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Dani Gurgel: DDG19 Big Band

By Katchie Cartwright
April 13, 2024
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Dani Gurgel

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Dani Gurgel was born into a musical family in São Paulo. Her mother

" data-original-title="" title="">Debora Gurgel (a busy pianist and arranger) and father (an amateur jazz saxophonist) met on the bandstand. Following her own musical path, Dani skirted gender biases in jazz culture that might have limited her opportunities by learning to do and play "everything," as she put it. She is quick to point out that things are "getting better," but hedged her bets by gaining proficiency in many instruments, including piano, flute, saxophone, guitar and bass. Her main instrument today is voice—the quintessential feminine role—but it was the last one she tried on.

Growing up in a cosmopolitan environment, she had access to such Brazilian jazz greats as the eminent

Zimbo Trio

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Zimbo Trio, who founded the Centro Livre de Aprendizagem M��sical (Free Center of Musical Learning), where Dani entered as a young child and—in her early teens—became part of the faculty. She holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University of S?o Paulo, with a dissertation on m��sica popular brasileira (MPB). In addition to her schedule as an active touring and recording artist, she runs a studio and production company, Da P�� Virada, which produces photography, music and audiovisual content for various artists, labels and networks.

DDG19 Big Band, Gurgel's tenth album as a leader, is the first to employ a large ensemble format. At 19 pieces, the group runs slightly larger than is typical in the US, augmented by the addition of two flutes and voice. Dani and D��bora Gurgel wrote the compositions, together and individually, with the elder contributing the arrangements. Buoyant up-tempo grooves predominate. The voice is often presented wordlessly in a palette of phonemes that is both personal and recognizably Brazilian. The album opener "Tr��s Luas" (Three Moons) sets the pace, moving nimbly between partido alto, samba, bai?o and maracatu rhythms.

"Garra" (Claw) follows with a lively samba-funk feel. In a vein similar to

Norman Mapp

vocals
1928 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Norman Mapp's "Jazz Ain't Nothin' But Soul" (Fresh Sound Records, 1961), the lyric refers to independent musicians who do all sorts of difficult things with "little or no help and a lot of good humor," as Gurgel put it, by rolling up their sleeves and maintaining faith in the sweat they give ("no suor que coloquei minha f��").

The contrapuntal, fleet and flute-infused "36-47" gives the singer a chance to demonstrate her chops as an improviser in a solo that signifies on the Great American Songbook with a reference to "It Might As Well Be Spring" (Rodgers and Hammerstein, 1945). D��bora Gurgel stretches out at the piano in her lovely ballad "Luz" (Light), a melody that recalls

Django Reinhardt

guitar
1910 - 1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Django Reinhardt's "Nuages." Among her arranging touches is a luscious blending of voice and trombone in octaves.

Guest appearances by American singer and trombonist

Natalie Cressman

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Natalie Cressman (on "D�� Li?en?a" [Excuse Me]) and Brazilian electric bassist

Michael Pipoquinha

bass, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Pipoquinha (on "Veredas" [Paths]) round out the program beautifully (YouTube, bottom of this page). Other highlights include the brisk bai?o "Rodopio," which lays a danceable rhythmic foundation upon which

Maiara Moraes

flute

" data-original-title="" title="">Maiara Moraes (flute) and

Vitor Alcantara

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Vitor Alcantara (tenor sax) spin swirling solos.

DDG19 Big Band is a joyous and thoroughly enjoyable outing. The album launch includes a remarkable US tour that has the core quartet (the Gurgels, drummer-percussionist

Thiago Rabello

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Thiago Rabello and bassist

Sidiel Vieira

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Sidiel Vieira) conducting weeklong residencies in such venues as Berklee College of Music and California Jazz Conservatory, teaching their music to and ultimately performing with local big bands.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Tr��s Luas; Garra; 36-47; Podicr��; Rodopio; Luz; Quiet Little Lady; Adagio - Sem Fronteiras; Sem Fronteiras; Veredas; D�� Licen?a.

Personnel

Dani Gurgel

vocals

Debora Gurgel

piano

Natalie Cressman

trombone

Michael Pipoquinha

bass, electric

Thiago Rabello

drums

Sidiel Vieira

bass

Gabriela Machado

flute

Beatriz Pacheco

saxophone, alto

Vitor Alcantara

saxophone, tenor

Zafe Costa

woodwinds

Juliene Bellingeri

saxophone, baritone

Paulo Jord?o

trumpet

Daniel D'Alcantara

trumpet

Sidmar Vieira

trumpet

Estefane Santos

trumpet

Paulo Malheiros

trombone

Rafael Rocha

trombone

Jorginho Neto

trombone

Jaziel Gomes

trombone, bass

Maiara Moraes

flute

Additional Instrumentation

Josu�� dos Santos: alto saxophone, flute.

Album information

Title: DDG19 Big Band | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Self Produced

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