Simone Leitão em recital imperdível na Sala Cecilia Meireles, nesta sexta, dia 22

Simone Leitão volta a Sala Cecília Meireles
Pianista apresenta Händel, Villa-Lobos, Bach, Rachmaninov e Mehmari em recital na série Piano na Sala

Virtuose de emoção à flor da pele, Simone Leitão honra e já faz parte da linhagem das grandes pianistas brasileiras consagradas internacionalmente, ao lado das lendárias Magda Tagliaferro e Guiomar Novaes.

Seu mais recente CD, focado na obra de Bach, uma de suas maiores paixões, é simplesmente extraordinário, incluindo uma performance desde já antológica do "Concerto Italiano" (também conhecido como "Concerto Em Estilo Italiano"), escrito em 1735. Sua execução do belo e rapsódico segundo movimento - Lento - no qual Bach enriqueceu o lirismo da escola italiana, é comovente pela perfeição alcançada na combinação da "calma" pulsação rítimica com a maneira como "canta" as notas, atingindo altíssimo nível de expressividade.

Conseguir gravar Bach com personalidade, imprimindo uma marca pessoal à obras tão exploradas à esta altura do campeonato, depois de milhares de gravações, é uma coisa dificílima, uma autêntica proeza.

Ainda no embalo de seu último recital que lotou o Carnegie Hall, em Nova York, no início deste ano, Simone Leitão traz ao Rio o programa que arrebatou os nova-iorquinos. A apresentação ocorre na sexta-feira, dia 22 de março, às 20h, na Sala Cecília Meireles.

No repertório, "Chacone em Sol Maior", de Georg Friedrich Händel; "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4", de Heitor Villa-Lobos; "Chacone em Ré menor", de Johann Sebastian Bach (na transcrição de Ferruccio Busoni, outro ponto alto do brilhante CD de 2017); "Grande Baião de Concerto", de André Mehmari, peça dedicada a Simone Leitão; e a "Sonata em Si bemol Menor, Op. 36", de Sergei Rachmaninov, peça que promete emoções fortes, especialmente na coda do terceiro movimento.

O concerto, que integra a série "Piano na Sala", faz parte da turnê internacional da artista que passou por São Paulo, Quito, Curaçao, Miami, Nova York, Los Angeles, Salvador e termina dia 27 de abril no Teatro Nacional da Costa Rica.

"O Bach de Leitão é cheio de imaginação e alma." - Jed Distler, Gramophone UK, 2018
"Técnica fluente, paixão, precisão, controle sem falhas e arte inata." - Harry Rodnick, Nova York, 2015
"Leitão é uma solista de nota-perfeita com a Sinfônica de Miami." - Lawrence Budmen, Miami Herald 2011

Em novembro de 2017, Simone Leitão lançou seu segundo CD pela MSR Classics, dedicado a Bach. O álbum recebeu crítica elogiosa da Gramophone UK em fevereiro de 2018. Desde 2012, Simone Leitão roda o Brasil com a sua Academia Jovem Concertante, projeto de qualificação de jovens músicos, e mantido uma paixão intensa pela música de câmara com a Semana Internacional de Música de Câmara do Rio de Janeiro, na qual é criadora e diretora artística. A Rio Music Week apresenta todos os anos repertório variado com artistas de diferentes países.

Pianista, historiadora e empreendedora musical, Simone mantém uma agenda de 40 concertos por ano no Brasil, Europa, Ásia e Américas. Doutora em Piano Performance e Musicologia pela University of Miami, Mestre em piano pela Academia de Música da Noruega em Oslo, e Bacharel em educação musical pela Uni-Rio, ela é uma artista inquieta e versátil que acredita na força da música de concerto como idioma universal e forte ponte de comunicação entre povos e culturas diversas.

Programa

Georg Friedrich Händel
Chacone em Sol Maior

Heitor Villa-Lobos
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4
-Coral (Canto do Sertão) - Largo
-Ária (Cantiga) – Moderato

Johann Sebastian Bach (transc. Ferruccio Busoni)
Chacone em Ré menor

André Mehmari
Grande Baião de Concerto
-Primeira Parte
-Segunda Parte
-Toccata

Sergei Rachmaninov
Sonata em Si bemol Menor, Op. 36
-Allegro Agitato
-Non Allegro - Lento
-Allegro Molto

Série Piano na Sala | Simone Leitão
22/03/2019, 20h
Sala Cecília Meireles | Largo da Lapa, 47 – Centro | +55 21 2332-9224 | www.salaceciliameireles.rj.gov.br | www.facebook.com/salaceciliameireles

Capacidade: 670 lugares
R$50 (R$25 estudantes e idosos
NA WEB: www.simoneleitao.com.br
INGRESSOS: www.ingressorapido.com.br

Cirque du Soleil chega ao Rio nesta quinta com espetáculo OVO, dirigido por Deborah Colker

Em curtíssima temporada, espetáculo OVO do CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, dirigido pela brasileira Deborah Colker, estreia dia 21 de março na Jeunesse Arena, no Rio

Falta bem pouco para que o Cirque du Soleil retorne ao Rio de Janeiro. Em oportunidade única, com curtíssima temporada, apenas de 21 a 31 de março, o espetáculo OVO, dirigido por Deborah Colker, ficará em cartaz na Jeunesse Arena, na Barra da Tijuca, Zona Oeste da cidade, com ingressos vendidos através do site https://www.tudus.com.br

Após emocionar mais de 5 milhões de pessoas por todo o mundo, desde que estreou em Montreal em 2009 como um show de tenda, OVO embarcou em uma nova jornada. Realizando a mesma produção cativante, apresentada de forma inédita no país em arenas, o espetáculo dá a oportunidade para que pessoas de diversas capitais possam assistir a uma produção do Cirque du Soleil.

A produção é amplamente inspirada na cultura brasileira, repleta de cores e com uma trilha musical bastante rica, passeando por ritmos típicos como a bossa nova, samba, xaxado, funk, entre outros. Tudo, claro, com muita percussão.

OVO é apresentado no Brasil por Bradesco, conta com o patrocínio de Café L’OR e TIM (para as temporadas do Rio de Janeiro, Brasília e São Paulo), carro oficial Volkswagen, apoio de Livelo e Localiza, e é realizado pela IMM Esporte e Entretenimento. 

Quando um ovo misterioso aparece em seu habitat, os insetos ficam maravilhados e intensamente curiosos sobre esse objeto icônico que representa o enigma e os ciclos de suas vidas. É amor à primeira vista quando um inseto desajeitado e peculiar chega nessa comunidade movimentada e se depara com uma joaninha fabulosa.

OVO é um mergulho em um ecossistema colorido e repleto de vida, onde os insetos trabalham, comem, rastejam, flutuam, brincam, brigam e buscam pelo amor em uma farra sem fim, cheia de energia e movimento. O universo dos insetos é um mundo de biodiversidade e beleza, cheio de ruídos e momentos de emoção silenciosa. O elenco de OVO é composto por 50 artistas de 14 países, incluindo quatro brasileiros, especializados em diversas acrobacias.

OVO transborda de contrastes. O mundo oculto e secreto aos nossos pés é revelado de maneira tenra e tórrida, barulhenta e silenciosa, pacífica e caótica. E quando o sol nasce em um novo e belo dia, o ciclo vibrante da vida dos insetos recomeça.

OVO é um símbolo atemporal do ciclo da vida e nascimento de numerosos insetos que sustentam a trama subjacente do show. Em sua criação gráfica, o logotipo com o nome do espetáculo remete à figura de um inseto: As duas letras “O” representam os olhos, enquanto da letra “V” saem duas pequenas antenas.

O Time Criativo por trás do mundo de OVO é: Guy Laliberté e Gilles Ste-Croix (Guias Artísticos); Deborah Colker, primeira diretora mulher no Cirque du Soleil (Autora, Diretora e Coreógrafa); Chantal Tremblay (Diretora de Criação); Gringo Cardia (Designer de cenário e adereços); Liz Vandal (Figurinista); Berna Ceppas (Compositor e Diretor Musical); Éric Champoux (Designer de Iluminação); Jonathan Dean (Designer de Som) e, pela primeira vez no Cirque du Soleil: Fred Gérard (Rigging e Designer de Equipamento Acrobático); Philippe Aubertin (Designer de Performance Acrobática); e Julie Bégin (Designer de Maquiagem).

INGRESSOS: 

RIO DE JANEIRO
Local: Jeunesse Arena
Endereço: Av. Embaixador Abelardo Bueno, 3401 - Barra da Tijuca
Data: De 21 a 31 de março de 2019
Sessões e horários: - Terça e quarta-feira, às 21h
- Quinta e sexta-feira, às 17h* e 21h
- Sábado, às 17h e 21h
- Domingo, às 14h* e 18h* / às 16h e 20h
*apenas em datas específicas

Abertura do local: 1h30 antes do show
Capacidade: 6.390 lugares
Duração: 2 horas com 20 minutos de intervalo
Classificação: Livre. Menores de 12 anos de idade somente acompanhados dos pais ou responsáveis legais. Sujeito à alteração por decisão Judicial.
Acesso para deficientes: Acesso e assentos destinados apenas para cadeirantes mais 01 acompanhante

SETOR 3
R$ 130,00
R$ 260,00

SETOR 2
R$ 160,00
R$ 320,00

SETOR 1
R$ 220,00
R$ 440,00

CAMAROTE
R$ 250,00
R$ 500,00

ESPECIAL
R$ 250,00
R$ 500,00

PREMIUM (*)
R$ 275,00
R$ 550,00
(*) Neste setor, é possível contratar o serviço adicional Tapis Rouge by Bradesco por R$350,00, além do valor do ingresso (meia-entrada ou inteira), para um número limitado de assentos de acordo com disponibilidade no ato da compra. O serviço Tapis Rouge by Bradesco não está sujeito à meia-entrada.

SERVIÇO TAPIS ROUGE BY BRADESCO

Na compra do ingresso para o Setor Premium + um adicional de serviços, o espectador terá uma experiência especial e diferenciada, reservada para aproximadamente 300 pessoas. O cliente assistirá ao espetáculo de um lugar bem próximo ao palco. Além disso, irá usufruir de todos os benefícios listados abaixo:
• Estacionamento;
• Serviço de coquetel com menu especialmente preparado pela chef Morena Leite (restaurante Capim Santo) acompanhado de bebidas alcoólicas e não alcoólicas (servido uma hora antes do show e durante o intervalo);
• Ambiente decorado;
• Equipe exclusiva para atendê-lo;
• Assentos privilegiados;
• Credencial de acesso exclusiva;
• Brinde exclusivo;
• Loja com produtos exclusivos Cirque du Soleil;
• WI-FI gratuito;
• Banheiros privativos.

Kenner will release his debut album, "8Ball City"

Israeli-born keyboardist, producer and composer Kenner is thrilled to announce the May 23rd release of his debut album, "8Ball City."  The album was recorded at Riro Muzik and Black Lodge Studio in Brooklyn, NY and at Gil Feldman's Studio in Israel. "8Ball City" features an array of international musicians including drummers David Frazier Jr., Noam Israeli and Diego Joaquin Ramierz, bassist Tamir Shmerling, guitarists Andrew Whitbeck and Nitzan Bar, saxophonists Clay Lyons and Jonathan Greenstein and trumpeter Wayne Tucker.

The album also features two guest masters: Jamey Haddad on percussion (Paul Simon, Yo Yo Ma, Herbie Hancock), and Tamer Pinarbasi on qanun (New York Gypsy All-stars).  This unapologetically playful album integrates the soulful and the calculated, with elements of R&B and jazz coming in contact with Kenner’s classical and progressive rock influences. This album combines the grittiness of the real world- the day to day struggle, with the boundlessness of imagination.

Kenner’s compositions seem to transport the listener to another plane, which is fitting for what is first and foremost a concept album with the aim of doing just that. Kenner writes that "8Ball City" is a “fictional city located in the human psyche. The city itself represents the coexistence of thoughts, emotions and ideas, intermingling in a secluded place between the mountains. The album invites the listener to explore the bridge between the real world and the world of the mind, where anything and everything is possible.”

The composer extends his invitation with music that conjures imagery of utopia, futurism and old forgotten lands. A blend of the modern and the fantastic. Kenner achieves this feat through the vivid intricacies of his compositions and the thoroughly masterful improvisation that takes place throughout the album

Kenner’s rich harmonic content, undoubtedly stemming from the jazz idiom, coupled with his contrapuntal melodic arrangements demonstrates the artist’s deep knowledge of the vocabulary of jazz, as well as his prowess in classical composition.  In reference to his use of melody and countermelody, Kenner states “In Candyland, for example, you will encounter four main melodies dancing in syncopation all at once, creating the first main theme of the song. The main melody is at the front, the second one panned to the left, the third to the right, and the fourth is at the bottom, played by the bass. All four melodies are groovy and cerebral at the same time.”

Kenner makes use of analog instruments such as a Steinway piano, a Fender Rhodes, a Hohner Clavinet, and a Hammond C-3, but also uses state-of-the-art digital instruments to create a signature marriage of traditional and futuristic which an be best described as prog-soul.

Eitan Kenner has been playing the piano since the age of 5, and has been a student of jazz since 13.  In Israel, Kenner had the opportunity to study with the legendary, late jazz instructor Amit Golan, a pioneer of the Israeli bebop education movement.  Kenner’s father Avner Kenner is widely acknowledged as a prog rock pioneer in Israel, and that influence is heavily integrated into the pianists compositional style.  Kenner enrolled in the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and was the youngest student in his class. After Rimon, Kenner moved to the United States to pursue a degree in Jazz Performance at Berklee College of Music.

Kenner’s upbringing and his voyage eastward inspired the creation of 8Ball City but it took several turbulent years of the artist’s life for his debut album to come to fruition. These years saw the painful end of an important relationship and the passing of his grandfather (a key figure in Eitan’s musical development) all amongst a backdrop of dealing with mental illness.

Kenner’s own words explain it best: "I was dealing with a very noisy and obsessive mind when it came to working on the album. I’d just incessantly trip over the tiniest details, always trying to solve musical issues, by thinking about them over and over again or listening to them on loop forever until i'd go crazy. I had the same approach to life itself. Thinking about life... thinking about thinking… and the loop goes on to no end. I didn't believe any one truth and was constantly trying to find "what's wrong" - that lead me to seeing and hearing things and feeling constant anxiety and of course, your usual depression that comes with it. this was debilitating to me both when it came to playing music, and - completing the album.”

Kenner eventually found peace through meditation practice, and eventually came to the realization that “playing music is the same as just living: some things you just don't know - sometimes there's "noise" in the background that you don't understand. You don't have to understand everything. But - understanding and thinking about this realization is just one thing. Actually practicing and living it is what I'm trying to pursue.”

"8Ball City" explores the unlimited nature of the mind and healing power that music can provide. It will not only take the listener on a journey to the fictional “8Ball City,” but will also take listeners on a journey of discovery in a tumultuous world.

Andy Milne Wins First Juno Award and Announces Spring Tour!

Pianist and composer Andy Milne won the 2019 Juno Award for Best Group Jazz Album for his new album "The Seasons of Being." Released on the Sunnyside label in September of last year, "The Seasons of Being" features Milne’s genre-crossing, critically acclaimed quintet Dapp Theory. This is Milne’s first Juno win.

Milne, who lives in the United States but was born in Hamilton, Canada said of his win: “Although I have spent the bulk of my professional career in the United States, I have tried to remain connected to the Canadian music community.” He adds, “it is a huge honor to be acknowledged in the form of a Juno. I was mentored by Oscar Peterson and have collaborated with Bruce Cockburn AND William Shatner, but with a Juno, I’m feeling extra Canadian right now!”

Just prior to Milne’s Juno Win, the Globe and Mail published an extensive, wide-ranging piece that profiled the pianist’s inspiring personal and creative journey.

"The Seasons of Being" explores the body, spirit and mind on music, channeling the diagnostic principles of homeopathic healing to captivate the emotional characterization of each improvising musician. Milne’s Dapp Theory group, made up of woodwind specialist Aaron Kruziki, bassist Christopher Tordini, drummer Kenny Grohowski and wordsmith John Moon, is joined by A-list improvisers Ralph Alessi, Ben Monder, La Tanya Hall, Michael Attias and Christopher Hoffman on what is the visionary musician’s most ambitious project yet.

The album has received worldwide critical acclaim from Downbeat Magazine, The New York Times, WBGO, the Brooklyn Rail, and Jazziz, among others. PopMatters said of the project: “Gentler and more beautiful than anything else in Milne's discography, The Season of Being is also a work of stubborn individuality. It sounds like little else.”

In April, Milne will be bringing his smaller outfit, the Unison Trio (featuring bassist John Hebert and drummer Clarence Penn), on the road! Milne will kick off the tour on April 11th at the University of Michigan for a series of masterclasses. Next, Milne will travel to Toronto for a performance at The Rex. After the single Canadian engagement, the trio will return to Ann Arbor for a performance at the Kerrytown Concert House.

On April 14th, the Unison Trio will perform at the Bop Stop in Cleveland OH.  On April 15th, the trio will return to the University of Michigan for another masterclass and performance.  The trio will then head west to California for an engagement at Mr. Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles.

Next, Milne will bring his combo to Albuquerque for a performance at The Outpost on April 18, followed by a visit to Sante Fe for a performance at The Gig the next day. Milne will make a return to New York on April 20 with a performance at the Greenwich House with special guests Hank Roberts, Ralph Alessi, and Yoko Reikano Kimura.  Finally, the artist will end this extensive tour with a solo piano performance at 7pm at the Arts Club of Washington on May 6th.

A fearless, versatile explorer, pianist/composer Andy Milne has been a distinct and respected voice at the heart of New York’s creative jazz scene for over 20 years, collaborating with dancers, visual artists, poets and musicians spanning jazz, classical, pop, folk, and world music. At the piano he skillfully blends poetic gravitas with a playful sense of order. To date, Milne has released 10 recordings as a leader or co-leader.

He has recorded and toured throughout the world with Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Alessi, Carlos Ward and Carla Cook, and has collaborated with a range of artists including Andrew Cyrille, Sekou Sundiata, Avery Brooks, Bruce Cockburn, Fred Hersch, Ben Monder, Dianne Reeves, Jen Shyu, Tyshawn Sorey and Jamie Baum. A former student of Oscar Peterson, Milne was at the center of the M-BASE Collective as a core member of saxophonist Steve Coleman’s bands, as well as performing with Cassandra Wilson and Greg Osby. Milne composed and produced the scores for seven documentary films by acclaimed director William Shatner and has released ten recordings as a leader or co-leader.

Milne recently joined the faculty of the Department of Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation as assistant professor of music a University of Michigan. "We are so thrilled to have Andy Milne on our faculty here at the University of Michigan," said Andrew Bishop, chair of U-M's Department of Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation. "He is such a dynamic and imaginative musician, and his group Dapp Theory is one of the most inventive groups in the contemporary musical landscape.”

Tour Dates:
April 11, 2019 University of Michigan (Masterclass) Ann Arbor, MI 4:00 PM
April 12, 2019 The Rex Toronto, ON 9:30 PM
April 13, 2019 Kerrytown Concert House Ann Arbor, MI 8:00 PM
April 14, 2019 Bop Stop Cleveland, OH 7:00 PM
April 15, 2019 University of Michigan (Masterclass/Performance) Ann Arbor, MI 6:00 PM
April 17, 2019 Mr. Musichead Gallery Los Angeles, CA 7:30 PM Tix/Details (Available soon)
April 18, 2019 The Outpost Albuquerque, NM 7:30 PM
April 19, 2019 The Gig Santa Fe, NM 7:30 PM
April 20, 2019 Greenwich House - Sound it Out Series
(+ Hank Roberts, Ralph Alessi & Yoko Reikano Kimura) New York, NY 8:00 PM
May 6, 2019 Solo Piano Show Arts Club of Washington Washington, DC 7:00 PM

Alessandra Maestrini & Mirna Rubim brilham em "O Som e a Sílaba" de Miguel Falabella

(Arnaldo DeSouteiro & Alessandra Maestrini)

The Voices! Alessandra Maestrini & Mirna Rubim, ovacionadas todas as noites, brilham de forma arrebatadora em "O Som e a Sílaba". Direção do mestre Miguel Falabella. De quinta a domingo no Teatro XP investimentos, no Jockey Club, Rio de Janeiro. Não há nada de maior nível musical em cartaz no Brasil atualmente. 

(Arnaldo DeSouteiro & Mirna Rubim)

(Arnaldo DeSouteiro & Miguel Falabella)

Arnaldo DeSouteiro 2019 Bio

Arnaldo DeSouteiro – Biografia ultra-resumida 

Produtor de discos, com cerca de 530 álbuns em sua discografia (incluindo novos CDs, reedições, coletâneas, trilhas sonoras, projetos especiais), conforme consta no All Music Guide, principal e mais acessado website sobre música no mundo. Jornalista e publicitário (formado em Comunicação pela PUC-RJ), tendo escrito para os jornais Tribuna da Imprensa (de 1979 até sua extinção em 2009, com 3.200 artigos publicados), Última Hora, O Globo e O Estado do Paraná, revistas Billboard, Keyboard (USA), Cuadernos de Jazz (Espanha), Swing Journal (Japão), Revista do CD (Brasil) etc. 

Roteirista de shows (João Gilberto, João Donato, Ithamara Koorax, Renato Piau, Marcos Valle, Eumir Deodato, Bjork, Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, Pingarilho, João Donato, Rodrigo Lima, Doris Monteiro etc) e de especiais de TV para as emissoras Globo (Antonio Carlos Jobim & João Gilberto) e Manchete (Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione, Airto Moreira & Flora Purim etc) no Brasil, e também na Europa e Ásia (o especial "Bossa Nova Saúde, Saudade", Diana Krall, João Gilberto, CTI All Stars, Dave Brubeck etc). Dirigiu e roteirizou shows de Ithamara Koorax em mais de 20 países, incluindo Japão, Coréia, EUA, Inglaterra, França, Portugal, Alemanha, Sérvia, Bulgária, Finlândia etc.

Nascido no Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) em 1963, radicou-se em Los Angeles (EUA) em 1999. Estudou piano clássico e harmonia com sua mãe, a pianista e maestrina Delza Agricola. É membro da Associação Brasileira de Imprensa (ABI) e da Ordem dos Músicos do Brasil (OMB) desde 1979, membro catedrático titular efetivo da Academia Internacional de Música desde 1985, membro votante do Grammy-Naras (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) desde 2006, membro votante da Los Angeles Jazz Society (único brasileiro) desde 2007, e também único brasileiro que é membro votante da Jazz Journalists Association (sediada em Nova Iorque) desde 2002. Atua como consultor e parecerista para diversas empresas, centros culturais e festivais de música no Brasil e no exterior.

Também foi membro honorário e primeiro membro brasileiro da Associação Internacional de Educadores de Jazz (IAJE – International Association of Jazz Educators) durante 12 anos, até sua extinção em 2008, tendo realizado palestras e "panel sessions" nas convenções anuais realizadas nos EUA. 

Fundador e Presidente da gravadora JSR (Jazz Station Records), sediada em Los Angeles – EUA desde 2001, uma divisão da Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting. Dirige também a JSR Casting e a LaCalifUSA Pictures, empresa de cinema que produz conteúdo e trilhas sonoras (composição, produção, seleção) para filmes e séries de TV. 

Produziu discos e sessões de gravação com artistas como Luiz Bonfá, João Gilberto, Dom Um Romão, João Donato, Palmyra & Levita, Mario Castro-Neves, Claudio Roditi, Gaudencio Thiago de Mello, Dexter Payne, Bjork, Rodrigo Lima, Don Sebesky, Hubert Laws, Fabio Fonseca, Marcos Ozzellin, Herbie Hancock, Jorge Pescara, Paula Faour, Anna Ly, Pascoal Meirelles, Yana Purim, Carlos Pingarilho, Nelson Angelo, Marcelo Salazar, Ithamara Koorax, Ron Carter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Steve Swallow, Herbie Hancock, Hugo Fattoruso, Larry Coryell, Sadao Watanabe, Jurgen Friedrich, Claus Ogerman, Gazzara, Eumir Deodato, Azymuth, Marcio Montarroyos, Sivuca, Laudir de Oliveira, Marcos Valle, David Matthews, Gene Bertoncini, John McLaughlin, Raul de Souza, Hermeto Pascoal, Jadir de Castro, Lew Soloff, George Young, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Alphonso Johnson e muitos outros. 

Como compositor e letrista, tem parcerias com Dave Brubeck (“Broadway Bossa Nova”), Francesco Gazzara (“O Passarinho”), Mamoru Morishita (“Hotaru”) e Fabio Fonseca (“Samba da Copa”, executado na cerimônia de abertura da Copa do Mundo de 2006). 

Produziu reedições de discos de Sergio Mendes, Flora Purim, Tamba Trio, Ivan Lins, Carlos Lyra, Miucha, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ron Carter, Idris Muhammad, Hank Crawford, Lonnie Smith, Johnny Hammond, Luiz Bonfá, Phil Upchurch, Tennyson Stephens, Eumir Deodato, Grant Green, Mario Castro-Neves, João Donato, Claus Ogerman, David Matthews, Esther Phillips, Joe Beck, Eric Gale e muitos outros.

Produziu as séries “A Trip To Brazil” (cujo Volume 1 chegou ao primeiro-lugar na parada de world-music na Europa em 1998, superando “Buena Vista Social Club”), “Brazilian Horizons”, “CTI: Acid Jazz Grooves”, “Jazz Club”, e retrospectivas - lançadas mundialmente entre 2006 e 2010 pelo selo Verve – das carreiras de Quincy Jones (“Summer In The City: The Soul-Jazz Groves of Quincy Jones”), Eumir Deodato (“Do It Again: The Fantastic Jazz Funk of Eumir Deodato”) e Chick Corea (“Electric Chick”).

Desde 1981, tem realizado, como free lancer, produção musical para diversas gravadoras, como RCA/BMG, Sony, Verve/PolyGram/Universal, CTI, King, Paddle Wheel, Pausa, Milestone/Fantasy, Warner/WEA, Motor Music, JVC/Victor, Sanyo, Movieplay, Imagem, Eldorado, CID, Alfa, RGE, Mr. Bongo, Terra Música, Blue Moon, Bomba, Cedar Tree, Treasure Trove, Irma, Vivid Sound, Motéma, e Huks Music, no Brasil, Europa, Estados Unidos, Japão, China, Taiwan e Coréia. 

Entre 1982 e 1984, atuou como assessor cultural do Serviço de Comunicação Social da Petrobras. Em 1983, criou, produziu e apresentou o programa "Jazz espetacular", transmitido pela Rádio Tupi FM. Em 1984, assumiu a responsabilidade da programação de bordo (musical e audiovisual) transmitida nos vôos internacionais da Varig, função que exerceu durante 14 anos. Também nesse período (1985 a 1987), participou da comissão de seleção do Free Jazz Festival. 

Escreveu textos de contracapa para discos de diversos artistas, como Toots Thielemans, Ella Fitzgerald, Eliane Elias, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jeff Kinsky, Paulo Bellinati e Carlos Barbosa Lima, entre outros. Assinou textos para divulgação ("press releases") de artistas como João Gilberto, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Pat Metheny, Bill Evans, Jimmy Smith, Elvin Jones, Stanley Turrentine e Tony Bennett.

Atuou como entrevistador - entre 1979 e 2018 - em depoimentos prestados para o Museu da Imagem e do Som (Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo) por João Donato, Stellinha Egg, Maestro Gaya, Eumir Deodato, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Carlos Barbosa Lima, Wanda Sá, Bebeto Castilho e Chico Batera, entre outros. Em 2001, recebeu o prêmio de International Man of The Year, concedido pelo International Biographical Centre, de Londres. Foi o primeiro brasileiro a receber essa premiação, oferecida anteriormente a apenas quatro outros produtores: Arif Mardin, Tommy LiPuma, Quincy Jones e Phil Ramone. Ainda nesse ano, a JSR (Jazz Station Records), de sua propriedade, foi considerada uma das cinco melhores gravadoras de jazz do mundo, em relação publicada na edição de dezembro da revista especializada norte-americana "Down Beat", premiação que se repetiu por quatro anos (7º lugar em 2003, 9º lugar em 2004, 5º lugar em 2005 e 6º lugar em 2006).  

Foi entrevistado em vários programas de TV, seriados (incluindo os documentários "Laurindo Almeida, Muito Prazer" exibido pelo canal GNT no Brasil, e "Bossa Nova Saúde, Saudade!" para FUJI Television Network no Japão) e filmes como o premiado "Beyond Ipanema", no qual foi entrevistado ao lado de Creed Taylor, Lalo Schifrin, Wayne Shorter, Gene Lees e Norman Gimbel. Depois de apresentado em diversos festivais de cinema nos Estados Unidos e Europa, "Beyond Ipanema" foi transformado em série de televisão transmitida em território brasileiro pela emissora Canal Brasil em 2014. 

Trabalhou como roteirista, consultor e entrevistador para o documentário "LA + Rio", em 2017, entrevistando nomes como Arthur Verocai, João Donato, Alex Malheiros (Azymuth), Wanda Sá, Chico Batera, Ricardo Silveira, Dori Caymmi, Hermeto Pascoal, Laudir de Oliveira, Raul de Souza, Marcos Valle e Cesar Camargo Mariano. É especialista também em gestão de carreira e gerenciamento artístico, tendo trabalhado em 2017 e início de 2018 com a cantora Zanna.

Também em 2018 escreveu a letra da música "Until We Meet Again" para o álbum "Mamoru Morishita Songbok" lançado no Japão pela Universal Music; produziu novos discos para Daniel Migliavacca, Jorge Pescara e Ithamara Koorax; fez o roteiro para o show de lançamento da caixa "A Mad Donato" (de João Donato) no Blue Note-Rio, e para os shows de Ithamara Koorax na Sala Baden Powell e no Blue Note-Rio; e criou/dirigiu a série "Discos Históricos da MPB" que incluiu shows de João Donato ("Quem É Quem") e Wanda Sá ("Vagamente") realizados na Sala Baden Powell-Rio de Janeiro. Ainda em 2018, foi também um dos entrevistadores da série "Depoimentos Para A Posteridade", realizada no Museu da Imagem do Som-RJ e focalizando as carreiras de nomes como Wanda Sá, Bebeto Castilho (Tamba Trio) e Chico Batera.

Jazz Station Records (JSR), a division of Jazz Station Enterprises
CEO & Founder · Los Angeles/Rio de Janeiro

            (Arnaldo DeSouteiro during a recording session in 2014)

"People are going to talk about you, especially when they envy you and the life you live. Let them. You affected their lives, they didn't affect yours... you will eventually lose someone you love & love someone you never thought you'd find..."

Arnaldo DeSouteiro - Short Bio

Music Producer (with over 530 albums to his credit according to the All Music Guide), Voting Member of NARAS-GRAMMY and Jazz Journalists Association (NY), Member of LAJS (Los Angeles Jazz Society), Musical Philosopher, Journalist, Jazz & Brazilian Music Historian, Publicist, Public Relations, Composer (having written successful jazz & pop songs, some dance hits like "O Passarinho" for the Italian TV reality show "La Pupa e Il Secchione", and "Samba da Copa" for the "2006 World Cup" in Germany, plus many other soundtracks for movies, soap operas & TV series in the USA, Europe and Asia), Lyricist (he wrote lyrics to Dave Brubeck's "Broadway Bossa Nova" at the invitation of Brubeck himself, among other songs), Arranger, Percussionist, Keyboardist, Programmer, Educator (conducting clinics and panel sessions worldwide as the first Brazilian member of IAJE-International Association of Jazz Educators during its existence). He has also acted as consultant for several companies and jazz festivals all over the world.

Founder and CEO of JSR (Jazz Station Records), a Division of Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting - LA, Calif. Most recently, founded LaCalifUSA Pictures and JSR Casting in 2007 for movie & TV productions featuring music & fashion.

Produced the acclaimed CD compilation series "A Trip To Brazil," "CTI Acid Jazz Grooves," "Brazilian Horizons," "Focus on Bossa Nova," "Focus on Brazilian Music Grooves", "Bossa Nova Singers," "Bossa Nova Guitar","Jazz Rock" etc.

Produced special compilations for Quincy Jones ("Summer in the City - The Soul Jazz Grooves of Quincy Jones"), Chick Corea ("Electric Chick") and Deodato ("Do It Again - The Fantastic Jazz-Funk of Eumir Deodato"), all released by Verve/Universal. His latest CD for Verve is "Bossa Nova USA," featuring Dave Brubeck's title track performed by Quincy Jones.

Supervised and/or Directed TV specials featuring João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Dizzy Gillespie, Chuck Mangione, Flora Purim & Airto Moreira, Dom Um Romão, Eliane Elias, Diana Krall, Eumir Deodato, Bjork et al. Worked with producers Creed Taylor, Yoichi Nakao, Susumu Morikawa, Matthias Kunnecke, and photographers Pete Turner, Victor Skrebneski, Robert Mappelthorpe, Duane Michals.

Mr. DeSouteiro has also worked in his native Brazil for TUPI-FM radio station (as musical programmer-DJ as well as hosting his own radio show, "Jazz Espetacular"), Manchete TV network (anchoring & supervising the "Terça Especial" series for which he interviewed such jazz giants as Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim etc), Globo TV network (screenplay, coordination and mix for the TV special "João Gilberto & Antonio Carlos Jobim - O Grande Encontro" in 1992, the last time these 2 geniuses performed together, plus the texts and screenplay for the "Minuto da Bossa" series), and as the jazz columnist for the "Tribuna da Imprensa" (Press Tribune) daily newspaper during 29 years (from 1979 to 2008). Before moving to the USA, he also worked as Brazilian correspondent of "Keyboard" magazine (from 1985 to 1994), as a free-lancer to Billboard, Cuadernos de Jazz, Swing Journal and International Music Magazine, and as entertainment-in-flight programmer for several airline companies like Varig Brazilian Airlines (from 1983 to 1998).

Produced over 530 albums and sessions featuring: Luiz Bonfa, João Gilberto, Dom Um Romão, Thiago de Mello, Dexter Payne, João Donato, Palmyra & Levita, Mario Castro-Neves, Jorge Pescara, Paula Faour, Fabio Fonseca, Claudio Roditi, Rodrigo Lima, Hermeto Pascoal, Ithamara Koorax, Don Sebesky, Sammy Figueroa, Bjork, Anna Ly, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Pascoal Meirelles, Yana Purim, Pingarilho, Nelson Angelo, Marcelo Salazar, Ron Carter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Steve Swallow, Herbie Hancock, Hugo Fattoruso, Larry Coryell, Sadao Watanabe, Jurgen Friedrich, Eloir de Moraes, Gazzara, Deodato, Jadir de Castro, Azymuth, Marcio Montarroyos, Sivuca, Laudir de Oliveira, Marcos Valle, Jay Berliner, George Young, David Matthews, Lew Soloff, Alphonso Johnson, Gene Bertoncini, John McLaughlin, Claus Ogerman, Raul de Souza, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and many others.

Produced and supervised CD reissues of albums by Ron Carter, Hank Crawford, Johnny Hammond, Sergio Mendes, Hubert Laws, Grant Green, Idris Muhammad, Joe Beck, Esther Phillips, Lonnie Smith, David Matthews & Whirlwind, Phil Upchurch, Tennyson Stephens, Miucha, Flora Purim, Carlos Lyra, Tamba Trio, Ivan Lins, Raul de Souza, Trio 3-D and many others. As annotator, he wrote liner notes and press releases for albums by Toots Thielemans, Hank Crawford, Stan Getz, Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Metheny, Eliane Elias, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Jeff Linsky and dozens of others for labels like RCA, CTI, Kudu, Milestone, Fantasy, Verve, Columbia, Irma, Alfa, JVC, Caju, Sonet, Paddle Wheel, JHO, Mercury, Imagem etc.

Worked as musical director and/or screenplay writer for concerts by Joao Gilberto, João Donato, Ithamara Koorax, Marcos Valle, Renato Piau, Deodato,  Bjork, Pingarilho, Wanda Sá, Rodrigo Lima, Antonio Carlos & Jocafi etc.

Mr. DeSouteiro also had the honor to be associated with some of the world's greatest photographers like Pete Turner (who did the cover photos for Rodrigo Lima's "Saga" and Jorge Pescara's "Grooves in the Temple," released on his own JSR label and featured on Turner's new book "The Color of Jazz"), Victor Skrebneski (the CD reissue of "Upchurch/Tennyson"), Bruce Weber (Esther Phillips' "For All We Know"), Robert Mappelthorpe ("Brazilian Horizons"), Alen MacWeeney, William Cadge, and Duane Michals (many of the CTI CDs) and so on.

He has appeared in several movies and TV series such as the Award Winning documentary movie "Beyond Ipanema," for which he was interviewed alongside Creed Taylor, Lalo Schifrin, Wayne Shorter, Gene Lees and Norman Gimbel. In 2017, he contributed to the "LA + Rio" documentary as screenplay writer, interviewer and consultant, interviewing such artists as Arthur Verocai, Cesar Camargo Mariano, Dori Caymmi, Hermeto Pascoal, Wanda Sá, João Donato, Laudir de Oliveira, Raul de Souza, Ricardo Silveira, Chico Batera, Alex Malheiros (Azymuth) and Marcos Valle. In 2018, worked with singer Zanna, wrote songs for Mamoru Morishita, directed concerts by João Donato, Wanda Sá and Ithamara Koorax, and produced new albums for Daniel Migliavacca, Ithamara Koorax and Jorge Pescara.

Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting, JSR Casting, LaCalifUSA Pictures
CEO & Founder: Arnaldo DeSouteiro

Jazz Station Records (JSR), a division of Jazz Station Enterprises
CEO & Founder · Los Angeles/Rio de Janeiro

(PLEASE, DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED MATERIAL; any unsolicited CD or promo packets will be returned. If you wish to submit material, please contact us through comments on this post or through Facebook. Thx!)

People are going to talk about you, especially when they envy you and the life you live. Let them. You affected their lives, they didn't affect yours... you will eventually lose someone you love & love someone you never thought you'd find... 

Alessandra Maestrini e Mirna Rubim: "O Som E A Sílaba" estréia dia 14 de Março no Rio!

COMÉDIA MUSICAL "O SOM E A SÍLABA" CHEGA PELA PRIMEIRA VEZ AO RIO DE JANEIRO E ESTREIA NO DIA 14 DE MARÇO NO TEATRO XP INVESTIMENTOS

O espetáculo faz curta temporada no Rio de Janeiro, de quinta a domingo, somente até o dia 21/04
Ingressos já estão à venda a partir de R$25

Um dos musicais nacionais mais celebrados e premiados chega pela primeira vez ao Rio de Janeiro. A partir desta quinta-feira, 14 de março, o público carioca poderá se divertir e se emocionar com a comédia musical “O Som e a Sílaba”, no Teatro XP Investimentos (Jockey Club Brasileiro). O espetáculo, vencedor de 5 estatuetas e com 23 indicações nas principais premiações do país, conta com texto e direção do genial Miguel Falabella e foi especialmente concebido para as divas Alessandra Maestrini e Mirna Rubim, duas das maiores vozes da atualidade.

Ingressos já estão à venda pela internet (www.eventim.com.br) e pela bilheteria oficial (sem taxa de conveniência - Teatro XP Investimentos, Av. Bartolomeu Mitre, 1110B – Leblon - deterça a domingo). “O Som e a Sílaba” é apresentado pelo Ministério da Cidadania e Porto Seguro, com realização da Maestrini Produções, conhecida por sempre deixar sua marca registrada de sensibilidade e bom humor em todos os projetos que realiza. Em sua essência, o slogan que retrata bastante o espetáculo: “porque a vida pode ser profundamente espirituosa!”

"O Som e a Sílaba" trata da relação entre Sarah Leighton (Maestrini) e Leonor Delise (Rubim), duas mulheres muito diferentes. A primeira, jovem e com dificuldades em se enquadrar na sociedade, porém completamente única, por conta do diagnóstico de Síndrome de Asperger. Sarah é uma Savant: possui um autismo altamente funcional que, por um lado, lhe permite habilidades em algumas áreas, entre elas números e música; e que, por outro, faz com que ela se comunique com o mundo de uma maneira inusitada, gerando situações hilárias. Já a segunda, uma diva internacional da ópera com mais de 50 anos que, por acasos da vida, se tornou professora de canto. Direta, elegante, refinada e aparentemente bem resolvida. Aparentemente.

“A maioria dos savants conhecidos é homem.” Diz Sarah. “Os homens querem ganhar em tudo sempre!” responde Leonor. “Nós estamos sendo cobradas até hoje por causa daquela maldita costela...”

Com diálogos e situações divertidas entre duas pessoas de universos tão distintos, acaba nascendo das diferenças uma cumplicidade; uma transforma a vida da outra, até que o público se pergunta: quem, de fato, está ensinando a quem?

"O Som e a Sílaba" celebra o mistério e a singularidade da mente humana, com um texto engraçado, comovente e cheio de afeto.

O belíssimo repertório inclui obras de Giacomo Puccini, Charles Gounod e Leo Delibes. Jóias como as árias Vissi D’Arte, da ópera "Tosca" (1899), Oh Mio Babbino Caro, da ópera "Gianni Schicchi" (1918), e Quando M’en Vo, de "La Bohème" (1896), de Puccini; Je Veux Vivre, de "Roméo et Juliette" (1867), de Gounod; e Duo de Fleurs, da ópera "Lakme" (1883), de Delibes.

Em torno dessa montagem, repleta de momentos extraordinários, reuniu-se uma equipe de categoria que constrói uma verdadeira pintura viva: o elegante cenário ficou nas mãos de Zezinho Santos e Turíbio Santos; a luz sensível de Wagner Freire complementa os premiados figurinos de Ligia Rocha e Marco Pacheco que, juntamente com o visagismo de Wilson Eliodoro, materializam os cativantes personagens do musical. O Som e a Sílaba conta com o design de som de Mario Jorge Andrade, que leva a experiência auditiva do espetáculo, com todos os números musicais cantados ao vivo pelas atrizes, para um novo patamar de excelência.

O espetáculo vem acumulando estatuetas e indicações nas principais premiações do país (Bibi Ferreira, Reverência, Aplauso, Broadway World Brazil Award, Prêmio Destaque Imprensa Digital, Prêmio Musical Cast):

Prêmios recebidos no total - 5
- 2 melhor roteiro original - Miguel Falabella
- 1 melhor direção - Miguel Falabella
- 1 melhor atriz - Alessandra Maestrini
- 1 melhor figurino - Lígia Rocha e Marco Pacheco

Indicações no total - 23
- 4 indicações a melhor produção / melhor musical / melhor musical brasileiro - Maestrini Produções
- 4 indicações a melhor texto - Miguel Falabella
- 5 indicações a melhor direção - Miguel Falabella
- 5 indicações a melhor atriz - Alessandra Maestrini
- 2 indicações a melhor elenco - Alessandra Maestrini e Mirna Rubim
- 1 indicação a melhor atriz coadjuvante - Mirna Rubim
- 1 indicação a melhor iluminação - Wagner Freire
- 1 indicação a melhor figurino - Lígia Rocha e Marco Pacheco

FICHA TÉCNICA

Texto e direção: Miguel Falabella
Elenco: Alessandra Maestrini e Mirna Rubim
Design de luz: Wagner Freire
Design de som: Mario Jorge Andrade
Figurinos: Ligia Rocha e Marco Pacheco
Visagismo: Wilson Eliodorio
Cenário: Zezinho Santos e Turíbio Santos

Produtora comercial: Carla Schvaitser
Direção de produção: Deco Gedeon
Direção de marketing: José Vinicius Toro
Assessoria de imprensa: Motisuki PR - Regis Motisuki e Vitor Deyrmandjian Rosalino e Nobre Assessoria - Aline Nobre e Lucas Pasin
Apresentação: Ministério da Cidadania e Porto Seguro
Realização: Maestrini Produções
***********
O SOM E A SÍLABA 

Temporada: de 14 de março a 21 de abril de 2019
Local: Teatro XP Investimentos 
Endereço: Jockey Club Brasileiro - Av. Bartolomeu Mitre, 1110B - Leblon, Rio de Janeiro
Sessões: Quinta a domingo
Datas e horários: Quinta a Sábados às 21h; Domingos às 20h; 
Classificação etária: 14 anos
Capacidade do teatro: 362 lugares + 2 PNE

BILHETERIA OFICIAL – SEM COBRANÇA DE TAXA DE CONVENIÊNCIA
Bilheteria Oficial do Teatro - Av. Bartolomeu Mitre, 1110B - Leblon, Rio de Janeiro
Telefone Bilheteria: (21) 3807-1110
Horários de funcionamento: terças, das 13h às 17h; quartas a sextas, das 17h às 21h; sábados, das 13h30 às 21h; e domingos, das 13h30 às 18h. Fechada às segundas.

R.I.P.: Jacques Loussier (1934-2019)

(born October 26, 1934 in Angers, France;
died 5 March 2019)

The French jazz pianist and composer, famous for a string of albums jazzyfying Bach, leading the Jacques Loussier Trio, passed away at the age of 84.

"Flora Purim & Airto Moreira Especial" on Manchete TV, written & presented by Arnaldo DeSouteiro

 Flora Purim's first concert in her native city, Rio de Janeiro, since when she had moved to the USA in 1967, took place at Canecão on August 28, 1986. She also performed two more concerts there, sharing the stage with her husband Airto Moreira, on August 29 & 30.

At the suggestion of Arnaldo DeSouteiro, the concerts were filmed for a TV special broadcasted on November 18, 1986 by Rede Manchete network. It was directed by Gregorio Rubin, with screenplay and interviews conducted by Arnaldo DeSouteiro, under general supervision of Mauricio Sherman.

The TV crew also included Gregorio Nogueira and Jacqueline Cantore (producers), Ilan Rawet (editor), Jorge Vasconcelos (director of cinematography), Sergio Marini (light director), and Carvalhinho (audio recordist).

Musicians: Flora Purim (vocals, percussion), Airto Moreira (drums, percussion, vocals), Marcos Silva (keyboards, arrangements), Gary Brown (electric bass), Celso Alberti (drums), Frank Colon (percussion), Ricardo Peixoto (electric guitar), Mary Fettig (tenor sax, flute), Jeff Elliot (trumpet) and François (trombone).

Fusion CD of the Month - "Shunzo Ohno: Dreamer"

Fusion CD of the Month
Shunzo Ohno: "Dreamer" (Pulsebeat Records SO 1004)
Rating: ***** (musical performance & sonic quality)

Produced by Shunzo Ohno
Co-Producers: Kazuko Ohno and Si Spiegel
Executive Producer: Pulse 21 Inc.
Engineers: Phil Magnotti, Dave Darlington & Danny Lapidus
Mastered by Dave Darlington
Artwork & Design: Léa Ono
Photos: Mike Esperanza

Featuring: Shunzo Ohno (trumpet), David Berkman (piano), Henry Hey, George Colligan (piano and keyboards), Buster Williams, Ed Howard, Ira Coleman, Dave Anderson (bass), Billy Kilson, Jerome Jennings, Thierry Arpino (drums), Cyro Baptista, Danny Shadownik (percussion), Ray Spiegel (tabla), Vic Juris, Paul Bollenbeck, John Hart (guitar), Sasha Ono, Jeanne LeBlanc (cello)

Considered one of the most influential trumpeters of our time, Shunzo Ohno  has played, recorded and toured with such renowned leaders as Gil Evans, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Art Blakey, and many others. Mr. Ohno has 16 recordings under his name as a leader and has appeared on over thirty more as a sideman. His fascinating life, with his triumph over illness and adversity, is the subject of a biography, "Trumpet of Hope" and a documentary film, "Trumpet of Glory." Fuji Television featured his story on the primetime show "Unbelievable." The documentary short, Never Defeated: The Shunzo Ohno Story, narrated by long-time friend, Buster Williams.

Born in Gifu, Japan, Shunzo began his musical passion at age 13 in his local public school. By age 19, Shunzo was the leading jazz trumpeter in Japan. Working as a composer and arranger, Shunzo's career hit high gear when he met  renowned bandleader Art Blakey. He toured with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, throughout the United States and settled in New York City in 1974 at Blakey's suggestion.

The compelling Latin energy in Shunzo's playing can be traced back to his tenure with the celebrated Machito and his Afro-Cuban Orchestra. He recorded the Grammy Award-winning album with Machito and His Salsa Big Band (1983), which feature his solos.

Shunzo then joined one of his most influential inspirations, master arranger and composer Gil Evans, becoming a key contributor on tours, club dates, and recordings, including the 1988 Grammy Award-winning "Live at Sweet Basil." Shunzo made a total of four recordings with Evans, who remained a lifelong mentor to him. Returning to Japan with Super Sounds, a group that included jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Larry Coryell broadened his experience.

In 1988, he was involved in a serious automobile accident in which his teeth and lips were permanently damaged. He remained undeterred by the long recovery process, and strengthened his resolve to find a new approach to his music. He renewed his vision in performances with Wayne Shorter and later, Buster Williams.

Adversity struck Shunzo again in 1996 when he was diagnosed with life-threatening throat cancer. For three years, he underwent radical treatments to control the disease and embarked on the difficult road to recovery. His refusal to allow personal struggles and seemingly insurmountable circumstances led Shunzo to create new developments in his art and unique voice.

Shunzo wrote and performed for the award winning documentary film for the Children's Rights organization titled "TreShawn." The Min On Concert Association, founded by Daisaku Ikeda, promotes the global exchange of musical culture and has awarded Shunzo the "Min On Award of Highest Honor" which reads in part:

Mr. Ohno, You have never given in to adversity, your inner conviction unassailable. Your love for the trumpet and the exquisite music it creates is unsurpassed, its message of hope and triumph radiating from the world of jazz in New York out towards the entire world, instilling listeners everywhere the strength to live.”

When the Great Tohoku Earthquake struck Northern Japan, Shunzo Ohno has dedicated his endeavors to the rebuilding efforts, focusing on reviving music programs, providing instruments and instruction.

Vocal Jazz CD of the Month - "Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron / The Dream Is You"

Vocal Jazz CD of the Month
Vanessa Rubin: "Sings Tadd Dameron / The Dream Is You" (Nibur Records NR 1001)
Rating: ***** (musical performance & sonic quality)

Produced by Vanessa Rubin
Directed & Co-Produced by Cecil Bridgewater
Recorded (May 18, 2017) & Mixed by Joe Marciano and Max Ross @ Systems Two Recording Studio (Brooklyn, NY)
Mastered by Max Ross
Graphics & Front Cover Photo: Christopher Drukker
Tadd Dameron's Photo: Val Wilmer
Liner Notes: Paul Combs

Arranged by Frank Foster, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Bobby Watson and Willie Smith
Featuring: Vanessa K. Rubin (vocals), John Cowherd (piano), Kenny Davis (bass), Carl Allen (drums), Eddie Allen (trumpet), Clifton Anderson (trombone), Patience Higgins (tenor sax), Bruce Williams (alto sax), Alex Harding (baritone sax)

For her first solo project in years, Vanessa Rubin turns her attention to the influential pianist, arranger and composer Tadd Dameron. A fellow Clevelander, Dameron was one of the most revered and distinctive voices in bebop who is often overlooked. With the release of "The Dream Is You," the acclaimed vocalist hopes to change that perception and shine a light on one of the most important voices in jazz history. "The Dream Is You" is the first all-vocal recording of Dameron’s music!

For this momentous occasion, Rubin assembled an impressive band of jazz luminaries including pianist John Cowherd, bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Carl Allen with trumpeter Eddie Allen, tenor saxophonist Patience Higgins, alto saxophonist Bruce Williams, trombonist Clifton Anderson and baritone saxophonist Alex Harding. Dameron contemporaries Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Frank Foster and Willie Smith, along with Bobby Watson, contributed the ingenious arrangements.

Tadd Dameron was one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Well ahead of the curve in the developments in jazz in the 1940s and 1950s, he was a friend and colleague of Kenny Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, and was involved in the formation of the ground-breaking Billy Eckstine Orchestra. His work in the 1940s anticipated developments in jazz in the late 1950s and 1960s. He was also a mentor to many musicians, including Miles Davis, Benny Golson, Billy Paul, Charlie Rouse, and Sarah Vaughan.

Having spent 25 years of her career including Dameron’s music in her touring repertoire, the songstress and storyteller is profoundly interpretive with each lyric on this recording- she tells the story of Tadd Dameron and what he means not only to her, but to the art of jazz. Rubin devoted significant time to unveiling the vast array of Dameron’s vocal catalog. She sought the help of institutions like The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ, Juilliard School of Music and Lincoln Center in NYC, researched at The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and drew from both his autobiographies.

In addition to consulting with her arrangers, veteran musicians knowledgeable of Tadd and his music were also very insightful.  Notable were music publisher and trumpeter Don Sickler, author and tenor player Paul Combs, bassist Bill Lee, alto player Willie Smith from Cleveland and former jazz radio host and drummer Kenny Washington.  “I discovered rare gems and was inspired by Tadd’s uncanny ability to write a beautiful melody and wrote words to one of his tunes that had no lyric,” said Vanessa.

Each of the arrangements heard on "The Dream is You" were especially commissioned  for this project. Benny Golson, who penned both forwards in two books about Tadd, also scored the “If You Could See Me Now”, and considered his time riding in Tadd’s car when they were working with “Bull Moose” Jackson his “graduate school”. “Lady Bird”, “Weekend” and “You’re A Joy”  were arranged by Frank Foster, who learned the essentials of arranging by listening to Tadd’s recordings from the late 1940s.

Jimmy Heath spent time discussing music with Tadd when he would visit with their mutual friend Doc West. He scored  “On A Misty Night”, and we also enjoy the clever lyric of Georgie Fame on the haunting gem “Whatever Possess’d Me” (previously "sung" by tenor sax master Stanley Turrentine), “I Think I’ll Go Away”, and “Reveries Do Come True”, a/k/a “The Dream Is You”.

Tadd’s classic “Good Bait” was arranged by Willie “Face” Smith, an old Cleveland friend and colleague who was perhaps the closest to Tadd. The fifth arranger, Bobby Watson, despite coming on the scene after Dameron had passed, provides a lyrical chart of “Never Been In Love” that fits beautifully with the others.

Seven of the songs presented here have lyrics as intended.  The other five have had lyrics added, and in all but one case the original titles give the lyricist a strong suggestion to go by. Included in this second group is Vanessa’s lyric for “The Dream Is You”, which Tadd wrote for a Milt Jackson album, and Vanessa retitled “Reveries Do Come True”. Her title and lyric for this beautiful melody expresses her vision of expanding the vocal library for singers by highlighting Tadd’s music, and hoping for greater awareness of this great American musician’s contribution to our rich musical heritage.

Vanessa Rubin first took the world by storm with "Soul Eyes," her 1992 debut for Novus/RCA Records. Vanessa’s output for RCA in the 1990’s was outstanding; she released four more albums for the label including "Pastiche" (1993), her Carmen McRae tribute "I’m Glad There Is You" (1994), "Vanessa Rubin Sings" (1995) and "New Horizons" (1997). She subsequently released two more albums on Telarc: "Language of Love" (1999) and "Girl Talk" (2001).

Over the next decade, Rubin maintained an active touring schedule and her live shows garnered major accolades. She ventured into acting with her well-received one woman show “Yesterdays: An Evening With Billie Holiday”, written by Renee Upchurch and directed by Mr. Woodie King Jr. In 2011, she was nominated for a Kevin Klein Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. Two years later, Vanessa teamed up with renowned saxophonist Don Braden for "Full Circle," released on Braden’s label Creative Perspective Music.

Vanessa Rubin is thrilled to present this deeply personal and historically significant project to the world. “I have been walking with Tadd for many years. And he never let me go,” she said. So many years in the making, "The Dream Is You" is a landmark recording for Rubin and solidifies her standing as one of the great jazz vocalists of our time. Let's wait for a Grammy!

Instrumental Jazz CD of the Month - "Håkan Rydin: Melodies..."

Instrumental Jazz CD of the Month
Håkan Rydin: "Melodies..." (AdOpen 18-002, 2-CD set)
Rating: **** (musical performance & sonic quality) 

Produced by Nguyen Manh & Ulf Radelius
Recorded @ VNAM Concert Hall (Vanoi, Vietman) on August 11-13, 2018
Engineers: Trân Hai Dang and Nduguyên Van Thauan (assistant)
Mixing & Mastering: David Carlsson @ Gula Studion (Malmo, Sweden)
Cover Design: Henry Stahle
Photo: Nguyen Tuan Anh

I've been listening a lot to this beautiful 2-CD set. Great originals and inspired renditions of Herbie Hancock's "Chan's Song" (from the "'Round Midnight" original soundtrack), "You're My Everything" (Harry Warren is one of my favorite composers, an underrated master), Sammy Fain's "A Certain Smile" (so good that Rydin rediscovered this lost gem recorded by Astrud Gilberto in 1965 on her Verve album with Walter Wanderley), Johnny Mandel's "Emily" and The Beatles' "Here, There And Everywhere." Rydin's performance is extremely elegant, focused, goes to the essence of the songs.

Håkan Rydin was an original member of the legendary Swedish group Nexus. The group performed, during 20 years, more than 1000 concerts in many parts of the world. Håkan Rydin played in Nexus until the group was dissolved in 1994. At that time he had already begun his longtime collaboration with American singer Kim Parker (daughter of Charlie Parker) and together they have toured all over the world. Shortly after Nexus was dissolved, he put his trio together with Hans Andersson and Mårgan Höglund. Their first CD "Beautiful Friendship" on Four Leaf Records (1996 - FLC CD 146), was very well appreciated and released in more than 10 countries.

In great demand as a pianist, Håkan Rydin has performed with Thad Jones, Pepper Adams, Red Mitchell, Etta Cameron, Enrico Rava, Tim Hagans, Georgie Fame, David Liebman and Swedish jazz artists Jan Allan, Arne Domnérus, Helge Albin, Anders Bergcrantz, Christer Boustedt, Bernt Rosengren and Svante Thuresson.

Edmonton Journal (Canada) described Håkan Rydin's style as "lyrical and cooking".

In 2005, the trio CD "Tender Silhouette", recorded in Sun Studio in Copenhagen, was released on the Japanese label Marshmallow Records. The CD got 4 stars in the Japanese jazz bible Swing Journal, and also received very good reviews in Sweden. The CD "A Splendored Thing" (Sittel SITCD 9313), with a tentet, was released in 2007.

In 2019 the double CD solo piano titled ”Melodies…” (AdOpen18-002) is being released. CD1 is sub-titled ”Original, and more” and CD2 is called ”Standards, and more”. It was recorded in the VNAM concert hall in Hanoi.

Since April 2013, Håkan Rydin is Professor of Jazz Piano at the Malmö Academy of Music (Lund University). This man surely has  lot to teach to his students as well as to jazz listeners eager to find original voices in this universal music idiom.

R.I.P.: Andre Previn (1929-2019)

(born April 6, 1929 in Berlin, Germany;
died on February 28, 2019 in New York, NY, USA)

R.I.P.: Four-time Oscar-winning artist André Previn, aged 89. Legendary jazz pianist -- having played often with Shelly Manne, Leroy Vinnegar, Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan, Herb Ellis, Mundell Lowe, and Barney Kessel during the cool-jazz era, as well as with Benny Carter, Dinah Shore, J.J. Johnson, Doris Day, Helen Humes, Ray Brown, Benny Goodman, Pete Rugolo, Dinah Washington, Julie Andrews, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, David Finck, Niels Pedersen, Wynton Marsalis and Ella Fitzgerald --, pop songwriter (who wrote such soundtracks as "Valley Of The Dolls"), classical composer and conductor.

Previn won 4 Oscars and 10 Grammy awards. He was married to Betty Bennett (1952-1957), Dory Langdon (1959-1969), Mia Farrow (1970-1979), Heather Hales (1982-1999), Anne-Sophie Mutter (2002-2006). As a classical conductor, Previn developed a long association with the London Symphony Orchestra, often doing crossover projects with such singers as Kiri Te Kanawa and Kathleen Battle.

R.I.P.: Ed Bickert (1932-2019)

(born Edward Isaac Bickert on November 29, 1932 in Hochfeld, Manitoba, Canada;
died February 28, 2019, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

R.I.P.: Ed Bickert, aged 86, all-time greatest Canadian guitarist. Besides many albums as a leader, Bickert recorded memorable sessions with Paul Desmond (most notably the "Pure Desmond" album for CTI and "Live" for the Horizon label), Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass big band, Moe Koffman, Gene Lees, Oscar Peterson, Don Thompson, Pete Aplleyard, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Rosolino, Bill Mays, Ernestine Anderson, The Hi-Lo's and many others. I used to call him "the Canadian Jim Hall!" 🎸Rest in Peace.

R.I.P.: Dino Rangel (1964-2019)

(born on April 6, 1964 in Niteroi, RJ;
died on February 27, 2019 in Niteroi, RJ)

Great Brazilian guitarist and composer, with whom I had the honor to work in several projects during the 2000s, when he toured extensively with Ithamara Koorax, recorded with Jorge Pescara and became a member of the JSR All Stars band.

Dino Rangel also played with Ednardo, Baby do Brazil, Marvio Ciribelli, Marcio Bahia, Per Olav Kobberstad, Zé Canuto, Jorge Pescara and many others.