)

The trumpeter Pete Candoli died January 11th of prostate cancer at his home in Studio City, California, at the age of 84. Candoli was mostly self-taught on trumpet. He played with Woody Herman's First Herd during World War II, then worked mostly as a studio musician from the 1950s but also playing behind singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland or Frank Sinatra. Often he performed together with his younger brother Conte Candoli who also was an acclaimed trumpeter and passed away in 2001 at the age of 74. Both Pete and Conte Candoli took part of the brilliant horn section recruited by João Donato for his "A Bad Donato" album, recorded in 1970 at the A&M Studios, in Los Angeles, for Tommy LiPuma/Bob Krasnow's Blue Thumb label. One of my "desert island" discs, it also features Bud Shank (yes, it's a lie that Bud and Donato had never played together after the 1963 album "Bud Shank and his Brazilian Friends"), Jimmy Cleveland, Ernie Watts, Oscar Castro-Neves, Dom Um Romão, Paulinho Magalhães, Chuck Domanico and many others. "A Bad Donato" has been reissued on CD by the Japanese label Bomba Records in a mini-LP paper sleeve format which reproduces the original gatefold artwork.

Pete Candoli's obituary: Los Angeles Times.

Playing the Changes: Milt Hinton's Life in Stories and Photographs

The words, images, and music of
one of the greats in American jazz
NEW BOOK AND CD CHRONICLE THE ARTISTIC AND PERSONAL JOURNEY OF EXTRAORDINARY BASSIST MILT HINTON

The life story of Milt Hinton is rooted in hard times, rising from segregated backwater clubs to elegant concert halls, offering a perspective on the African American experience that is unique in its mix of humor and wisdom.
The publication of PLAYING THE CHANGES: Milt Hinton's Life in Stories and Photographs (Vanderbilt University Press, January 31, 2008) not only tells Milt's compelling story, in his own inimitable style, but also exquisitely reproduces 260 of his incredible photographs. He began taking pictures in the 1920s and continued documenting the world that he knew, in and away from the spotlight, up to his death in 2000 at age 90.
These photographs, more than 140 of which are published here for the first time, burst with life--and some would swear sound--revealing candid and often intimate moments of both the famous (Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Duke Ellington) and the not so famous who played alongside them, such as 400-pound arranger/bandleader/organist "Tiny" Parham.
Included with the book is a CD of music and interviews with Milt Hinton, along with a discography and a filmography.
This remarkable book reveals as well that Hinton possessed a gift of narrative. Blessed with a storyteller's facility, he leads the reader back to his first memories as a child in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and even beyond, to his father's African birth and elements of that legacy that lingered in his grandmother's cooking. Through his recollections we feel these times and places, down to the lynching he witnessed at age seven and, nearly as horrible, the surreal stillness of the town the morning after.
Interweaving photos and prose, the book traces Milt's path from Mississippi to Chicago, where he polished his music through the famous Wendell Phillips High School program and earned money running errands for the Al Capone organization. Committing full time to music, Hinton crossed paths with people who seem cut from a mold that was broken long ago. Many have left vivid marks on history, from the legendary boxer Jack Johnson to the incomparable Cab Calloway, with whose band Hinton traveled for many years. Others have been forgotten or died too young, like the tough-talking and brilliantly gifted singer Ann Robinson, whose rise toward fame ended suddenly one night in a Harlem alley.
Combining an acute observational eye with an ear sensitive to music and conversation, Hinton casts these characters in revealing light. He was there to witness a legendary and nearly fatal encounter between Calloway and a knife-wielding Dizzy Gillespie, to help remove the great Charlie Parker, passed out on heroin, from under a table in a bar, and to see the King of Swing, Benny Goodman, playing pinball alone in a Broadway arcade. Whether huddling in the basement of a backwater club as a race riot raged overhead or shaking hands with President John F. Kennedy at a swank soiree, Hinton registers these moments and summons them back to life on every page of Playing the Changes--and in so doing, preserves an important part of America's culture and history for posterity.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
In 1955, when he was fourteen, David G. Berger asked Milt Hinton for bass lessons--thus beginning a friendship and professional partnership that would last more than forty years. Berger, though, did not follow in his friend's footsteps to become a professional musician; instead he completed a doctorate in sociology and taught at Temple University for thirty years. In 1979, Holly Maxson began organizing Milt's photographs for Hinton and Berger's first book, Bass Line. Maxson and Berger co-direct the Milton J. Hinton Photographic Collection, and in 2002 they completed their award-winning documentary about Milt's life, Keeping Time: The Life, Music and Photographs of Milt Hinton.

PLAYING THE CHANGES:
Milt Hinton's Life in Stories and Photographs
By Milt Hinton, David G. Berger, and Holly Maxson
Foreword by Clint Eastwood; Preface by Dan Morgenstern
384 pages, 11 x 9.5 inches, 260 black & white photos, with a CD of interviews and music, discography, filmography
Trade cloth w/CD $75.00 (ISBN 978-0-8265-1574-2)
To be published January 31, 2008
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY PRESS

To order PLAYING THE CHANGES, stop by your local bookstore, call 1-800-627-7377, or visit our website.

Santi Debriano's Magic Circle tonight at Gillespie Auditorium, NYC

Get on board for a swingin’ jazz experiment with a completely new sound when Bassist Santi Debriano brings his “Magic Circle” to Jazz Tuesdays in the Gillespie Auditorium tonight, January 29. Set one at 8:00 pm will be a duo performance of Roni Ben Hur on guitar with Santi on bass. Set two at 9:30 will be the premiere of a quartet project with 2 other well known jazz bassists - Esiet Okun Esiet and Ira Coleman, with Ray Spiegel on tablas, vibes, and marimba. The concept of the group has its origin in music Mr. Debriano composed for the films Check the Changes and Tune In, Turn on, Drop Out (both directed by Marc Huraux) in which he used trios of basses performing improvisations based on the music of Jimi Hendrix. The Magic Circle performs original material written by all the members of the band, as well as Hendrix songs. The players explore the sonic possibilities of their instruments and the group in ways that will surprise you.

The son of a Panamanian composer, Santi Debriano is one of the busiest jazz bassists in the New York area. In addition to leading his own bands, Debriano has been a member of the Don Pullen Trio, the Pharoah Sanders Group, the Sonny Fortune Group, the Billy Hart Band, the Louis Hayes Quintet, the Larry Coryell Group, and the Archie Shepp Quartet. As a sideman, Debriano has performed with Chucho Valdés, Hank Jones, Cecil Taylor, Randy Weston, and Freddie Hubbard. A member of the Archie Shepp Quartet in the late '70s, he was featured on four albums and appeared in the documentary film Imagine the Sound. Moving to Paris, Debriano spent three years with the Sam Rivers Trio. Upon his return to the United States, he quickly made his presence felt on the jazz scene in New York, recording with such Brazilian musicians as Claudio Roditi and Deodato.

As a bandleader, Debriano has presented his music in a variety of contexts. In addition to his Quartet, he led a two-bass quintet and a trio during the late '80s and played Latin music as a member of the Panamaniacs. Debriano has been equally influential as a music teacher. As the music director for the performing arts program at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, NJ, he placed an emphasis on African, Afro-Caribbean, Latin American, and African-American music. He received a jazz educator award from New York University in 2001.

Admission is 15.00, $10.00 for students.
Tickets will be sold at the door, or call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.

Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)
Two shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

Quincy Jones' "Summer in the City" now available in Australia

http://www.play4me.com.au/product/summer_in_the_city_1667857_7093.html

"Summer in the City: The Soul Jazz Grooves of Quincy Jones", the compilation produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro for Verve, has just been released in Australia. It can be ordered by Australian customers through the above link. Price is AUD$13.46 plus S&H.

NY All-Star Benefit Concerts for George Cables, Jan 25 & 26

The New York All-Star Benefit for George Cables
FRIDAY JANUARY 25 and SATURDAY JANUARY 26
SETS: 8, 10, MIDNIGHT, 2AM
$25 per set and $10 minimum
SWEET RHYTHM
88 7th Ave S
New York, NY 10014
(212) 255-3626
Reservations are strongly advised
www.sweetrhythmny.com

Featuring:
Kenny Barron
Randy Brecker
Michael Carvin
Joe Chambers
Sonny Fortune
Billy Harper
Winard Harper
Louis Hayes
Vincent Herring
Pete Laroca
Peter Leitch
Victor Lewis
Ronnie Mathews
Cecil McBee
Eric Reed
Rufus Reid
James Spaulding
Steve Turre
Cedar Walton
Buster Williams
Steve Wilson
Lenny White
Reggie Workman

In the Fall of 2007, pianist and composer George Cables received a kidney and liver transplant. While he is recuperating at home in Queens, NY, it will be many months before he'll be able to perform again. The Jazz community in New York is holding this very special benefit for 2 nights only at Sweet Rhythm with all musicians donating their time. Each set is an admission of $25 which goes directly to George Cables.

If you can't attend, and would like to contribute please visit: www.georgecables.com . The George Cables Healing Fund has been set up where all contributions (with the exception of PayPal deductions) go directly to George, or you can send a check in any amount payable to:
GEORGE CABLES
c/o JazzCorner.com
245 West 25th St. #2F
New York, NY 10001

I have been a big fan of George Cables since I listened to his outstanding performance (playing Fender Rhodes!) on Freddie Hubbard's "Keep Your Soul Together" album for CTI, back in 1974. He is also featured on a great extended version of "Son of Sky Dive" included on Hubbard's compilation of out-takes "Polar AC". Also from that same album, a luxurious rendition of "People Make The World Go Round", arranged by Bob James, was included in the best-selling 1997 CD compilation "CTI Acid Jazz Grooves", produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro.

Some other personal favorite albums are Cables' own 1985 trio album "Phantom of the City" for Contemporary, his duo session with Frank Morgan on the "Double Image" CD, plus many sideman dates such as Joe Henderson's underrated masterpiece of the early '70s "Black is the Color" (Milestone) and Dexter Gordon's ultra-lush "Sophisticated Giant" (Columbia), not to mention the appearances with Art Pepper, Roy Haynes, Joe Farrell, Max Roach, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, Sonny Rollins and many others.

Biography:
Born in New York City in 1944, when Cables was going to school , he used to walk the streets at night, taking in the cosmopolitan sights and sounds, mentally recording his encounters with "so many different kinds of people." In his musical career as well, Cables has prowled sidestreets and main thoroughfares in relative anonymity, absorbing countless influences into his personal style.
Cables was classically trained as a youth, and when he started at the "Fame"-worthy New York High School of Performing Arts, he admittedly "didn't know anything about jazz." But he was soon smitten with the potential for freedom of expression he heard in jazz. The young Cables was impressed by such keyboardists as Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, but, as he points out, "I never really listened to pianists when I was coming up. I would probably say I've been more influenced by Miles or Trane and their whole bands rather than by any single pianist. The concept of the music is more important than listening to somebody's chops, somebody's technique, The Way Miles' band held together, it was just like magic. You were transported to another world."

Cables attended Mannes College of Music for two years, and by 1964 he was playing in a band called The Jazz Samaritans which included such rising stars as Billy Cobham, Lenny White, and Clint Houston. Gigs around New York at the Top of the Gate, Slugs, and other clubs attracted attention to Cables' versatility and before long he had recorded with tenor saxophonist Paul Jeffrey, played on Max Roach's Lift Every Voice and Sing and earned a brief 1969 tenure at the piano bench with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

A 1969 tour with tenor titan Sonny Rollins took Cables to the West Coast. By 1971 he became a significant figure in the jazz scenes of Los Angeles, where he first resided, and San Francisco, where he also lived. Collaborations and recordings with tenor saxophonists Rollins (Next Album) and Joe Henderson, trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw (Blackstone Legacy), and vibist Bobby Hutcherson made Cables' wide-ranging keyboard skills, often on electric piano, amply evident. Demand for his sensitive accompaniment increased and by the end of the 1970s, Cables was garnering a reputation as everyone's favorite sideman.

Perhaps the most pivotal turn came when hard bop legend Dexter Gordon invited Cables into his quartet in 1977. The two years he spent with the reappreciated tenor giant ignited Cables's passion for the acoustic piano and rimmersed him in the bebop vocabulary. "I don't feel that one should be stuck in the mud playing the same old stuff all the time, trying to prove that this music is valid," Cables says. "We don't need to prove anything. But I think you really have to be responsive to your heritage and then go on and find your own voice."

The longest standing relationship Cables developed in the late seventies was with alto saxophonist Art Pepper. Cables, who Pepper called "Mr. Beautiful," became Art's favorite pianist, appearing on many quartet dates for Contemporary and Galaxy, and joining Art for the extraordinary duet album, Goin' Home, that would be Pepper's final recording session.

George has performed and recorded with some of the greatest jazz musicians of his time, including: Joe Henderson, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson and Dizzy Gillespie.

George Cables has emerged as a major voice in modern jazz. He's recorded as a soloist, with trio and larger ensembles. In addition to composing and arranging for his own albums, George Cables has contributed to recordings by many other jazz performers. He is noted for his fresh interpretations of classic compositions, and for his innovative style of writing---www.wikipedia.com

For complete bio, discography and contribute, please visit www.georgecables.com

Deodato's "Do It Again" released in Australia, January 21

http://www.play4me.com.au/product/do_it_again_1667858_24535.html

DEODATO: play4me.com.au

DEODATO / DO IT AGAIN (Verve) AUD$13.46; CD Album; Pre-order now for Mon 21 Jan 2008 release, Produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro

Daoud-David Williams & The Spirit of Life Ensemble return to Gillespie Auditorium

Swing with Daoud-David Williams & the Spirit of Life Ensemble when they return to "Jazz Tuesdays" tonight, January 22, in the Gillespie Auditorium at the New York Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway). There will be two shows at 8:00 and 9:30.

Formed in 1975, Spirit of Life Ensemble (SOLE) is under the leadership of multi-percussionist Daoud-David Williams. The music of this captivating, diversified and a true reflection of the group's name. Their sound is soulful, passionate, and filled with infectious energy, while at the same time inventive and thought provoking in its concept, thereby capturing the spirit of artistic creativity. Although their music is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, it has been strongly influenced by the myriad of musical styles found in the African Diaspora. The rhythms of Latin America, the Caribbean Islands, Africa, and the African-American musical genres of rhythm and blues, gospel, funk, and the blues permeate the sound of this electrifying ensemble, whose "jazz with a world beat" approach leaves your heart dancing long after your feet have stopped. The collective experience of SOLE members includes performances and/or recordings with icons of jazz such as The Ellington Orchestra, The Basie Orchestra, The Hampton Orchestra, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Barron, John Hicks, Nancy Wilson, Ahmad Jamal, Charles Mingus, Horace Silver, Buddy Rich, and many others.

Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)
Two shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

Palmyra & Levita tonight at "Tom do Sabor"

Palmyra & Levita live at "Tom do Sabor"
Tonight, Jan. 22, 2008 in Salvador, Bahia
click on the image to enlarge and see detailed info

"Opus Samba" release party

Fabio Fonseca Trio's "Opus Samba" release party at Modern Sound, tonight, January 22, 2008 at 7PM. If you are in Rio, don't miss it!

Tonight, at Bypass, "Studio 54 Forever"

Carrefour de l’Etoile 1
1227 Les Acacias
Genève, Switzerland
Tel: 0022 300 6565

DownBeat - January 2008

DownBeat
January 2008

Bonus Distribution: 10,000 High School Music Programs (Future of Jazz)
1,000 IAJE Conference Toronto ‘08

COVER STORY
Dave Brubeck -- Alone. With a piano. In the studio. This is how we caught up with Brubeck, as he recorded his recent solo piano album, Indian Summer. After that, it wasn’t easy to follow up with the piano legend, as at 86 years old he continues to indefatigably tour. Here’s a portrait of an artist who continues to create, to flex his creative muse at every chance possible.

FEATURES
Best CDs of 2007 -- We remember the best new and historical releases of the past year, featuring the 5-, 4 1/2- and 4-star albums of the past 12 months. Includes a section on “CDs We Missed,” reviews of numerous reissued albums.

Paul Bley -- At 75, the pianist recently released a rare solo album on ECM. During a stand in New York, we caught up with him for a chat about his minimalist genius.

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews -- The 21-year-old trombonist sure has swagger. He has moved beyond his traditional New Orleans roots, taking his jazz-meets-funk music around the world, leading his own band and touring and recording with the likes of Lenny Kravitz.

BLINDFOLD TEST -- Gary Bartz

PLAYERS
Bill McHenry (saxophone)
Marvin Stamm (trumpet)
Amir ElSaffar (trumpet)
Jesse McBride (piano)

THE BEAT
• Riffs—Jazz News From Around The Globe
• Corey Harris gets MacArthur Fellowship
• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Grants
• Columbia University (George Lewis) Hosts Jazz Media Forum
• 60-year broadcaster Leigh Kamman of Minneapolis leaves radio
• Things To Come, The Question, Vinyl Freak
• Backstage With ... Steve Coleman
• Caught: Martial Solal’s 80th birthday at Village Vanguard; Concert For Joyce (Wein) at Beantown in Boston

WOODSHED
• Jazz on Campus: Bruce Kaminsky devises new bass teaching method at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts
• Transcription: Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s solo on “Moon Ray” from Roy Haynes’ 1962 album Out Of The Afternoon
• Master Class: Alto saxophonist Mike Smith
• Pro Session: Alan Bergman legal column

REVIEWS
Hot Box
Carla Bley, The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu (ECM)
Marcus Strickland Twi-Life Group, Open Reel Deck (Strick Muzik)
Alan Pasqua, The Antisocial Club (Cryptogramophone)
Eddie Daniels, Homecoming: Live At The Iridium (IPO)

Reviews
Josh Roseman, New Constellations: Live In Vienna (Accurate)
Leni Stern, Africa (LSR)
Steve Lehman, On Meaning (Pi)
Andy Bey, Ain’t Necessarily So (12th Street)
Jimmy Bruno, Maplewood Avenue (Affiliated Artists)
Tyshawn Sorey, That/Not (Firehouse 12)
Josh Nelson, Let It Go (Native Language)
McCoy Tyner Quartet (McCoy Music)
Muhal Richard Abrams, Vision Towards Essence (Pi)
Pan-Asian Ensemble, Mujou (Leo)
Hope Waits (Radarproof)
The Peter Evans Quartet (Firehouse 12)
Mostly Other People Do The Killing, Shamokin!!! (Hot Cup)
Levon Helm, Dirt Farmer (Vanguard)
Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Raising Sand (Rounder)
Charlie Haden/Antonio Forcione, Heartplay (Naim)
Marty Ehrlich/Myra Melford, Spark! (Palmetto)
Trio M, Big Picture (Cryptogramophone)
Youssou N’Dour, Rokku Mi Rokka (Nonesuch)
Jon Mayer, So Many Stars (Reservoir)
Steve Allee Trio, Colors (Owl Studios)
Deep Blue Organ Trio, Folk Music (Origin)
Bettye LaVette, The Scene Of The Crime (Anti-)
Simone Massaron, Breaking News (Long Song)
Daniele Cavallanti Electric Unit, Smoke Inside (Long Song)

Jazz
The Karl Denson Trio, Lunar Orbit (Bobby Ace)
Harry Allen, Hits By Brits (Challenge)
Alex Kontorovich, Deep Minor (Chamsa)
Tineke Postma, A Journey That Matters (Foreign Media)
Timo Lassy, The Soul & Jazz Of Timo Lassy (Ricky Tick/ObliqSound)
Hayes Greenfield Quartet, Because Of You! (Dots & Lines)

Blues
Dennis Binder: Hole In That Jug (Earwig)
Bill Lupkin: Hard Pill (Blue Bella)
Lee Rocker: Black Cat Bone (Alligator)
Layla Zoe: Shades Of Blue (Layla Zoe)
Willie McBlind: Find My Way Back Home (FreeNote)
Duke & the Drivers: Harder Before (Groove International)

Beyond
Culture: Two Sevens Clash—30th Anniversary Edition (Shanachie)
The Heptones: Sweet Talking (Heartbeat)
Toots & Maytals: Light Your Light (Concord)
Ticklah: Ticklah vs. Axelrod (Easy Star)
The Pietasters: All Day (Red Eye)
Slightly Stoopid: Chronchitis (Stoopid)
The Revolutionaries: Drum Sound (Pressure Sounds)

Historical
Ben Webster, Dig Ben! (Storyville)

Book
Horizons Touched: The Music Of ECM (Granta Publications)

AdLib - January 2008

ADLiB Awards 2007
Cover Story: Toshiki Kadomatsu
Peter Cincotti
Dai Sakakibara
Rayito
Rin'
Esty
Be The Voice
Bleach The Best
Spotlight : Jaco Pastorius / Jay Graydon & Kenji Sano
ADLiB Audio Topics
Shi-Ta
ADLiB Chart
New Disc
Imported Disc
Coming Soon
Ballad Collection
Star Story-Prince
History Of Rock Music
Aretha Franklin
Eric Clapton
Under The Blue Moon
Vlidge
New Movement Of J-Jazz / Fusion
Toshiki Kadomatsu ~ No End Talk
Soul Kiss
AOR
Tina / Katsumi Horii
Shiro Sagisu / Cindy Suzuki
Yuji Muraoka / Paper & Web
Yumi Kudou / Yoshinori Ohtomo
Sound Planet
ADLiB Archives
Hot Live Report : 3 Great American Voices / etc.
Interview : Keola Beamer / Sizzle Ohtaka / The Pnuma Trio
Jean-Francois Maljean
Baho
Amber Quinteiro
News Of The World
News In Japan
Concert Information
Letters
Last Chorus

Swing Journal - January 2008

The 336-page January 2008 issue of "Swing Journal" includes a story on CTI Records.
From left to right on page 224: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Tamba 44, J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding, Paul Desmond, Nat Adderley, Eumir Deodato, Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws

Cover Story: Bill Evans / Complete Discography
Tommy & Eijiru Nakagawa
Jazz Piano 2008
Jazz Masterpieces Story - Verve Part 3
Here Comes New Masterpieces
Special Feature: Bill Evans / Bassists talk about the Piano Master
Jazz It Up - Jazz History by Korean Comic
2007 Jazz Disc Award Nominees
The 58th Annual SwingJournal Readers Poll 2007
HOT NEWS World / Japan
New York Jazz Monthly
Topics
Jazz on AIR
New Year Jazz Quiz
The Monthly Disc Review
Top Chart
SJ Gold Discs
Import Discs
New Discs Release Information
SJ Gold Disc Preview: "My Funny Valentine / Ted Rosenthal"
SJ Gold Disc Preview: "Duet / Chick Corea & Hiromi"
Two Jazz Festivals in Tokyo - Autumn 2007
Tribute Lives in NY - Autumn 2007
Restudying Fusion
Let's Dig the Re-issued Discs
What's up now! : Takeshi Shibuya / Naoko Mizuki / Osamu Inoue
SJ Focus
Readers Plaza : Jazz Spot Pilgrimage Returns / Readers / Jazz Allnighters by Tatsuo Sunaga / Yasukuni Terashima's Daily Life
Swing Street : Yozo Iwanami / Music / Movie
Q&A
Live Report : Terumasa Hino Quintet / Toshio Osumi / Miki Yamaoka / Photon / Makoto Ozone / Nicola Conte / Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Comin' Soon!
Live & Jazz Spot Guide
JAZZ SOUND & VISUAL
New Generation Video Player / Recorder
SJ Selections

CTI & GRP Fusion Story
YAMAHA S2000-series
Jazz Component Award 2007
JVC Compact Component System EX-AK1
REVEL AUDIO Brand-New Speakers
New Component Test Report
The Serial: All About Speaker System
audio-technica Digital Wireless Headphone system ATH-DWL5000
A & AV Topics
Reader's Square / Audio Q&A / Market / etc.
Sound Quality of New Discs

Happy 2008!