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AcknowledgementsI will take this opportunity to acknowledge my deepest recognition and appreciation to some of my fellow musicians, who throughout the decades have inspired, helped and taught me wonderful things which I have been using in my career as a composer and musician to this day. Mostly, those who are involved with Brazilian Jazz, Bossa Nova and Classical Crossover. Richard KimballA great pianist/composer/arranger who was by far, the one who first showed me the light of how a song can be interpreted, with such a lyricism and sophistication. He took me by the hands, so to speak, into the richest world of Harmony. He was my first theory teacher, after he graduated from Juilliard School in the late 1960's. My way of thanking this good friend was to write a song for him: "A Hug For Richard". To this day he continues being a source of inspiration to me. Haroldo Mauro Jr.An accomplished jazz pianist and a graduate of Manhattan School of Music with a Master of Music Degree in composition who performed in my band AMAZON for several years in NYC. I took lessons in Counterpoint with him, before he went back to Brazil, where he is now a full-time music professor at the University of Rio de Janeiro (Unirio). I dedicated to him the title song of my last CD - "Bem Brasileiro - Com Alguns Sotaques" (Very Much Brazilian - with Some Accents), and also "Different Options". I love his composition "Algum Dia", among others. His CD "Bossa na Pressão" has received excellent reviews. Mauricio SmithA complete musician and the greatest flutist I've ever met! He taught me how to notate music, using a simple mathematical method of counting all possible notes values inside of a simple bar! Because I had some knowledge in Architecture in my early years, it was a simple and at the same time a great experience for me dealing with Arithmetic and Symmetry. Even today, when I am writing a very rhythmic melody, I remember him, seating at the table of my apartment, almost sleeping after one of our long concerts at the Spanish Theater in NYC and telling me How To Count!. I wrote a song in his memory called "A Hug For Mauricio". Llew MatthewsA great composer/pianist and arranger for some of the most outstanding singers in the USA, including Lena Horne and Nancy Wilson. He showed me how to use Block Chords in my arrangements for my band AMAZON, using great counterlines underneath the melodic lines! I wrote a song for him: "A Hug for Llew". He wrote one for me, too: "Thiago"! I still have the recordings with my band with Llew at the piano, on several of my concerts in New York and in Oberlin College, Ohio. Cliff KormanAn inventive pianist, composer/arranger, who has played in my band for many years. Even today, when I record a CD or having a concert with my band, he's there for me. I can count on him with his rich sense of harmony and a variety of rhythms. He is one of the few north-americans musicians, who can fool you as a Brazilian born pianist! I wrote a song named ³Bitter Pills - Que Amargura², dedicated to him. Dom SalvadorWhat a talent! He played in my band for a short while and recorded in my first two albums - as Richard Kimball did - playing the piano with such inventiveness that I could not believe it! I wrote a song dedicated to him, called "More Than Midnight II" Claudio RoditiGive him a song and he transforms it into something special. Sometimes I am listening to the radio and can tell if the trumpetist playing is Claudio! His solos are unique: melodic and at the same time very rhythmic! We wrote several songs together. I wrote a song for him: "A Hug For Claudio", when he was the featured artist in my band AMAZON, for many years. Helio AlvesThere are some songs, which, when I finish writing it, my thoughts go straight to the magic fingers of Helio Alves on the piano! His left hand is rich and melodic. However, no one can come closer to his right one. It's a dream! Gil EvansWith Gil I learned, besides other musical elements that "there is not a wrong note, but a different one"! He used to come to my place on Wednesdays and we would exchange ideas about arrangements and some concepts, new for me, then. Some of my arrangements were made as soon as he left my apartment, so that I would not forget his wise and unique suggestions. I wrote a song in his memory, "A Hug For Gil", which is on my CD "Another Feeling". Sharon IsbinIntroduced to me by the excellent Brazilian classical guitarist/arranger Carlos Barbosa-Lima, (with whom I had recorded my "Chants for the Chief" for Concord Records) Sharon - a Grammy Winner with her CD "Dreams of a World"- is without any doubt the most outstanding musician in the world of the Classical Guitar today! With her, I have learned a whole world of finesse and musical sophistication. I am honored by the fact she often performs my compositions in her concerts. Our CD "Journey to the Amazon" with Paul Winter as a special guest, was awarded a Grammy nomination in 1999. Performing and recording with her is always an honor! I dedicated to her a song named "What About That?". Daniel WolffGuitarrist/composer has been the arranger of my classical-crossover compositions for string quartet, quintet and String Orchestra. Besides having performed together in many concerts in the USA and in Brazil, he also is my partner and the arranger for guitar and string quartet on the CD "The Right Seasons - Heart to heart". I am honored having two of my compositions in his CD "Concerto à Brasileira" and two more in his last CD "Coisas da Vida", with clarinetist Wilfried Berk. I also just wrote a song dedicated to him, called Um Samba para Daniel". Robert AuldBesides being a member of my band for many years, Bob is responsible for the recording of the majority of my CD's, including the the latest release "DISK-TUM-DERREI", which is available at cdbaby.com. The next one he recorded and mastered is called "OUR TIME TO REMEMBER" I wrote a song for him not recorded yet: "A Hug For Bob Auld". Arnaldo de SouteiroMy Brazilian producer and a loyal friend for over two decades, who has produced the majority of my CD's through his label Jazz Station Records (JSR) and responsible for their exposure around the world. Priceless! I wrote a song dedicated to him which reflects our friendship, called "Tal Como O Vinho" which appears in our CD "Another Feeling". Dexter PayneClarinet & Alto sax player, like Cliff, plays choro and other Brazilian rhythms as he had been born in Brazil! He is my partner in my last 2 CD's - "Another Feeling" and "Disk-Tum-Derrei" and also has a wonderful participation on my next one: "Our Time To Remember" I wrote a song for him "Chorando e Sambando" which is the title song of our just released CD "Disk-Tum-Derrei - Chorando e Sambando". Romero LubamboHe arrived in New York City together with the refined bassist Nilson Matta many years ago. He's one of the greatest guitarist around, with a special finesse in his solos. He always knows how to integrate his technical abilities with good taste. I wrote a song dedicated to him - "Samba Chorado" - which he recorded with my band Amazon. This song also was recorded by Carlos Barbosa-Lima on his CD "Music of the Americas" for Concord Records and by Daniel Wolff/Wilfried Berg on their CD "Coisas da Vida" - Karmim Records. There are many other great musicians I want to thank. Some, are close friends of mine, who are still on the road, from whom I learned a great deal by having them performing in my band for some time or participating in the recordings of my various CD's, such as Paulo Moura, Marcus Silva, Aloisio Aguiar, Richard Davis, Sergio Brandão, David Finck, Richard Lesnik, Hamilton de Holanda, Bob Rose, Ithamara Koorax - the Divina Diva, Tiberio Nascimento, Lillian Carmona, Elenice Maranesi, Paulo André, Dario Ezquenazi, Paulo Braga, Dick Oatts, Mark Kirk, Diego Urcola, Hendrik Meurkens, Mark Soskin, Lula Galvão, Conrad Herwig, Helio Schiavo, Marcio Bahia, Portinho, Sergio Barrozo, Paulo Russo and many more. There are some, who sadly no longer are with us and from whom I also learned a great deal by performing with some of them, such as: Luiz Bonfá, Moacir Santos, Dom Um Romão, Luiz Henrique, Susannah McCorkle or just listening to their works: Noel Rosa, Ary Barroso, Sivuca, Tom Jobim, J. S. Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Villa-Lobos, Pixinguinha, Bill Evans, Eric Satie, Ravel, Debussy, etc. October 12, 2007 |