2011/12 Music Series

Projeto B
Friday, March 23, 2012, 8:00 pm


$20 general, $15 seniors, $10 students and alumni (with ID)

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Event Summary

Combine the polyrhythms, harmony, and orchestration of the early 20th Century avant-garde with contemporary jazz, then add the undeniable influence of Brazil, and you get Projeto B, this exciting sextet straight from São Paulo.

Driven by the environment of megacities, where cultural diversity and urban chaos become intertwined, Projeto B seeks to establish a new musical language, blending cutting edge jazz, Brazilian music, and contemporary art music. This year, Projeto B turns ten years old and releases their third album, a tribute to the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Projeto B prides itself in always tackling new challenges, both in composition and in adaptations of traditional repertoire. Their adaptations of masterworks of classical music of the early twentieth century is an ongoing project that has developed since 2004, when Projeto B recorded their first CD, an adaptation and reinterpretation of “The ‘St. Gaudens’ in Boston Common” by Charles Ives, followed by their second CD with an excerpt from Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” Projeto B is directly influenced by the experiments performed by these composers in the early twentieth century. Their use of polyphonic texture, polyrhythm, harmony and orchestration presents a full palatte for the group to explore, often times with unusual instrumentation, a reinterpretation of the dynamic development of improvisations, and a heady mix of influences from a variety of contemporary musical genres.

Vicente Falek, piano and accordion, graduated in composition from Santa Marcelina College and plays in numerous groups including Helio Ziskind, Paulo Tiné and Cecilia Aimé, among others. He can be heard on several CDs, such as Cantigas de Roda (H. Ziskind), Zecher (Klezmer4) and Circo de Pulgas (F. Barros). In 2008 he played at the first Latin American Klezmer Festival in Buenos Aires. Along with his work as an instrumentalist and piano teacher, Falek is a freelance composer of soundtracks for DOK, Confraria and RLMix production studios and for Club Noir Theater Company. He also has produced soundtracks for documentaries and films, such as “Entre nós” (Felippe Brauer), “Cidade Limpa” (Vinicius Mainarde) and “Loucura Mansa” (Sylvio Rocha).

Henrique Alves, bass and guitar, accompanied the singer Arnaldo Antunes in national and international tours for 10 years. In addition, he participated in presentations alongside names like Ney Matogrosso, Tom Zé, Edgard Scandurra, Jorge Mautner, and performers from the scene in São Paulo like Vanessa Bumagny, Dan Nakagawa, Tonho Penhasco, Danilo Moraes, Curumim, Inacio Zatz, among others. Alves is a founder of the Projeto B instrumental sextet.

Mauricio Caetano, percussion, studied drums with Arthur Graig, Zé Eduardo Nazário, Sérgio Gomes, Billy Cobham, and classical percussion with Ricardo Bologna. He graduated in music from Santa Marcelina College in São Paulo and also studied with Francis Seriau, Eric Stams and Darryn Farrugia in London. Caetano has recorded numerous albums as a band member of Armazém Abaporu, Ludi & Tiné Quarteto, Projeto B, Projeto Coisa Fina, Paulo Tiné Quarteto, Manu Maltez and grupo Cardume, and currently can be heard with Projeto B, Projeto Coisa Fina, Dewey Quintet, Bgrooves, Paulo Tiné Quarteto, Anderson Quevedo Quarteto/Trio, Marcelo Monteiro Trio, Slow Foda and Soul Legacy.

Leonardo Muniz Corrêa, alto saxophone and clarinet, graduated in composition from Santa Marcelina College and currently plays with a number of groups including Axial, a band that blends the idioms of electroacoustic and electronic music with ethnic/folk chants and their own songwriting resulting in two albums Axial (2004) and Senóide (2007), and Bgrooves, a quintet with a repertoire comprised of modern jazz composers. Corrêa has also recorded with Armazém Abaporu on their album Abaporu (2001), Manu Maltez & grupo Cardume on the CDs As neves do Kilimanjaro (2005) and Esse Cavalo Morto no Jardim (2009) and with Mundaréu-SP, Arruda Brasil, Bando de Campana Saxophone Quartet and Sta. Marcelina Big Band. Corrêa also produces and records commercials and theater soundtracks.

Amilcar Rodriguez, trumpet, flugelhorn and cornet, currently plays with the composer Mauricio Pereira, and recorded a live CD with Projeto Coisa Fina. He has also played in other groups such as Skowa, Arruda Brasil, as well as the Big Band at ULM, the Conservatory Tatui and the Youth Jazz Orchestra of the State of São Paulo.

Yvo Ursini, guitar and effects, graduated with a Bachelor of Music in composition from Santa Marcelina College, where he began his career with the band Indivíduos no Telhado and worked in the studio, both in advertising jingles and as a session muscian on numerous albums and soundtracks. Ursini has also worked with artists such as Arrigo Barnabé Luis Lopes (Isca de Polícia, Almir Sater and Toquinho) and Skowa, and has composed soundtracks for short films as well as in the theater, including the soundtrack for a play of texts by Jose Antonio Garcia and several other works for theater. He currently plays with Axial and works as a producer, composer and freelance arranger.

Teen Tix are available for 13-19 year olds. Sign up for your FREE Teen Tix pass and start experiencing all kinds of art in Seattle for $5.

Co-presented with the Earshot Jazz Society