R.I.P.: Mario Castro-Neves (1935-2020)

R.I.P.: Mario Castro-Neves -- a brilliant Brazilian pianist, arranger, composer and band-leader born in Rio de Janeiro on November 12, 1935 -- just passed away this afternoon, May 4, 2020 in his home in Plainsboro, New Jersey, USA. I had the honor to work with him in several occasions, having produced his last album, "On A Clear Bossa Day," recorded for my JSR label in 2004.

Mario dedicated to me a song titled "Someday," that he recorded with Ithamara Koorax on her "Love Dance" album for JSR/Milestone Records. That led to sold-out performances at both Mistura Fina and Partitura jazz clubs in Rio.

I have also produced (in 2001) the first official CD reissues in Brazil and abroad of his debut album as a leader, "Mario Castro-Neves & Samba S.A.", recorded for RCA in 1967. Besides other brilliant solo albums for Decca and CTL labels, Mario worked with Tito Madi, Wilson Simonal, Elza Soares, Tony Camillo, Angel Sessions, L.J. Reynolds, Carmen McRae and Pat Martino, had his songs recorded by Doris Monteiro and Rosa Maria, did albums with groups like Musicanossa and Turma da Pilantragem, formed his combo Jovem Brasa (an amazing fusion of bossa nova and the Brazilian rock style known as "jovem guarda"), and led his own orchestras in England and Canada (two countries on which he lived for many years before relocating to the USA), where he was a teacher at the Princeton University during the 80s. In that same decade, he led his jazz quintet Subtle Chemistry.

During the 90s he concentrated on his work as producer and keyboard programmer at TC Studios in Hillsboro, New Jersey, recording for the Volt label with soul music, funk and hip hop artists such as Angel Sessions, L.J. Reynolds, The Dramatics and rapper Kenne Davis.

Mario was the older brother of guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, bassist Iko, drummer Leo, clarinetist Zeca (all deceased) and singer Pepê Castro-Neves.

I was introduced to Mario's unique style through radio DJ Simon Khoury who gave a lot of airplay to a track, "Helena And I", from his 1973 album "Brazilian Mood," produced by Franlyn Boyd for Decca Records. Three decades later, I was able not only to include that same recording of "Helena & I" on a compilation I produced for Verve ("A Trip To Brazil Vol.2: Bossa & Beyond") as well as to record a new version of that stunning song for "On A Clear Bossa Day." Another highlight of his final album was "Mamadeira Atonal," an iconic song written in 1955 with Ronaldo Boscoli.

Among the members of Mario's Samba S.A. bands were Novelli, Normando, Thais do Amaral, Biba, Manuel Gusmão, Cesar Machado, Ithamara Koorax and Ana Zinger. He also played with Paula Faour, Jorge Pescara, Enio Santos, Cesar Machado, Memo Acevedo, Ken Ramm and Gary Morgan.

As I wrote on the notes for the "On A Clear Bossa Day" CD: "His superb orchestrations on that masterpiece album Brazilian Mood would be enough to place Mario Castro-Neves among the best arrangers in the music history, alongside Sebesky, Ogerman, Mancini, Legrand, Schifrin, Mandel, Gil Evans, Deodato and Gaya."

He is survived by his wife Mara, one brother (Pepê), one sister (Maria Lina), two daughters (Lili and Andrea), and one son (Mario Castro-Neves Filho).
My condolences to all his family.
******
Gênio que antecipou e transcendeu a bossa-nova, Mario Castro-Neves – o brilhante pianista, arranjador, compositor e band-leader nascido no Rio de Janeiro em 12 de novembro de 1935 – faleceu nesta tarde, 4 de maio de 2020, em sua casa em Plainsboro, Nova Jersey (EUA), aos 84 anos. Tive a honra de trabalhar com ele em várias ocasiões, tendo produzido seu último álbum, “On A Clear Bossa Day”, registrado para minha gravadora JSR em 2004.

Mario me dedicou uma música intitulada “Someday”, que ele gravou em 2002 com Ithamara Koorax no álbum “Love Dance,” lançado pela Milestone Records. Por conta do sucesso da música, Mario realizou apresentações com lotação esgotada, ao lado da cantora, nas casas noturnas Mistura Fina e Partitura, no Rio.

Também produzi (em 2001, para a BMG) o primeiro relançamento oficial em CD, no Brasil e no exterior, de seu álbum de estréia como líder, “Mario Castro-Neves & Samba SA”, gravado para a RCA em 1967, com brilhantes recriações de músicas de Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Donato, Moacir Santos, Dorival Caymmi e Chico Buarque. Incluí algumas dessas faixas nas compilações “Focus On Bossa Nova” e “Focus On Brazilian Music Grooves”, lançadas na Europa e Japão. "Candomblé", de Danilo Caymmi & Edmundo Souto, tornou-se um grande sucesso nas pistas de dança na Europa.

Além de outros brilhantes álbuns para os selos Decca e Canadian Talent Library, Mario trabalhou com Tito Madi, Elza Soares, Wilson Simonal, Tony Camillo, Carmen McRae e Pat Martino, teve músicas gravadas por Doris Monteiro, Rosa Maria e Ithamara Koorax, lançou discos com grupos como Musicanossa e Turma da Pilantragem, criou a banda Jovem Brasa (dedicada à uma inusitada fusão entre Jovem Guarda e Bossa Nova), e ainda formou suas próprias orquestras na Inglaterra e no Canadá, dois países em que viveu antes de se mudar para os EUA em 1977, onde lecionou na Universidade de Princeton. Sua gravação de “Summersoft” (Stevie Wonder) ganhou o status de cult-hit na cena internacional do acid-jazz.

Tornei-me, aos 10 anos de idade, um grande fã do estilo único de Mario graças ao radialista Simon Khoury, que tocava bastante na JB-AM a faixa “Helena And I”, do álbum “Brazilian Mood” (1973). Três décadas depois, pude não apenas incluir a mesma fascinante gravação de “Helena And I” em uma compilação que produzi para Verve (“A Trip To Brazil Vol.2: Bossa & Beyond”), bem como gravar uma nova versão daquele tema sofisticadíssimo para o álbum “On A Clear Bossa Day”.
Outro destaque daquele que agora se tornou seu último CD foi “Mamadeira Atonal”, uma música icônica escrita em 1955 com Ronaldo Bôscoli e que absurdamente permaneceu inédita em disco até 2004.

Entre os membros de seu lendário grupo Samba S.A. estavam Novelli, Normando, Thais do Amaral, Biba (na primeira formação), Manuel Gusmão, Cesar Machado, Ithamara Koorax e Ana Zinger. Também tocou com Paula Faour, Jorge Pescara, Enio Santos, Memo Acevedo, Gary Morgan e Pat Martino. No final dos anos 90, enveredou pelo funk e hip-hop, gravando para o selo Volt com Angel Sessions, L.J. Reynolds, o grupo The Dramatics e o rapper Kenne Davis.

Como escrevi no encarte do CD “On A Clear Bossa Day”: “Seu excelente trabalho de orquestração no álbum Brazilian Mood seria suficientes para colocar Mario Castro-Neves entre os melhores arranjadores da história da música, ao lado de Sebesky, Ogerman, Mancini, Legrand, Schifrin, Mandel, Gil Evans, Deodato e Gaya.

Mario era o irmão mais velho do violonista Oscar Castro-Neves, do baixista Iko, do baterista Leo, do clarinetista Zeca (todos já falecidos) e do cantor Pepê Castro-Neves.
Ele deixa sua esposa Mara, seus irmãos Pepê e Maria Lina, suas filhas Lili e Andrea, e seu filho Mario Castro-Neves Filho.

Latin Jazz & Big Band CD of the Month - "Spanish Harlem Orchestra: The Latin Jazz Project"

Latin Jazz & Big Band CD of the Month
Spanish Harlem Orchestra: "The Latin Jazz Project" (ArtistShare)
Rating: *****

A splendid CD already destined to appear in the Jazz Station list of "best albums of the year"! Flawless sonic quality and a gorgeous artwork too.

Multi-GRAMMY® Award Winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra expands their repertoire with the release of The Latin Jazz Project, due out on ArtistShare on May 22, 2020. After flashing glimpses of their Latin Jazz prowess over the course of their previous six recordings, SHO goes ‘all in’ on The Latin Jazz Project, their first full length Latin jazz release. A litany of top-tier jazz artists join the ensemble as featured guests soloists: Kurt Elling, Miguel Zenon, Tom Harrell, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Joe Locke, and others. This is a fan-funded project through ArtistShare.

For the past 17 years, Spanish Harlem Orchestra has earned their reputation as today’s premier salsa ensemble. Considered “the leading light of the salsa reconstruction movement” (Newsday), SHO has released six critically acclaimed albums including Anniversary (Artist Share), which most recently won the GRAMMY® Award for Best Tropical Latin Album. They have performed on the world’s top stages and at nearly every major jazz festival including those in Newport, Montreal, and Monterey. Especially through their live performances, SHO has successfully built a bridge between Latin and jazz music, evidenced by their countless standing ovations at festivals and critical acclaim from the press. The Latin Jazz Project builds upon that legacy and brings SHO full circle into the Latin jazz arena.

The Latin Jazz Project is a natural progression for Spanish Harlem Orchestra. For starters, SHO Artistic Director Oscar Hernández is considered one of the most important Latin jazz pianists of his generation. His storied career extends back four decades and includes performances and recordings with an impressive list of Latin music greats including Tito Puente, Machito, Celia Cruz, Conjunto Libre, and Willie Colon, among others. Hernández spent six years playing with Ray Barreto and appeared on five of his recordings including the seminal Rican/Struction. Hernández then went on to join Ruben Blades’ Seis Del Solar band and eventually became his Musical Director, charting the musical course for the salsa legend. Hernández soon became the Musical Director for Paul Simon as well as the orchestrator and arranger for Gloria Estefan.

As a leader, Hernández has released two Latin jazz albums with Origin records: The Art of Latin Jazz (2017) and Love The Moment (2019), which went on to receive four stars by Downbeat Magazine. Now, Hernández has melded his Latin jazz expertise with Spanish Harlem Orchestra’s signature salsa dura sound to produce an instant classic in The Latin Jazz Project, the ensemble’s first all-Latin jazz recording. “We have always been steeped in the tradition of Latin jazz,” says Hernández, adding, “…it makes sense for us to finally get to this point. I couldn’t be more proud of this project and this band.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra has long collaborated with jazz greats; in 2015, Chick Corea and Joe Lovano appeared on their self-titled release and Anniversary featured a guest appearance by Randy Brecker. The tradition continues on The Latin Jazz Project, which features an impressive cadre of jazz elite including Miguel Zenon and Kurt Elling (“Invitation”), Bob Mintzer (“Bobo”), Bob Franceschini (“Acid Rain”), Tom Harrell (“Los Palmas”), Jimmy Haslip and Dave Liebman (“Silent Prayers”). Jonathan Powell (“Round Midnight”), Michael Rodrigeuz (“Fort Apache”), and Joe Locke (“Latin Perspective”).

The Latin Jazz Project presents a new side to Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Co-producer and trombonist Doug Beavers says: “…we really wanted to present SHO in a different light with this project- that of a world-class ensemble that can go toe-to-toe with any renowned jazz ensemble or jazz orchestra in the world.  For this, we thought the vehicle of Latin Jazz gave us the best medium to explore how different jazz masters would mesh with the orchestra and explore the idiom.The results came out very natural sounding and exciting, as if these jazz greats had been performing with SHO for years.”

With The Latin Jazz Project, Spanish Harlem Orchestra adds to an impressive discography that showcases a dynamic music legacy built by their previous six releases. These recordings have garnered five GRAMMY®  nominations and three wins (in 2004 for sophomore album Across 110th Street, in 2010 for Viva La Tradicion, and as noted, last year for Anniversary).

Classical CD of the Month - "Anna-Lena Laurin: Shards of Time"

Classical CD of the Month
Anna-Lena Laurin: "Shards of Time" (Vanguard Music Boulevard VMBCD136)
Rating: *****

Featuring: Gitta-Marie Sjöberg (soprano), Olle Persson and Aleksander Nohr (baritone), Maria Carlsson (mezzo soprano), Mats Jansson, Irin Emeliantseva, Francisca Skoogh and Martin Sturfält (piano)
Cover Photo and Art Direction: Michael De Pasquale
Graphic Design: Alexandra Liljebladh

The brilliant Swedish composer, pianist and conductor Anna-Lena Laurin belongs to the new pantheon of contemporary classical music. Her symphonic and chamber works are extremely originals in aesthetic and content. This new album represents a new chapter on her outstanding career. It includes some lyrical works for voice and piano ("Men Improve With The Years," "Gud Ar Inte Stum," "Sanger I Vinden," "Ser Du...") that are the most fascinating on that genre since Claus Ogerman's "Tagore Lieder." The solo piano pieces ("Wind," "Piece To Irina" and "Shards of Time") are no less impressive, always adventurous in concept and form, performed by the different soloists with dazzling authority. Superb sound quality and artwork too.

Vocal Jazz CD of the Month - "Karina Corradini: Bridge To Infinity"

Vocal Jazz CD of the Month
Karina Corradini: "Bridge to Infinity - Tribute to Zane Musa" (self-produced)
Rating: ****

‘Bridge To Infinity’ is the recording debut of Karina Corradini, a very talented and versatile singer who is equally skilled at straight ahead jazz, ballads, boleros and Latin American classics. Her beautiful tone, powerful voice, highly appealing jazz phrasing, ability to scat at even the fastest tempos, and warmth when caressing ballads make her one of the most promising singers on the jazz and Latin jazz scenes today.

Karina Corradini was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, one hour away from downtown Buenos Aires. As a child, Karina listened to her parents' tangos, and sister's Beatles before she discovered Brazilian music in her pre-teens. “I started to pay attention to what was called ‘Tropicalismo’ and was crazy for Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Djavan, and Gal Costa. A bit later, I discovered my all-time favorite, Elis Regina, and the bossa nova masters. In my teens, I was fully into Van Halen, Sade, Stevie Wonder, Aretha, and all the current  80's rock music. I integrated everything. Growing up in South America, I was exposed to a lot of different rhythms: tango, salsa, southamerican folklore, boleros, and the whole Northamerican spectrum of music that enriched my musical world. Through my parent's music, I also listened to Louis Armstrong and to Nat King Cole's latin album that really called my attention with his sweet American accent as he sang latino tunes. When I was 16 years old, I met a group of young musicians who introduced me to jazz through Pat Metheny, Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin, and Al DiMeola.  Right there I started to realized  that music was a call for me. I was very much into the mystic music of Egberto Gismonti and Lyle Mays as well.  But then, after discovering  Ella Fitzgerald, I realized that that was the music I wanted to sing, and if I only could sing a little like Ella, my purpose in life would be totally fulfilled. So, I started to study voice lessons with Liana Lecuona, an opera singer from The Colón Theater ( Like La Scala of Buenos Aires)".

She began singing professionally when she was only 18 year old, leading her own jazz sextet, ‘Karina Corradini and the Summer Band,’ which performed at the beach, bars and restaurants during the summer. When the summer season ended, she sang on Corrientes Avenue in Buenos Aires, including a twice a week engagement for two years that often ended up as a jam session with veteran musicians. Karina worked at many venues (including the Teatro Coliseo, Jazz Club de la Plaza, the Thelonious Bar and Clasica y Moderna), and also twice toured Southern Brazil with her group. By the time she decided to move to the United States in 1999, she was among the busiest jazz singers in Buenos Aires. Even now, when she returns to Argentina each year to visit family, she is always welcomed to perform at major jazz clubs.

“I moved to Los Angeles to learn Ella Fitzgerald’s language, and to study music in the land of jazz.” Karina attended Rhiannon’s workshop three times, seminars by Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy and Kevin Mahogany, and studied music at Los Angeles City College and art El Camino College. After performing with a rhythm and blues band for a year, she formed her own jazz group and has since performed at a countless number of clubs, restaurants, concerts and festivals, mostly in Southern California.

The story behind the release of ‘Bridge To Infinity’ includes a lot of highs and lows for the singer. The first high, no doubt, was “One of the first people who I mentioned my idea to was my dear friend Christian McBride. He not only got excited for me but also wanted to be part of the project!” The great bassist—who would become the album’s producer and main arranger—was not immediately available, so Karina recorded six songs on a demo with pianist Mahesh Balasooriya, bassist Rene Camacho and drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith. She used the arrangements of Eric Bulling—who had been the writer for the Ella Fitzgerald album Ella Abraça Jobim. The results were so rewarding that those performances are also included on the CD.

When Corradini and McBride finally got together in the studio with tenor and alto saxophonist Zane Musa, trumpeter Nolan Shaheed, pianist Mahesh Balasooriya, drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, and percussionist Munyungo Jackson, the other nine songs were completed in just two days. “It felt like a big party and was fun all of the time. All of those musicians are incredibly talented. But just as important to me, all of them have warmth, are non-judgmental, have an open minded vibe, and have a great deal of humanity.”

The wide-ranging program includes swinging standards (“You Turned The Tables On Me,” “Until I Met You,” and “Lover Come Back To Me”), boleros (“What A Difference A Day Makes” and “Tu Mi Delirio”), a tribute to Elis Regina (through Baden Powell/Paulo Cesar Pinheiro's “Cai Dentro”), samba (Pedro Caetano's "É Com Esse Que Eu vou," Dorival Caymmi's "Doralice") and bossa-nova classics (Carlos Lyra/Vinicius de Moraes' “Você E Eu” and Marcos Valle/Paulo Sergio Valle's "Preciso Aprender A Ser Só"), and romantic ballads (“I Could Have Told You” and “If You Went Away”).

Karina had one of her mentors, pianist Howlett “Smitty” Smith, guest on his original “When The Time Is Right,” and guitarist Barry Zweig is on two numbers including the uptempo “I’m Gonna Lock My Heart And Throw Away The Key.” Throughout the set, Karina’s singing is both inventive and beautiful while Zane Musa’s contributions consistently uplift the music.

Unforeseen developments and tragedies resulted in the release of ‘Bridge To Infinity’ being stalled until now. Karina caught a serious fungus, Systemic Candidiasis, that resulted in her being ill for three years until, through research and the help of a nutritionist, she cured herself. In 2015, her close friend Zane Musa died in an accident. And Karina later fell down a flight of stairs in Argentina, breaking a wrist and suffering from chronic pain syndrome for a year. Fortunately she is now fully recovered and quite active on the music scene.

“After all of that, 2018 is finally my year. I cannot believe that the project is finished and now everyone can hear it. I hope listeners really enjoy it. It is dedicated to the genius of Zane Musa.” While Karina recorded a demo with the Tom Garvin Trio in 2001 (which made it possible for her to be hired for many jobs) and an unreleased CD in 2005 that included her good friend the late bassist Jorge Pasquali, ‘Bridge To Infinity’ is her first recording to be released to the general public. Finally listeners who live far beyond Southern California will get to appreciate her wonderful voice, musical talents and ability to make every song sound as if it was written for her.

Instrumental Jazz CD of the Month - "Richie Goods: My Left Hand Man"

Instrumental Jazz CD of the Month
Richie Goods & The Goods Project: "My Left Hand Man - A Tribute to Mulgrew Miller" 
Rating: *****

The consummate bassist’s third album as a bandleader, "My Left Hand Man," is a tribute to Goods’ late mentor Mulgrew Miller. Over the course of ten fresh takes of ten compositions by jazz luminary Miller , Goods achieves a clean, cohesive and unified sound wrought with thoughtful interplay from this large ensemble thanks to his mindful arrangements and the talented personnel that he carefully selected.

The album features Goods on acoustic and electric bass, along with Lil John Roberts on the drums. Mulgrew’s vacant piano bench is shared on this tribute by two remarkable pianists, Shedrick Mitchell and Mike King.  The release features the guitarwork of Tariqh Akoni and David Rosenthal.  A slew of notable artists make guest appearances on this release, including vocalist Jean Baylor, vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu, percussionist Danny Sadownick among others. Richie will be performing in Washington DC, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia to support this release.

According to Goods, “Mulgrew is the person that really put me on the scene and helped me establish a name for myself. It was a real learning experience playing with him.”  The bassist toured and recorded with Miller for nine fruitful years. Goods’ tenure with Miller spurred a career that would eventually see the bass player performing with the likes of Alicia Keys, Common, Chris Botti, Whitney Houston and the Headhunters to name a few.  As Goods recalls, “Mulgrew would often introduce me as his left hand man because the left hand on the piano is the hand that plays the bass, so I acted as his left hand man.”  Thus spurred the name for this release.

Through his funk and R&B infused arrangements of Miller’s tunes, Goods aims to bring these compositions into the present day and educate listeners about the late pianist’s eclectic tastes and musical versatility. “[Mulgrew] was one of the most nonjudgmental, beautiful people I have ever known,” Goods remarks, “He was also a special kind of musician that had a very open mind, more open than a lot of people knew. Although people thought of Mulgrew as only a ‘straight-ahead’ jazz player, he used to play gospel music as well as R&B.”  On My Left Hand Man, There’s a successful updating, or contemporary sensibility here that lifts Mulgrew Miller’s enduring, sturdy compositions into the modern milieu with absolutely no sense of pandering or diluting of the late pianist’s original compositional intent.

The first track on My Left Hand Man, “Eastern Joy Dance” sets the tone for the release.  Departing from the tune’s traditional clave, this arrangement celebrates the marriage of jazz and funk with a driving groove adorned with bright guitar comping and the cohesion of the steadfast rhythm section made up of Goods and drummer Lil John Roberts, which can undoubtedly be referred to as ‘in the pocket’!  The ensemble takes turns masterfully improvising over the harmony laid out by composer Mulgrew Miller. “Second Thoughts” tells a more sensual tale.  The guitar melody, doubled by Jean Baylor’s stunning voice, gently floats over the tender musings of a fender rhodes.  The laid-back, contemplative track “The Sage” features a beautifully lyrical solo from bandleader Richie Goods performed on the upright bass.

“Song For Darnell” is a fine feature for guitarist David Rosenthal, someone Goods has come to rely on for his varietal approach.  The track features a stellar string arrangement by jazz messenger Geoff Keezer with Felix Umansky on the cello and Amy Schroeder on violin and viola.  The string arrangement of this piece adds a cinematic quality to amplify the haunting refrains of Mulgrew’s composition for his son.                           

“The idea of a Mulgrew Miller tribute record was actually my mom’s suggestion, remarked the bassist,  “I thought about it and at first I didn’t think it would fit into what I do with my band, but then I started listening to a ton of Mulgrew Miller music and realized there was so much of his music that would fit into what I do with my band if I just tweak some of the grooves.” And tweak he does, though never losing focus of Mulgrew Miller’s deeply sophisticated, original musical intent.

Music is the fulfillment of Richie’s destiny – it’s in his DNA. The youngest person ever inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame, bassist Richie Goods got an early start playing in church and clubs while still attending Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts High School. After graduating from the prestigious jazz program at Berklee College of Music, Richie moved to New York City, where he studied under jazz legends Ron Carter and Ray Brown. ​

Richie credits jazz luminary Mulgrew Miller for helping him hone his jazz skills early in his career. Richie toured and recorded with Mulgrew for nine years. That opportunity brought Richie to the attention of many in the jazz community and afforded him the opportunity to record and tour with a variety of jazz and popular artists ranging from the Headhunters, Lenny White, Louis Hayes and the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band, Milt Jackson, Russell Malone, Vincent Herring, the Manhattan Transfer and Walter Beasley to Brian McKnight, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera.

​Richie’s lengthy discography also includes Grammy award-winning and platinum albums of Alicia Keys and Common. Richie most recently toured with Grammy-winning trumpeter, Chris Botti.

When not on tour, he can be found in his Westchester, NY studio, producing records for his company, RichMan Music, Inc. His first solo project with his fusion/funk band, “Richie Goods and Nuclear Fusion, Live at the Zinc Bar” and his latest release, “Three Rivers” received critical acclaim. Richie is busier and more excited than ever, touring and working on a new recording which will feature more of his acoustic bass work.