Contemporary Brazilian Jazz featuring the world's leading Brazilian drummer / percussionist Duduka Da Fonseca with his current New York based quintet

12 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Bossa Nova, WORLD: Samba

Show all album songs: Samba Jazz in Black and White Songs


Details:
If you ever have a chance to hang out with Duduka Da Fonseca, youâll have an idea why heâs one of the worldâs great drummers, and one great human being beyond that. He has warmth, spirit, curiosity, vitality, sensitivity, he has joie de vivre. Samba Jazz in Black and White is Da Fonsecaâs second solo project, a superlative follow-up to his 2002 Grammy-nominated Samba Jazz Fantasia (Malandro). The new CD focuses on the drummerâs quintet, with a handful of guests, among them Dudukaâs wife of 18 years, the marvelous singer Maucha Adnet.

Da Fonsecaâs goal is blending samba with jazz. âIâve been developing that all my life,â he says. âThatâs my work.â Duduka, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1951, was raised on music. âSince I was a kid, I was exposed to Nat King Cole, Gerry Mulligan, Sinatra, Jobim, Luis Bonfa,â he says, naming a handful. âItâs always been my dream to mix jazz with samba. Many people think that jazz has only been mixed with bossa nova. But while that was happening in Brazil, a lot of people were playing samba with a Blue Note vibe, like (trombonist) Raul de Souza, and drummers Edison Machado, Milton Banana, and Dom Um Romao, and pianists Dom Salvador and Tenorio, Jr.â And today, that special kind of music is played by Da Fonseca, a brilliant drummer who has had no formal musical training ââ¬" âI learned in the streets, not bragging, but itâs important.â

As a teenager, Duduka hung out with de Souza, Machado and others, soaking up the jazz of Horace Silver, Miles Davis, and countless others. He and his bass-playing brother, Miguel, were part of a popular trio in Brazil. He moved to New York in 1975, where heâs led bands, and performed with such notables as Joe Henderson and Tom Harrell. Heâs also appeared on over 200 CDs by Harrell, John Scofield, Mulligan, Claudio Roditi, and many more. He formed the outstanding Brazilian jazz group Trio da Paz with guitarist Romero Lubambo and bassist Nilson Matta. He married Adnet, and together they have a daughter, Isabella, age 7.

Now comes Samba Jazz in Black and White. Duduka explains the title: âThere are two meanings. One is having the music be simple and truthful. The other is that my music is a blend of black African origins influenced by white Western European classical music.â The drummer ââ¬" who cites such favorite trapsmen as Machado, Elvin Jones, Paul Motian, Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes, and Art Blakey ââ¬" talks about his colleagues:

Dudukaâs been friends with Sao Paulo-born pianist Helio Alves for ages. âWe have a lot in common, we work so much together. Heâs a special piano player,â he says. Of the Brazilian bassist Leonardo Cioglia, a native of Brasilia who studied and taught at Berklee College of Music in Boston before moving to New York City a few years ago, Duduka states, âI really like his time, it feels very comfortable with him.â

Tenor and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist Anat Cohen hails from Tel Aviv, Israel, but plays like a Brazilian. âShe studied with Leonardo at Berklee, and has been to Brazil several times, studying Brazilian music,â Duduka notes. âShe really understands the rhythm, the syncopation. And sheâs a very lyrical player.â Guitarist Guilherme Monteiro, who has recorded with singer Luciana Souza and tenorman Harry Allen, âreally understands bebop, like Helio,â says Da Fonseca. âAnd he knows how to apply that when he mixes samba with jazz. Thatâs what I need in my group.â

The collection starts with the saucy Mestre Bimba by Luiz EÃ*a, Bebeto, and Helcio Milito, for which Duduka devised the drum pattern. âItâs a mix of samba, afoxé, marcha, with maybe a little New Orleans touch in there,â as he puts it. âI came up with this rhythmic pattern 20 years ago, first time Iâve recorded it.â The song features wordless vocals on the theme by Maucha and Alana Da Fonseca, his daughter from a previous marriage. Alana is a music graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase. She sang two songs in the recent Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie film, ââ¬ËMr. and Mrs. Smithâ. âSheâs super talented, and Iâm really proud of her,â says her dad.

The subsequent Janeiro is by Ion Muniz, âan old friend of mine from childhood,â says the leader. âIâve been playing this song, which I love, for over 30 years. Itâs very groovy, the way things move around, a happy, high energy tune.â

The dulcet Bye Bye Brasil by Roberto Menescal and Chico Buarque, was a Brazilian hit in the â80s. âItâs usually played with a fast beat, but I wanted to play it as a jazz ballad with my old friend, (trumpeter) Claudio Roditi,â says Duduka. âHeâs been a great musical inspiration in my life, and otherwise. My brother-in-law, Chico Adnet, made a beautiful arrangement.â Hermeto Pascoalâs Chorinho Pra Ele spotlights the buoyant clarinet of Anat Cohen. âI used to play this in my New York Samba Band in the â80s,â Da Fonseca states. âItâs a lovely but very difficult song, and Anat did a fantastic job.â

One of the most rhythmically compelling numbers is Toninho Hortaâs Viver De Amor. A long-time favorite of Dudukaâs, he played it with his band in the â80s that featured Bob Mintzer and Randy Brecker, and now with his quintet. Guesting are tenorman Paulo Levi and guitarist Vic Juris. âThey took memorable solos,â says Duduka. âIâm glad they were part of this project, because they often played with the quintet, filling in for Anat and Guilherme.â

The emotive Medo De Amar (âAfraid to Loveâ) by Vinicius De Moraes was arranged by Muniz. Maucha, who sang with Antonio Carlos Jobim for ten years, delivers the sublime vocal. Itâs one of the few songs where De Moraes (known for his lyrics to such Jobim classics as âGirl From Ipanemaâ and âA Felicidadeâ) wrote both lyrics and music. âIon wrote the arrangement that features Paulo on four flutes, and thereâs a beautiful guitar solo,â notes Duduka. âMaucha sings with so much emotion, so heartfelt. I just love the way it comes out.â

Egberto Gismontiâs PalhaÃ*o showcases Cohenâs warm and moving soprano saxophone. âThereâs a kind of gospel mood, and the lyrical melody is heartwarming,â says the leader, who next drops in a meaty solo to begin Haroldo Mauro Jr.âs Terra De Angara. âMy old friend Haroldo composed this 40 years ago, when he was 16,â Da Fonseca states. âIt was his first composition. Heâs a great pianist and highly respected; I learned a lot from him. I used to play with him in the ââ¬Ë60s, and I just recorded with him in Rio.â

Jobim is represented by O Grande Amor with Cohenâs evocative tenor sax. Duduka: âA Brazilian and jazz album without a Jobim song is not complete. Iâve been a fan of his since I was a kid and had the honor to play and record with him in Portugal in 1992. A DVD of that performance is scheduled to be released soon.â Sambetinho is by Alves, another of Dudukaâs favorite composers. âI love the way he phrases the composition, which induces you to have a loose rhythmic approach,â he says. âItâs more in the air, it flows more, thatâs what I love.â

The CD closes with Dry Land by Marcos Silva, a Rio-born pianist and composer who lives in the San Francisco Bay area. âWe played together in New York in the late ââ¬Ë70s,â says Da Fonseca. âI just love the groove of this tune, which is very Brazilian but goes to blues changes for the solos.â
Duduka is thrilled with Samba in Black and White. âThe musicians were committed to the music, to the band, and they did a wonderful job. Iâm proud and happy.â
Zan Stewart


Recorded at Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY, September 26 ââ¬" 28, 2005. Engineer: Michael Brorby. Mixed by James Farber. Mastering by Michael McDonald, Algorhythms, NYC. Producer : Duduka Da Fonseca. Photography : Tato Riquelme. Executive Producers : Roger Davidson and Joachim Becker, Becker Davidson Entertainment, L.L.C.

Arrangements of âBye Bye Brazilâ: Chico Adnet & Duduka Da Fonseca; âMedo de Amarâ: Ion Muniz.

Duduka Da Fonseca uses Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, brushes and mallets, and Sonor drums.

Duduka Da Fonseca bookings : DudukaDaFonseca@nyc.rr.com Tel 212 979 6027. www.dudukadafonseca.com