British composer/pianist Claire Cope vividly expands the scale and vision of her Ensemble C on the band's sweeping and dramatic second release. Out March 7, 2025, Every Journey celebrates International Woman’s Day with gorgeous compositions inspired by pioneering women and the courage to embark on life’s adventures.

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“Claire’s music is beautiful; imaginative, uplifting, thoughtful and reflective. The beauty is the subtlety; of the journey of a melody, the gently shifting sands of texture and the control of form, energy and dynamic.”  – Andy Scott, award-winning saxophonist and composer

An oft-repeated Chinese proverb states, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Looking back from a vantage point several steps along her own proverbial journey, British composer and pianist Claire Cope came to discover that no matter how daunting a venture may become, it’s always taking that first step that requires the most courage. That realization provided the inspiration behind Every Journey, the gorgeous second album by Cope’s Ensemble C.

Every Journey will be released on March 7, 2025, to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8. The occasion is significant given the fount of inspiration that Cope found in the stories of intrepid women pioneers who undertook their own daring journeys. The books of writer and explorer Jacki Hill-Murphy were key resources – specifically

Adventuresses, a compendium of stories of 18th and 19th-century female explorers, and The Extraordinary Tale of Kate Marsden, about a Victorian nurse who trekked across pre-Revolutionary Russia to find a possible cure for leprosy. Musically, the groundbreaking compositions of Maria Schneider provided a luminous north star for Cope’s own writing.

Arriving five years after Ensemble C’s acclaimed debut, Small World, Cope’s follow-up represents significant evolutions in both the composer’s life and her musical vision. Where Small World offered Cope’s introductory statement as a composer, a path she arrived at only gradually, Every Journey is a remarkably assured expansion of that mindset. Significantly, Ensemble C has bloomed from a septet to an 11-piece group, allowing for a wealth of new colors and possibilities, of which Cope takes bold and vibrant advantage. The intricate music she’s devised for the ensemble reflects her existence in both the jazz and contemporary classical music realms. Closer to home, Cope became a mother in the interval between albums, a development that can’t help but deepen one’s insight and empathy.

“Discovering that I am a composer and becoming a mum were both turning points in my life,” Cope says. “Then I found myself reading these stories about these inspiring, real-life characters and the music took on a sense of adventure. All of this fused together in my mind and led to my wanting to write something that was about not having limits.”

Cope seized on the idea of expanding her ensemble immediately after recording Small World. “As a composer I really wanted to push myself,” she explains. “Then when I started writing this music about adventures and journeys, the pieces naturally felt like they required a more substantial force. Also, an eleven-piece ensemble is a bit unusual – this idea of something that is not quite a big band but something towards it was really appealing to me.”

With the Maria Schneider Orchestra as one pillar of inspiration, Cope also looked to the mercurial sound of the early Pat Metheny Group and, closer in scale to the newly imagined Ensemble C, Michael Brecker’s Grammy-winning 2004 Quindectet album Wide Angles. While Cope’s music was inspired by these composers, it is not confined to them: her musical voice is distinct and singular. The human voice is a vital element of her writing, courtesy the typically wordless vocals of Brigitte Beraha, who also contributes lyrics to the moving song “The Birch and the Larch,” which recounts a fable called “Leprosy in Love” that Hill-Murphy incorporates into her biography of Kate Marsden.

The album opens with the atmospheric “Every Journey (Has a Beginning),” which sets the tone for the sonic expedition to come, culminating in a quicksilver solo by guitarist Ant Law. The set is bookended by the tender “Home,” highlighted by a captivating duo between Beraha’s  and Mike Soper on flugelhorn. The soaring groove of “Flight” pays homage to Bessie Coleman, the first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn her pilot’s license in the US. “Isabel” is named for one of the subjects of Adventuresses, Isabel Godin des Odonais, the first known woman to traverse the length of the Amazon River, and features percussionist Jack McCarthy along with baritone saxophonist Rob Cope, trombonist Anoushka Nanguy, and trumpeter Freddie Gavita.

The four-piece horn section could threaten to overwhelm the balance of the ensemble, but Cope employs it nimbly, often using flugelhorn in one of the trumpet chairs and tending toward the lush rather than the powerful – as in the stirring, Kenny Wheeler-inspired chorale “The Light of the Dark.” The horns can swell and ascend when needed, however, as they do to provoke the dramatic tenor extemporizations of Matt Carmichael on “Amboseli.” The through-composed piece is named for a national park in Kenya set against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, the contrast of immense heights and vast plains is breathtakingly captured in Cope’s piece. The simmering rhythm laid down by Cope’s left hand, bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Jon Ormston on “That Nabongo Feeling” paint a vigorous portrait of modern-day explorer Jessica Nabongo, who recently became the first documented Black woman to visit all of the planet’s 195 countries.

Cope describes the album as being about “courage, overcoming anxiety and finding inner peace. Everyone can relate in some way to that moment of taking a step forward in life. For me, it was about feeling comfortable in my choices as a musician and deciding to identify as a composer. Once you get past that first step, you’re on your way to where you want to go.”

Ensemble C – Every Journey

clairecopemusic.com

ensemblec.bandcamp.com

Thank you to Ann Braithwaite for sharing the press release with us.

Never-Before-Released Ella Fitzgerald Live Concert Album 
Latest single Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love) is out today and available to listen to here

Never-before-released album recorded at 1967 concert featuring members of The Duke Ellington Orchestra was recently unearthed in the private tape collection of Verve Records founder Norman Granz

The Moment Of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum - Album Release Date: February 28th 2025

February 7, 2025 — Today, Verve Records is proud to release Ella Fitzgerald’s “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love),”the second singlefrom her never-before-released live concert album, The Moment of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum. “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love)” offers a sinfully playful twist on the highly esteemed Cole Porter classic from the 1928 Broadway show Paris. Ella adds her own sprinkle of magic by not only extending the chorus of the track, but by switching up the original melody and mixing in pop culture references of the time. Listen to the new single here. Watch the visualizer here. 

The full live album, The Moment Of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum was recorded at the Oakland Coliseum on June 30, 1967, and was recently unearthed in the private tape collection of Verve Records founder Norman Granz. The album spans nine tracks, most never heard before, and features Ella accompanied by members of The Duke Ellington Orchestra at its prime.  

Listen to the first single and title track “The Moment of Truth” here, watch the animated music video directed by Sharon Liu here, and pre-order the album here.

Ella’s band includes the rarely heard but hard-swinging trio of Jimmy Jones, Bob Cranshaw, and Sam Woodyard, while the Ellington band captured here at its peak, featured Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, and Russell Procope. Ella alongside her band was a sight to behold. There was never a moment when she was not doing her absolute best work. The first lady of song strikes again with a song that makes you want to move to the sweet rhythms and melodies she seamlessly weaves together. “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love) is sure to be food for the soul and a treat for your ears. 

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH: ELLA AT THE COLISEUM

1. The Moment Of Truth - 2:52

2. Don’t Be That Way - 4:33

3. You’ve Changed - 4:37

4. Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love) - 4:43

5. Bye Bye Blackbird - 5:02

6. Alfie - 5:43

7. In A Mellow Tone - 4:41

8. Music To Watch Girls By - 3:56

9. Mack The Knife - 4:53 

Recorded at The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA on June 30, 1967.

BAND DETAILS:

Ella Fitzgerald – vocals

The trio:

Jimmy Jones – piano

Bob Cranshaw – bass

Sam Woodyard – drums

Members of Duke Ellington’s Orchestra:

Trumpets: Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Herbie Jones, Cootie Williams 

Trombones: Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors, Buster Cooper

Reeds: Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope

Thank you to Joe Baxter for sharing with us

British saxophonist, composer and bandleader Josephine Davies marks a striking new chapter in her career with the release of The Celtic Wheel of the Year Suite (28th Feb 2025, Ubuntu) alongside her 17-piece group The Ensō Ensemble.

Pre order here

With roots in the Scottish archipelago of Shetland, the 8-part suite takes the listener on a year-long journey of ancient Celtic and seasonal festivals. From the darkness of winter to the renewal of spring, the harvest season, the Autumn Equinox, and the Winter Solstice, it weaves together classical, jazz, and folk influences into a cohesive, Nordic-tinged whole.j

Fittingly, it all started with the sunrise. The piece Eos - named after the Goddess of the Dawn - was composed during a period of early mornings while she served as composer-in-residence for the London Jazz Orchestra. Fast forward a decade, and several high-profile commissions, she felt compelled to complete the circle. “Having written several jazz orchestra pieces, and inspired by a lockdown move to the countryside, I felt drawn to deepen my connection with the earth and revisit my earlier composition. The result is the 8-part suite, each movement inspired by a particular time of year and what it holds for me emotionally and spiritually.”

Perhaps best known for her award-winning trio Satori, the depth of talent and inventiveness in the ensemble is testament to Davies’ long-standing position at the heart of the UK’s contemporary music scene. London jazz stalwarts Dave Whitford (bass), Noel Langley (trumpet) and Alcyona Mick (piano) sit alongside distinctive newer voices such as saxophonists Michael Chillingworth, Rachael Cohen and Tamar Osborn - each carefully chosen for their musicality, creativity, and unique soloistic voices.

Through this fascinating large ensemble and the rich history of Celtic mythology, the recording sees Davies stretch her compositional wings, blending the improvisation and spontaneity inherent in jazz with a highly distinctive compositional voice as a writer. As we embark on yet another cycle around the sun, it serves as both a milestone in her career and a calling card for future projects.

Josephine Davies composer, conductor, tenor saxophone | Michael Chillingworth alto & soprano saxophone | Rachael Cohen alto saxophone | Helena Kay tenor saxophone | Adam Bishop tenor saxophone, clarinet, alto flute | Tamar Osborn baritone saxophone, bass clarinet | Noel Langley trumpet, flugelhorn | Reuben Fowler trumpet, flugelhorn | Nick Smart trumpet, flugelhorn | Robbie Robson trumpet, flugelhorn | Anna Drysdale french horn | Olli Martin trombone | Maddie Dowdeswell trombone | Eddie Curtis bass trombone | Alcyona Mick piano | Dave Whitford double bass | Shaney Forbes drums

Thank you to Matt Fripp for sharing with us Josephine website click here

Artemis Announce New Studio Album Via Blue Note: Multi-award-winning collective features pianist Renee Rosnes, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Alison Miller 

“New York group deliver rhythmic bite and sharply defined emotional contrasts.” Financial Times

Arboreqsue is released on 28th February 2025 Pre Order here

Fresh off their 2nd consecutive win for “Jazz Group of the Year” in the DownBeat Readers Poll, ARTEMIS returns with their third Blue Note album ARBORESQUE out Feb. 28 featuring a new quintet line-up of the band helmed by pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes with trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller. A paean to the sheer joy of collaboration and creativity, the album also explores a theme of natural and environmental beauty. 

ARBORESQUE is a vibrant 8-song set that presents original compositions by each of the band members as well as Rosnes arrangements of pieces by Wayne Shorter (‘Footprints’), Burt Bacharach (‘What the World Needs Now Is Love’), and the unsung pianist Donald Brown whose inquisitive, noirish piece ‘The Smile of the Snake’ opens the album and is available to stream or download now. “The title refers to people whom you love and trust, but who end up disappointing you,” says Rosnes, who has been a fan and friend of Brown’s for decades.

The genesis of ARTEMIS can be traced back to 2016 when Rosnesfirst assembled an all-star ensemble to celebrate International Women’s Day with liveperformances in Europe. Nine years later, as the band releases its third album,the collective continues to demonstrate its staying power and prove how the musictranscends any notion of patriarchy. But ARTEMIS’ purpose has also expanded, reaching beyondspecial projects, cultural initiatives, or the supergroup concept.

“Our goal is to make honest music that touches people,” says Rosnes. “We inspire one another and feel passionate about playing together. All that positive energy comes through in the music and I believe the audiences feel it.”

ARTEMIS exists as a deeply committed core unit who’ve played together more than any other incarnation of the group. “As a quintet, there’s a greater feeling of elasticity. We’ve become looser and tighter at the same time,” Rosnes says.  Jensen is “a stunningly original voice on trumpet and can pollinate a chord with the perfect note.” As Jensen’s ideal foil on the frontline, Glover is “a bold storyteller and plays with a innate sense of purpose and freedom.” Ueda is “a virtuoso of the bass whose lines are centered and buoyant.” Miller is “the band’s center of gravity as well as being a gifted orchestrator behind the drumkit.” Together with Rosnes and Ueda, the rhythm section puts power and finesse in perfect equilibrium.

Follow ARTEMIS:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

Follow Blue Note Records:

Website • Facebook • Instagram • Threads • BlueSky • X • Spotify • Apple Music • YouTube

Thank you to Joe Baxter at Baxter PR for sharing!

Premiered by Lauren Laverne on BBC 6Music, Blessed feat. Nadya Albertsson is the new single from Glasgow-based pioneering DJ-Producer Rebecca Vasmant, taken from her upcoming album Who We Are, Becoming, out 9th May via a label partnership between New Soil and Women In Jazz.

The track follows Rooted feat. Paix & Emilie Boyd which saw support from Jamz Supernova, Gilles Peterson, Nemone, Deb Grant & Tom Ravenscroft, Craig Charles, Huey Morgan, Don Letts (BBC 6Music), Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2), Emma-Jean Thackray (BBC Radio 3), The Quay Sessions (BBC Radio Scotland), Tony Minvielle and China Moses (Jazz FM), FIP Radio France, The Skinny, Wordplay and beyond.

Purchase Blessed here

Pre Order ‘Who We Are, Becoming’ here

Written as a love letter to one of Rebecca’s favourite records, Blessed feat. Nadya Albertsson takes inspiration from the Garrick’s Fairground track “Blessed Are The Peacemakers”, by Michael Garrick and Norma Winstone. “I am so incredibly grateful to have heard this track, it has absolutely changed my life”, Rebecca explains. “I wanted to make my own version as a way to show my gratitude and love for such a beautiful piece of music”. Through the making of the track, Rebecca became pen pals with Michael Garrick’s son Gabriel, after asking for his blessing to use a sample of his dad’s piano from the original record. This has started some beautiful and deep conversations about jazz, connection, collaboration and more.

Expanding the boundaries of traditional jazz production, Vasmant leads a 25-strong ensemble of musicians (with a 60/40 female/male split) on a sonic journey exploring themes of identity, equality, femininity, and self-growth. As she puts it, “This album is about becoming your true self and accepting that we’re part of something bigger.” Vasmant’s unique DIY ethos shines throughout Who We Are Becoming, with all vocals and instruments - apart from drums - recorded in her Glasgow flat using a single Rode microphone gifted by Soma Records’ Jim Matune. Rebecca’s process reflects her self-taught, self-funded, and self-made ethos**: “I’ve always believed you don’t need fancy studios to create amazing music. My setup is basic but meaningful; I’ve built it over time and made it work.”**

The LP is a standout contemporary jazz record, representing an exciting new chapter in Rebecca’s artistic journey. Staying true to her roots, it boasts powerful collaborations with some of Scotland’s finest musical talents, with the single featuring interdisciplinary artist Paix and vocalist Emilie Boyd, alongside Amanda Whiting (harp), Joe Rattray (bass), Graham Costello (drums), and Cameron Thomson-Duncan (trumpet). Rebecca’s impact on Glasgow’s jazz scene is undeniable. Her debut, ‘With Love From Glasgow’, was hailed by Jazzwise, Clash, and The Vinyl Factory, drawing comparisons to Pharoah Sanders and garnering support from tastemakers Gilles Peterson, Jamz Supernova, and Bandcamp’s Andrew Jervis. Follow up EP “Dance Yourself Free” received significant support from BBC 6Music and saw Rebecca celebrate the Record Store Day release with DJ sets at Monorail (Glasgow), Phonica and Rough Trade (London). She has performed live as part of BBC 6Music Festival and has presented ‘Round Midnight on BBC Radio 3. Her label, Rebecca’s Records, has spotlighted Scottish artists such as ARI TSUGI and Azamiah.

Born in Paris and raised in the Scottish countryside, Rebecca moved to Glasgow at 22, earning a Ministry of Sound residency before rejecting commercial pressures to champion her jazz-inspired sound. She has become Scotland’s unofficial ambassador for contemporary jazz, with a journey of resilience, vision, and authenticity, peppered with radio shows for Worldwide FM and Rinse FM. She has performed DJ sets and live ensemble performances alike at acclaimed festivals and venues including Glastonbury, We Out Here, Brick Lane Jazz Festival, Jazz Café, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz club, supporting the likes of Questlove, Thundercat, BADBADNOTGOOD and Gilles Peterson.

Thank you to Glow Artist for sharing with us

Rebecca Vasmant Live Dates

March 7th - Jazz Cafe, London Madame Jazz (Rebecca Vasmant Ensemble) // March 15th - Small Town Club, Dundee (DJ) March 22nd - Shapes Festival, Switzerland (DJ) //April 16th - Brick Lane Jazz Festival, London (Rebecca Vasmant Ensemble)

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Natalie Cressman and Ian Faquini Unveil Their Vibrant Ode GUINGA, Featuring the Titular Brazilian Artist and Composer – out April 12, 2024 via GroundUP

Listen to the first single, “Lavagem de Conceição”, featuring Guinga, here.

Preorder here

Traveling through the lush paradise of Brazilian music, there are few more scenic byways than música popular brasileira – the enduring alchemy of fusing genres like samba and baião within the larger frameworks of Jazz, rock, classical and popular music. Even without a map, exploring this unique terrain with its rich harmonic complexity, elaborate lyrics, and remarkable emotive metaphors, leads musicians towards an inescapable reality: all roads lead to Guinga – the master guitarist, composer arranger and Brazilian music legend.

Born as Carlos Althier de Souza Lemos Escobar, Guinga grew up in Rio de Janeiro absorbing Brazilian contemporary and folkloric music as well as classical, rock, pop and Jazz. Having shaped a creative identity that embraces the signature energy of Brazil’s diverse artistic enterprise, Guinga’s legacy lives within the spirit of crafting a voice that’s essentially Brazilian while cultivating a vivacious universal appeal. A spirit lovingly captured by trombonist Natalie Cressman and guitarist Ian Faquini within their new GroundUP album GUINGA, releasing on April 12, 2024.

Trombone/classical guitar duos are very rare in Jazz. While few dare to exist beyond the occasional recording or live performance, Cressman and Faquini have transformed their platform into a sophisticated medium showcasing the extraordinary influence Brazilian contemporary artistry has had on music throughout the world. Tagged as the “Bossa Nova girl” while studying at the Manhattan School of Music, Cressman has always been inspired by Brazilian culture, frequently attending the California Brazil Camp in the mountainous enclave of Cazadero, California where she met Faquini, a Guinga protégé teaching at this annual summer gathering.

In time they discovered the dynamic nature of their instrumental pairing as well as the unique aperture it lends to the intricate nature of Brazilian music. Having mastered a resonant, open, and full bodied sound, Cressman and Faquini utilize a spacious tonal vocabulary, deft harmonic pairings and meticulous arranging that perfectly lends itself to the unique repertoire they’ve cultivated over the years. Steadied by the Brazilian aural tradition of learning, each has honed the necessary skills that accentuate the rich lyrical nature of música popular brasileira with its exquisite storytelling and incisive musical lens. Their two previous albums, Setting Rays of Summer (2019) and Auburn Whisper (2022) received well-deserved acclaim and attention.

Organic, improvisational and often initiated by humming out melodies, Guinga’s compositional style has played a significant role in shaping Cressman and Faquini’s artistic chemistry. Having spent years watching the master at work, both are fluent in the processes that powers Guinga’s magic, as his fluid incorporation of musical influences blends seamlessly with the florid temperament of their own creative ambitions. After recording albums exploring their personal relationship to contemporary Brazilian music, it was only a matter of time before Cressman and Faquini decided to focus on Guinga, a musician who’s been a mentor, teacher, collaborator and friend throughout the course of their careers.

Unlike most tribute albums celebrating artists long past, Guinga’s contributions are central to the process of the recording. Composing, arranging, and collaborating as a lyricist, Guinga’s ingenuity is matched only by his evocative and often haunting vocals. Compact, discreet, remarkably positioned with no less than fourteen songs, the album flows effortlessly like a personal juke box supplied by an endless roll of Brazilian centavos, all while unfolding into a delicate mosaic of Guinga’s musical world view.

Always fond of compelling song titles, the album begins with “Contradição (Contradiction)”, Faquini and Guinga’s first collaborative compositional effort. Overdubbing her trombone, Cressman constructs guiding harmonies while Guinga’s voice sways with the “valsa blues” structure of the song. With its paradoxical title and timeless melody, “Bolero de Satã (Satan’s Bolero)” was a hit for Guinga during the 1970’s. Romantic, ornate, serenaded by Cressman’s gorgeous solo and Faquini’s pristine harmonics, Bolero de Satã evolves into a superb example of the unique prism this duo applies to Guinga’s artistry.

Celebrating the life and work of Conceição Damasceno, the founder of the BrasArte Brazilian arts center in Berkley, California, first single “Lavagem de Conceição” combines the baião rhythm from northern Brazil with the ceremonial spirit of lavagem or “washing” (a common ritual of the Candomblé religion originally established by enslaved West Africans) supported by background vocals from Guinga’s partner Anna Paes and Natalie’s mother Sandy Cressman. Exemplifying Guinga’s love for angular melodies is “Aria de Opereta” (Operetta Aria), a somber tune lightly adorned by the subtle shades of a classical arrangement.

With no wasted notes, the short and sweet “Delírio Carioca” (Carioca Delirium) delicately soothes via Guinga’s “feverish” appeal to all matters of the heart, while “Ramo de Delírios” (Bouquet of Delirium) similarly explores “obsession and passion” representing one of Cressman and Faquini’s favorite tunes from Guinga’s first recorded album. Pirouetting with intricate sixteenth notes, Guinga again adapts the rhythmic elasticity of baião with “Por Trás de Brás de Pina” (Behind Brás de Pina), his vivacious ode to a northern neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. Heavily influenced by Duke Ellington, Guinga takes the helm playing with Cressman on “Par Constante” (Constant Pair). Borrowing heavily from Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood”, Guinga’s love for this era of Jazz is clear as Cressman captures the moment beautifully with her technical dexterity and nostalgic tone.

Circling back to Rio, “Garoa e Maresia” (Mist and Sea Air) speaks to Guinga’s ache for the gentle waves of the city’s glorious beaches but the album’s tour de force of longing resides in “Segredo de Dadá” (Dadá’s Secret). Written during the height of COVID, Faquini’s ballad to Brazil, and of missing his grandmother, was lyrically adapted by Guinga to include his own desire to see the Bay Area again. On Guinga’s medley “Nítido e Obscuro / Geraldo No Leme” (Clear and Opaque / Geraldo in Leme), Cressman and Faquini make easy work of syncopated duple meters proving again their mastery of baião based rhythms. 

“Ellingtoniana” unfolds as Guinga’s intriguing exploration of the symbiotic relationship between Ellington’s contribution to the great American songbook, and the prolific beauty of the melodic paradigms within Brazilian contemporary music. With its subtle modulations on trombone and delicate counterpoint on guitar, “Viola Variada” (Varied “Guitar”) references the agile ways Cressman and Faquini choose to dance within this music as their phrasing allows each to lead before the song quietly comes to a close. Celebrating the end of this glorious achievement, Guinga concludes with “Vô Alfredo” (Grandpa Alfredo), a composition built upon the Pernambuco frevo rhythm from northeastern Brazil. Combining the energies of Carnaval with the diction of classical music, Guinga’s tribute to his grandfather becomes our final glimpse into the elegance of his compositional style, exemplified brilliantly by Cressman and Faquini’s elite command for their instruments.

Simplicity can feel like a rare commodity in our increasingly complex world. Knowing this, Natalie Cressman and Ian Faquini recognize that the simplicity of their instrumentation provides an introspective way to celebrate the legacy of música popular brasileira and the remarkable manner in which Guinga extends the vocabularies of its exceptional harmonic and melodic systems. Managing the perfect balance of space, pacing and musicianship, Cressman and Faquini have mastered the mechanics of unpacking the deep musical authority that defines the DNA of Brazilian music and the core of Guinga’s genius.

Understood as an artistic requirement, Cressman and Faquini clearly recognize the nature of their quiet stage.  “It’s a very noisy world we live in,” they shared, adding “the softer subtleties of the style of our music is like a balm. It’s healing and cathartic to play and to experience it as a listener.” Within this slender margin comes a delicate responsibility for framing the kind of artistic excellence Guinga epitomizes. Guinga does this and so much more. Exploring this legend’s proprietary language of life, love and the vivid emotional mindset that transcribes them to music, Cressman and Faquini have crafted a sophisticated space to experience the buoyant resonance throughout the fluorescent landscape of Guinga’s storied career.

Thank you to Lydia Leibman Promotions for sharing with us

Natalie Cressman website click here