Catch me in Denver this week!

At the Savoy Denver

Hello folks,

If you are in or near Denver, CO, drop by The Savoy this Thursday, March 13 to hear a duo concert with the great bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann and I, celebrating the upcoming release of our live album Retratos - Brazilian Portraits on The Audiophile Society label. It was recorded live in Tallinn, Estonia last April. We’ll be playing compositions by Jobim, Ary Barroso, Dorival Caymmi, Hermeto Pascoal, Radamés Gnattali and others.

Martin is a brilliant melodist. His interpretation of great Brazilian music will have you hearing the meaning of the original lyrics without hearing the words. I arranged most of the music for our repertoire with a lyrical and emotional twist. I am sure that everyone will enjoy this performance.

Get your tickets here, and if you do attend, come say “hi” to us!

Listen to an interview I did with KUVO DJ Cenir Arruda this past Sunday.

Here are the liner notes for Retratos, written by my colleague and great pianist André Mehmari:

What a pleasure it is to listen to this brilliant collection of loving portraits taken from the Brazilian musical cartography! Normally, you would expect a voice, flute or guitar alongside a well- tempered Brazilian piano, but Jovino and Martin surprise us with a rare duo encounter, creating a brotherly embrace between the bassoon and the piano. To speak of Kuuskmann’s virtuosity and tone would be redundant, for his art is at the level of the world’s best bassoonists. A repertoire carefully chosen with excellent pianistic arrangements by my friend and partner Jovino Santos Neto opens up the space for the bassoon to sing with all the fluency and lyricism of a great crooner, so much so that we forget for an instant the words that are also part of the chosen songs. On the other hand, in cherished instrumental themes, the “voice” of the bassoon leads us to imagine possible words for the melodies. An equally meticulous sound recording ennobles the project, leaving audiophiles happy in their sonic journey.

If the Brazilian soul can be totally translatable into music, Jovino Santos Neto and Martin Kuuskmann have managed to create a portrait album that lovingly represents and explains us as sensitive Brazilian human beings.

I hope to see some of you in Denver on Thursday!

Cheers,

Jovino