Home » Jazz Articles » New York Beat » Nilson Matta and Leny Andrade at Dizzy's
Nilson Matta and Leny Andrade at Dizzy's
ByAlthough Brazilian music has enthralled American audiences for decades, they rarely encounter the pioneering authenticity that Matta brings to a performance. The producers at Dizzy's have, in recent months, frequently headlined Trio de Paz, also featuring Matta, and that group has given Gothamites real insight into the bossa nova and tropicalismo origins which initially connected Brazilian music and jazz. The rhythmic subtleties and harmonic lines that Trio de Paz delivers provide a healthy measure of the original techniques that have made samba jazz so compelling.
Similarly, when Andrade took to the stage, singing familiar tunes like "Felicidade" and "Corcovado," a fresh energy entered the arena. Her lugubrious Brazilian Portuguese phrasing deepens our awareness of the melodic texture. The resonance of Portuguese diphthongs delivers meaning that no English translation can render, and Andrade's articulation and range manages the task as few others can. Tony Bennett called her "the Ella Fitzgerald of Brazilian music" and, at age 70, she is at the top of her game. Her patter in halting English gave the patrons at Dizzy's chuckles as she recounted memories of composer Vinicius De Moraes's nightly meanderings. And her mastery of the great composersJobim, Bonfa and de Moraeshad the audience riveted.
Matta's sidemen also deserved notice. Mueller, a pianist somewhat new to the scene, brought new excitement to "Frevo de Orfeu," as did the exchanges between Saci and Kautz. Wilson wisely featured whole note sequences, which optimized the melodic predominance of the Brazilian hits.
Although listening to these hits here in New York was invariably pleasurable, Matta and his group made the evening feel as if it were taking place somewhere in the back alleys of Sao Paulo or curbside on Ipanema beach. And that was a rare musical transformation, indeed.
Comments
About Nilson Matta
Instrument: Bass, acoustic
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar ToTags
Nilson Matta
New York Beat
Nick Catalano
United States
New York
New York City
Klaus Mueller
Fernando Saci
Alex Kautz
Steve Wilson
Leny Andrade
Trio de Paz
Tony Bennett
Ella Fitzgerald
Vinicius De Moraes