Home » Jazz Articles » New York Beat » Samba Christmas at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

Samba Christmas at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

By Nick Catalano
December 28, 2013
View read count

The Brazilian tidal wave which has been building throughout the fall at Dizzy's continued its flow with a holiday line-up of samba stalwarts. Led by percussionist

Duduka Da Fonseca

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Duduka Da Fonseca, pianist

Helio Alves

piano
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Helio Alves and vocalist

Maucha Adnet

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Maucha Adnet, the all-star group featured sax/ clarinetist

Anat Cohen

clarinet
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Anat Cohen, guitarist

Mike Moreno

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Moreno, and bassist

" data-original-title="" title="">Hans Glawischnig.

Most interesting in this latest appearance by the Brazilians was the presentation of a mostly new repertoire and a new guest. Early in the second set on opening night (Dec. 19) Da Fonseca introduced flutist/saxophonist Mauro Senise, a bandleader who had performed with Da Fonseca in Rio during the 70's. Quite notable, Senise had also performed with

Egberto Gismonti

guitar
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Egberto Gismonti, and was featured in this set of new musical presentations with a performance of "Melancia" by pianist

Rique Pantoja

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Rique Pantoja who was a member along with Senise of Cama de Gato—an important band in Brazil.

The unveiling of musical personalities and compositions rarely heard at Dizzy's had a positive response from the audience which has been nurtured by a diet of Jobim standards for quite some time. Warm applause greeted the performance of the opening selection "Galfiera" by pianist

Dom Salvador

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Dom Salvador containing solos from Alves, Glawischnig, Da Fonseca, and Moreno which were scintillating. This tune was followed by more of the music from the vast catalogue of rarely heard sambas i.e. "Viver de Amor" by famed guitarist

Toninho Horta

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Toninho Horta.

Later in the set one of the most authentic of Brazilian vocalists made her appearance. Maucha Adnet possesses an arsenal of those difficult-to-define vocal essences reflective of the best Brazilian singers. Her husky vocalism perfectly captures the gravelly consonant combinations so essential to Portugese articulation and her phrasing nuances delicately punctuate the hypnotic samba rhythm. Adnet continued the new musical unveiling with performances of "Cancao do Sal' by

Milton Nascimento

guitar and vocals
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Milton Nascimento and an ancient ditty "Tico Tico no Fuba" composed in 1917 by Zequinha de Abreu and arranged by guitarist/ composer

Mario Adnet

" data-original-title="" title="">Mario Adnet.

A highlight of the evening was a performance of "Birimbau" by

Baden Powell

guitar, acoustic
1937 - 2000

" data-original-title="" title="">Baden Powell with lyrics by

Vinicius De Moraes

guitar
1913 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Vinicius De Moraes. The song celebrates the Birimbau instrument—a bow-shaped affair with a cabaca or gourd acting as a resonator. The birimbau originates from the slave culture in Angola and is pivotal in establishing the Afro-Brazilian musical connections. Da Fonseca, who was born in Rio and raised in Ipanema, introduced the tune with an extended solo on this intriguing percussive/melodic contrivance which reflects much of the exotic and mysterious nature of Brazilian instrumentation. The performance of "Birimbau" also certified the theme of the set—the unveiling of the lesser known compositions.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited - L...
< Previous

Wings On Fire
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.