In the fresh sounds of Brazzamerica, three veteran Brazilian-American musicians tell their life story in the universal language of great music.
What can you expect from Brazzamerica? The name says it all: “we want to show the flavor of the music, we wanted a name that would say: we play Brazilian music, jazz, and American music,” explains Brazza-merica bassist Leco Reis. Following their goal of expressing themselves with something more personal than simply familiar Brazilian music, they created a harmonious and intriguing blend reflecting “not just our experience as Brazilians who came to the U.S., but how our music changed from living here. Our music tells our story.”
On their self-titled debut re- cording, Brazzamerica, pianist Cidinho Teixeira, bassist Leco Reis, and drummer Edson Ferreira display an exciting level of telepathy, communication, and understanding in their musical interactions. Such synchronicity can’t be forced, only developed over time. The threesome has been gigging steadly in New York for the past five years, a rare luxury these days, and the result is this CD full of delightful music that will leave listeners wishing for more.
All three were born in Brazil and have enjoyed striking musical success in their native land before making the move to the U.S. The Tunes on Brazzamerica are a mix of Teixeira originals and Brazilian music standards. In choosing the material, the three-some wanted to include Brazilian songs but wanted to avoid the presenting the bossa nova style as it was played in the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s. They aimed for “something with a swing to it, and a good groove. It had to be good to listen to and fun to play”, Leco Reis points out.
Bursting with energy and rough elegance, brazzamerica’s sounds has a deceptive simpli- city, full of the interactions that result from a total of well over a century of collective experience among the three.