HENDRIK MEURKENS - Samba to Go! (2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Though being of Dutch-German descent, Hendrik Meurkens has become a professional Brazilian flavored music maker whose spirited sounds are channeled through his most evident influence, Toots Thielemans. On this recording, Meurkens switches up playing his familiar harmonica with the vibraphone, mixes in a few older tunes from his repertoire with fresh material, one American popular song, and a uses a complement of long-standing bandmembers alongside some newer voices. It's a reliable result, in that the steady samba rhythms never waver, keeping in check a vast amount of improvisation save solos, and gives the listener a safe haven to enjoy this generally uplifting music. St. Petersburg, Russia born keyboardist Misha Tsiganov is a real find, while saxophonist Rodrigo Ursala is as vital a component as Meurkens, especially when he employs his lithe, playful, and atmospheric flute. The leader also wrote most of this music, save for the standard, an Antonio Carlos Jobim tune, or one by pianist Luiz Simas. With Tsiganov playing the Fender Rhodes piano, there a bit of a retro fusion feel à la the original Return to Forever that featured Brazilians Airto and Flora Purim. The Jobim piece "So Tinha De Ser com Voce" has this feeling in a lighter samba flavor with Meurkens on vibes, while "Odessa in April" has a calmer, sleek and seductive tone about it as harmonica joins overdubbed sax and flute. Simas joins on piano for the outstanding "A Choro for You" as churning rhythms meet the Thielemans' style of Meurkens in staccato accents. Of the redo tunes, "Spaceburger" is a great melodic vehicle and an energetic, magnetic tune that leaps out of the speakers, "Mountain Drive" has the kind of shimmering Rhodes sound reminiscent of '70s Chick Corea with Ursala's vibrant tenor sax on the second chorus, while the N.Y.C. neo-bop based "Joe's Donut" is driven by the acoustic piano of Tsiganov and the Michael Brecker-like tenor of Ursala, similar to the band Steps/Steps Ahead, with Meurkens' vibes in the style of Steps co-leader Mike Mainieri. "Bossa Sketch" is close to an ECM-like chamber semi-ballad sound, sultry and romantic with the atmospheric soprano sax of Ursala leading the way. "My Foolish Heart" is a true ballad sans sax, moving to light samba on the bridge. Though typical of what Meurkens has been releasing, there's enough depth, substance, and diversity to set this apart from strictly confined Brazilian music projects. It is a high point for Meurkens so far, as a bandleader, a vibist (please, play more!) and especially a well-rounded and able instrumentalist. by Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1     Spaceburger 5:19
Hendrik Meurkens
2     Odessa in April 6:35
Hendrik Meurkens
3     Samba to Go! 4:30
Hendrik Meurkens
4     Só Tinha de Ser Com Você 5:45
Antônio Carlos Jobim / De Oliveira
5     Choro No. 14 2:58
Hendrik Meurkens
6     Mountain Drive 6:06
Hendrik Meurkens
7     Joe's Donut 5:28
Hendrik Meurkens
8     Bossa Sketch 5:13
Hendrik Meurkens
9     A Choro for You 4:24
Luiz Paulo Simas
10     My Foolish Heart 6:34
Ned Washington / Victor Young
Credits :
Bass – Gustavo Amarante
Congas, Percussion, Pandeiro – Zé Maurício (faixas: 3, 7, 9)
Drums, Pandeiro, Percussion – Adriano Santos (faixas: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8)
Harmonica, Vibraphone – Hendrik Meurkens
Piano – Luiz Simas (faixas: 9)
Piano, Electric Piano – Misha Tsiganov
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Alto Flute – Rodrigo Ursala

RAY BARRETTO - Standards Rican-ditioned (2006) APE (image+.cue), lossless

This was Ray Barretto's last album, recorded exactly a month before he suffered a heart attack that contributed to his death in February 2006. Sadly, it would also be one of pianist Hilton Ruiz's final sessions, for he passed away in June 2006 under mysterious circumstances. As such, it is poignant that both of these open-minded Latin jazz musicians would be looking backwards at this stage, for Standards Rican-ditioned is an album of standards recorded in an old-fashioned, straight-ahead style. This CD reverts back to a formula that Blue Note, Riverside and Prestige sometimes pursued in the middle of the 20th century: set a straight-forward, hard bop rhythm and accent it lightly with congas. As Barretto knew so well from long experience in the studios back then, the result is a straight-ahead collection with an extra zing -- and at 76, Barretto had plenty of perfectly accented zing left. He gets capable soloing out of his frontline -- David Sanchez on tenor and Papo Vazquez on trombone -- together on "Suddenly It's Spring" and "Baby, Baby All the Time" (with Vazquez growling on a plunger mute in the latter) and separately on the other tunes. Ruiz offers a rhapsodic, nearly symphonic solo rendition of the Ellington/Strayhorn "Something to Live For," and Ray's son Chris Barretto appears on alto in "Trav'lin Light" and "Brandy's Blues." Chris also plays a crucial role in the album's last track, "Strange Music," that rarely-covered, syrup-coated Robert C. Wright and George Forrest reworking of Edvard Grieg. Ray entered the hospital on the day he was scheduled to overdub his congas on the track, so Chris went in after his father's death and taped the conga part quite competently himself. But Ray Barretto isn't entirely absent, for you can hear his scat vocals outlining the conga rhythm he wanted. Thank goodness they kept this in; it adds a jaunty parting touch from the conga master. by Richard S. Ginell  
Tracklist :
1     Lean on Me 8:18
A. Judson Green
2     Trav'lin' Light 7:44
Johnny Mercer / James Mundy
3     Ivy 4:29
H. Carmichael   
4     Suddenly It's Spring 5:09
J. Burke / J.V. Heusen   
5     I Had the Craziest Dream 5:29
M. Gordon
6     Something to Live For 3:48
Billy Strayhorn
7     Baby, Baby All the Time 6:32    
B. Troup   
8     Brandy's Blues 6:27
Ray Barretto
9     Strange Music 4:52
George Forrest
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Chris Barretto (faixas: 2, 8)
Bass – John Benitez (faixas: 1 to 5, 7 to 9)
Congas – Ray Barretto (faixas: 1 to 5, 7, 8)
Drums – Adam Cruz (faixas: 1 to 5, 7 to 9)
Piano – Hilton Ruiz (faixas: 1 to 9)
Tenor Saxophone – David Sanchez (faixas: 1, 3, 4, 7, 9)
Trombone – Papo Vazquez (faixas: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8) 

TRIO DA PAZ - 30 (2016) Mp3

Only very special collaborations last 30 years, and rarely do they become more exciting and together over the decades. Trio da Paz, however, is one such long-lasting and still lightning band. The team of drummer Eduardo "Duduka" Da Fonseca, guitarist Romero Lubambo and bassist Nilson Matta, all Brasilian jazzmen of New York City, is just as dashing today as when the three first met in 1985.
So 30, their seventh album and ZOHO debut release, wastes no time glancing back. Rather, Trio da Paz celebrates the past as a way to get to what's now and what's next. This is not to imply that the band or 30 denies history. As friends, Duduka, Romero and Nilson are utterly secure in their enduring triangle, and as musicians they tap well-established elements of bedrock Brasilian samba and bossa nova -- the music of Jobim, Gilberto and Bonfá -- as well as bebop and its developments, Wes Montgomery, third stream and even free improvisation for ingredients of their signature sound. Romero's urban gypsy melodies and percussive chording, Nilson's firm yet flexible baselines and Duduka's rhythms -- which, whether surging or simmering, are always energized -- flow fast and inseparably over the course of 30.
Sampa 67 is characteristic: A brisk tune that welcomes the listener to enjoy the musicians' empathic interplay. The composition is slangily named for São Paulo, where Nilson, its composer, was born, and his rubato statement is at the track's center. Hear how Romero and Duduka, in stimulating exchanges, ramp the tempo back up to where it started.
In a similar mood and moving quickly, For Donato is Romero's tribute to bandleader and pianist Joao Donato, a Brazilian master who absorbed Caribbean accents during his stints with Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader and Tito Puente, among others, when he lived in the United States during the late '50s and '60s. The tune uses an afoxé rhythm that comes from Bahia, and is closely related to an Afro-Cuban groove.
The pace slows somewhat – Duduka using brushes instead of sticks - for Romero's bossa nova Outono ("Autumn"). Says the guitarist-composer: "With its changing of colors and cooler days after the summer, autumn is really a season for romantic music." And this is really music for romance. Alana is Duduka's piece for his older daughter, now an adult. Her father says Alana's personality is reflected in the song, which changes meter from 15/8 to 6/8 to a doubletimed 4/4 for the bass solo to Duduka's own episode in 15/8. So may we assume Alana is a sparkling and strong woman whose many dimensions fit together gracefully? Complementary yet contrasting, Luisa is for Romero's daughter, currently 17. The guitarist calls her "a beautiful person inside and out, who I love very much!" Although written in ?, "Luisa" is not phrased as a jazz waltz but instead sways in a way that Duduka identifies as a waltz with a Brasilian lilt.
Brasilian guitar virtuoso Baden Powell (1937 – 2000), obviously a hero to Romero, Nilson and Duduka as an early exemplar of the pan-stylistic approach Trio da Samba favors, wrote Samba Triste which at a breakneck tempo doesn't seem triste at all. Nilson's Águas Brasileiras refers to the Atlantic ocean, which has exerted implacable influence on the Trio's native land. A ballad, the song moves in soft waves; the trio's improvisation opens up the theme's depths and crosscurrents. Nilson recorded this previously, on his 2010 ZOHO album Copacabana.
Sweeping the Chimney, which Duduka calls "fast, really fast," was inspired by workers attending to Romero's house in New Jersey. "Luisa was three years old when I wrote that," the guitarist mentions, "and she helped me decide some of the notes." Duduka contributed Flying Over Rio, the melody of which came to him in an airplane taking off over Guanabara Bay, giving him a view of the mountains around Rio and Sugar Loaf, their peak. "Wow, it was gorgeous," he remembers – also remembering to credit Paulo Jobim (Tom Jobim's son) with suggesting to him one perfect note that launched the bridge "in a completely different direction."

To conclude, Nilson's LVM/Direto Ao Assunto (the initials of his wife and sons/"to the point") goes in a flash from subtle reflection to searing line. Both of these songs have been recorded before by Duduka and Nilson with pianist Helio Alves: "Flying over Rio" in 2008 on The Brazilian Trio's ZOHO release "Forests", and "LVM/Direto ao Assunto" on that group's album "Constelacao". Nilson introduced the song on the late pianist Don Pullen's album Kele Mou Bana, released in 1991.
That was just one year before Trio da Paz's own recording debut, Brasil from the Inside. Annotating that album, I wrote, "If North Americans hadn't invented jazz, surely Brasilians such as guitarist Romero Lubambo, bassist Nilson Matta and percussionist Duduka Da Fonseca would have." In fact, the members of Trio da Paz have invented jazz that's personally and musically unique. Their music is cool and hot, rooted in Brasilian heritage but cosmopolitan, timely and timeless.
"After 30 years together, we still bring the same energy, emotion and happiness whether we're stepping onstage or into a recording session," says Nilson. "That's the secret to Trio da Paz, what captivates our fans and why we keep making new ones all over the world." Romero agrees: "To play as Trio da Paz is a unique experience because the music always transcends notes, chords, tempos and anything written on sheet music. Naturally, because we've been playing together for 30 years, we know each other so well that we don't need to explain anything. These are qualities that are impossible to teach or articulate in words. They come from the hearts, souls and feelings that we have as individuals and as a group." Duduka adds simply, "When we play, we're very organic and spontaneous. Even to songs we perform often, we like to take a fresh approach. Sometimes one of us does something a little different, and we all realize it's better, so we stick with that. It's like a democracy. We all have ideas and try to do our best." The best of Trio da Paz is very fine. And though journalists used to use "-30-" to indicate the end of a story, 30 whets the appetite for more from a band in its prime. -- Howard Mandel
Tracklist:
1    Sampa 67 5:15
Nilson Matta
2    For Donato 5:45
Romero Lubambo
3    Outono 4:18
Romero Lubambo
4    Alana 5:01
Duduka Da Fonseca
5    Luisa 3:33
Romero Lubambo
6    Samba Triste 4:05
Baden Powell
7    Águas Brasileiras 4:47
Nilson Matta
8    Sweeping the Chimney 4:05
Romero Lubambo
9    Flying Over Rio 3:30
Duduka Da Fonseca
10    Lvm/Direto Ao Assunto 5:24
Nilson Matta
Musicians:
Romero Lubambo - Acoustic & Electric Guitars
Nilson Matta - Acoustic Bass
Duduka Da Fonseca - Drums 

BRAZILIAN TRIO - Forests (2008) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The Brazilian Trio consists of three Brazilian-born musicians who left their native land to expand their musical horizons in New York. Pianist Helio Alves has recorded extensively as a leader, while bassist Nilson Matta and drummer Duduka Da Fonseca make up two-thirds of the group Trio da Paz. The band is not a typical piano/bass/drums trio, but an interactive group with all members contributing to the arrangements. They explore gems by Milton Nascimento (including a shimmering, reflective rendition of "Tarde" and a driving romp through "Vera Cruz"), along with a breezy take of Ivan Lins' "Amor." Their originals, which make up half of the CD, are just as potent: Alves' sauntering samba "Ubatuba," and Matta's "Forests," which conveys both the beauty of Brazilian wilderness and the tense daily battle for survival among its inhabitants. Da Fonseca's easygoing, lyrical "Flying Over Rio" is also noteworthy. by Ken Dryden
Tracklist:
1    Amor 6:20
Ivan Lins
2    Forests 7:06
Nilson Matta
3     Samba Alegre 6:40
Hélio Alves
4    Montreux 6:22   
Hermeto Pascoal
5    Pro Zeca 7:08
Victor Assis Brasil
6    Tarde 5:50
Milton Nascimento
7    Ubatuba 6:27
Hélio Alves
8    Paraty 5:56
Nilson Matta
9    Flying Over Rio 3:37   
Duduka Da Fonseca
10    Vera Cruz 7:06
Milton Nascimento
Credits:
Bass – Nilson Matta
Drums – Duduka Da Fonseca
Piano – Helio Alves

DUDUKA DA FONSECA QUINTET - Samba Jazz in Black & White (2006) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Drummer Duduka Da Fonseca's goal is to blend samba with jazz, and he succeeds throughout this colorful disc. His music is often gentle like sambas, but it is rhythmically complex in spots and features strong jazz improvising along with a pair of atmospheric vocals. There is more variety than expected and the music, although often soothing, is never overly predictable. The core quintet consists of the leader on drums and percussion, the talented Anat Cohen on reeds, guitarist Guilherme Monteiro, pianist Helio Alves, and bassist Leonardo Cioglia. Singers Maucha Adnet and Alana Da Fonseca are on "Mestre Bimba," with Adnet returning on "Medo de Amar." There are also two guest appearances for guitarist Vic Juris and the reeds of Paulo Levi, with trumpeter Claudio Roditi sitting in on "Bye Bye Brasil." Throughout this well-conceived set, Duduka Da Fonseca keeps the music flowing, swinging, and highly appealing. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1    Mestre Bimba 4:33
Bebeto / Hélcio Milito
2    Janeiro 5:53
Ion Muniz
3    Bye Bye Brasil 6:33
Chico Buarque / Roberto Menescal
4    Chorinho Pra Ele 4:31
Hermeto Pascoal
5    Viver de Amor 5:24
Toninho Horta
6    Medo de Amar 4:50
Vinícius de Moraes
7    Palhaco 4:51
Egberto Gismonti
8    Terra de Angara (Intro) 1:08
Duduka Da Fonseca
9    Terra de Angara 4:21   
Haroldo Mauro, Jr.
10    O Grande Amor 6:01
Antônio Carlos Jobim
11    Sambetinho 6:29
Hélio Alves
12    Dry Land 5:36
Marcos Silva
Musicians:
Duduka Da Fonseca - drums, percussion
Helio Alves - piano
Anat Cohen - tenor & soprano saxes, clarinet
Guilherme Monteiro - electric and acoustic guitars
Leonardo Cioglia - bass
Special Guests:
Maucha Adnet - vocals
Alana Da Fonseca - vocals
Vic Juris - guitar
Paulo Levi - tenor sax, flute
Claudio Roditi - trumpet
Producer - Duduka Da Fonseca

DUDUKA DA FONSECA TRIO - Plays Toninho Horta (2011) Mp3

 Brazilian drummer Duduka Da Fonseca’s third ZOHO CD release “Plays Toninho Horta” is his superlative follow-up to his 2009 Latin Grammy-nominated “Brazilian Trio – Forests” project. (ZOHO ZM 200806). This new CD, recorded in 2009, presents his current Rio de Janeiro-based Trio with pianist David Feldman and bassist Guto Wirtti.
Repertoire focus on the album are some of the most famous songs by one of the leading living Brazilian singer-songwriters and guitarists, Toninho Horta, in instrumental jazz interpretations which are profoundly searching, lyrical and virtuosic.Since his arrival in New York in 1975, Da Fonseca has performed with, and has appeared as a sideman on over 200 CDs, with North American jazz greats, Tom Harrell, John Scofield, Gerry Mulligan, Herbie Mann, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Kenny Barron, Rufus Reid, Eddie Gomez, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano and many others. Da Fonseca has toured internationally with Brazilian legends Antonio Carlos Jobim and singer Astrud Gilberto, and formed the outstanding Brazilian jazz group Trio Da Paz. In 2002 Duduka was nominated for a Grammy® with his first solo album "Samba Jazz Fantasia". He also appeared as a featured guest on Brazilian acoustic guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima two ZOHO releases “Carioca”(ZOHO ZM 200602) and “Merengue”(ZOHO ZM 200911).
Joachim “Jochen” Becker
Throughout the rich history of Brazilian music, we have had extremely talented composers and amongst them, one that touches my heart with his amazing music is Toninho Horta. I met Toninho more than forty years ago, and also had a chance to meet his beautiful family. In the early 70s I used to date his younger sister Lena, a very talented flutist, and on many occasions I stayed in his family house in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, where he still lives. I was lucky to witness some of Toninho's evolution as a composer and as a human being. I can say that without exception, I love all his compositions. I believe that Toninho Horta deserves much broader recognition worldwide.
In 2000, I had the pleasure to meet David Feldman when he was studying at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York. We started playing together right away, and the chemistry between us was there from the first hit. David played in my quintet at the time, and I played on his first trio album, with the fabulous Hans Glawischnig on bass. A few years later, David moved back to Rio, where he still lives with his family.
In a recent visit to Rio, I got a call from Paulo Levi, a wonderful sax player from northeast Brazil, to play on his album. When I got to the studio, David Feldman was the pianist, and the bass player was a young gentleman from the south of Brazil, Guto Wirtti.
We started the session and I said to myself, "Wow!! This rhythm session sounds so right!! It feels like a walk on Ipanema Beach." I came back to New York, and started to think that I really wanted to do a trio project with these two fabulous young musicians. At the time, I was playing quite a bit with Toninho, around Europe and in New York, with a project of mine called "Samba Jazz & the Music of Jobim". Then the idea clicked in my head: "I am going to do a Trio album playing the music of Toninho Horta". That same year I went back to Rio, and we recorded the album. The recording process was a fantastic experience, and I could not be happier with the results.I sincerely hope that you enjoy the music as much as we enjoyed making it. (Duduka Da Fonseca)

Duduka Da Fonseca. I was very happy to hear the news of this homage paid to me by this great musician and special friend, Duduka Da Fonseca, through his Trio recording of my compositions. I felt proud and privileged, since Duduka has a beautiful history with the bossa nova, and who today is one of the most exquisite Brazilian musicians, sharing the stage with great jazz musicians from New York, who are the best in the world.
Upon hearing the album, I was deeply moved by the performance of the Trio and by the unique way they transformed my songs into true instrumental pearls. The individual and collective creativity of Duduka, David and Guto are highlighted in each track, and the conceptual innovations of groove, melodic interpretation and form left me truly enchanted.
The audiophile public will also be privileged to experience the superb work of Duduka Da Fonseca through this album. I wish I had played with them on the album, however it might not have been such a fresh, sweet, creative and beautiful work, as was the final result.
All that remains for me is to thank them and wait for the CD to come out soon, so I can again enjoy these unforgettable tracks, made with such competence and heart. (Toninho Horta) zohomusic.com
Tracklist:
1    Aqui, Oh! 6:34   
2    Bicycle Ride 4:19
3    Moonstone 4:17   
4    Francisca 4:16       
5    Aquelas Coisas Todas 7:53   
6    De Ton Pra Tom 4:48   
7    Waiting for Angela 5:09   
8    Luisa 5:54   
9    Retrato Do Gato 4:19
Credits:
Duduka Da Fonseca - Drums
David Feldman - Piano
Guto Wirtti - Bass (Acoustic)

DUDUKA DA FONSECA TRIO - New Samba Jazz Directions (2013) Mp3

Samba and Bossa Nova (which originated from Samba) have been at the heart of my playing since the beginning. They are usually played on the drum set, with the traditional ostinato pattern (dotted eighth / sixteenth notes) played on the bass drum. The "Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66" album, with João Palma on drums, is a good basic example of this way of playing. But I believe that in Samba or Bossa Nova one can also choose to use the bass drum much more freely, without the obligation of playing the traditional ostinato pattern the whole time, using the bass drum to play syncopated accents as an accompanying voice. I sometimes like to alternate between the two approaches, even in the same song. I also love "feathering" the bass drum; a technique, as the word implies, in which you play very softly. In America, modern Jazz bass drum syncopations and accents were developed by Kenny Clarke (1914-1985), who found a way to match the new conversational language of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. Growing out of the styles of Chick Webb, Papa Jo Jones and "Big" Sid Catlett, Kenny Clarke's innovations paved the way for Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones and many others, and changed the approach of Jazz drummers all over the world.

The concepts that were created by these legendary Jazz drummers were eventually adapted to Samba Jazz and Bossa Nova drumming. In Brazil, the first to do so was Edison Machado (1934-1990) whose 1965 recording “Rio 65 Trio" with Dom Salvador (piano) and Sergio Barrozo (bass) heavily influenced myself, Robertinho Silva, Zé Eduardo Nazário, Tutty Moreno, and several others. In the early 70'S while living in Rio, I began to develop this way of playing Samba in a trio setting with Cesarius Alvim (piano) and Ricardo Santos (bass). In 1975 I moved to New York to pursue my dreams; I fell in love with the city and have lived here ever since. It has been a great learning journey, and has led me to understand that gratitude, perseverance, patience and kindness are some of the key qualities that can lead to a better knowledge of life. In the early 80’s I began playing and recording with the pianist of the Rio 65 Trio, Dom Salvador, who had also moved to New York. In 1997 we recorded a joint album, “Transition” with Rogerio Botter Maio on bass. Because of the chemistry between us we were able to explore ideas of a more freely played Samba. Years later I found a new trio setting in which to continue this musical conversation. Our first recording together was Duduka Da Fonseca Trio plays Toninho Horta" for ZOHO Music. David Feldman, Gutto Wirtti and I are able to think and feel musical time in uncannily similar ways, creating an ideal musical landscape for us to further explore new forms of Samba and Bossa Nova playing, using our roots for musical inspiration. The result is a time/beat with a much wider and elastic feel, but without losing the essence of Samba, which is in our blood.
Our new album was made in Rio de Janeiro (where the sounds of our music originally took root at "Beco das Garrafas", Rio's 52nd Street). Recording in the neighborhood of Ipanema where I was born and raised was a wonderful experience for me, and I hope that you enjoy listening to the album as much as we enjoyed making it. Here is our heartfelt effort to present New Samba Jazz Directions. Deep thanks to David Feldman and Guto Wirtti for their invaluable musical suggestions. This album is dedicated to my beloved wife Maucha Adnet. Best of luck and peace, Duduka Da Fonseca

For decades, Rio de Janeiro-born drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has been hailed as one of the leading drummer/band leaders in Brazilian Samba Jazz, the exciting hybrid of native Brazilian rhythms and American Jazz. "Growing up in Ipanema in the 50s was fantastic,” Duduka recalls. “Its beaches were beautiful and pure. Ipanema was a neighborhood of mostly family homes with very few buildings and cars. We played soccer in the streets and climbed trees. It was peaceful."
"I was very fortunate that my parents loved good music. I was brought up listening to Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, Dorival Caymmi, Luis Bonfá, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and many others.” Duduka began playing the drums at thirteen: "I am self-taught. My way to learn was playing along with the vinyl records of the Brazilian musicians and American Jazz masters."
Following several years of performing in Brazil both as a leader and a sideman, Duduka moved to New York in 1975. There, he followed his dream of playing with American Jazz musicians, blending the musical cultures of Brazil and the US. “When I arrived in New York City, it was a much different musical scene from today. Samba Jazz was not on the map at that time. I am very proud to be one of a few musicians who helped revive the Brazilian Jazz scene in New York City in the late 70s.”
Duduka has appeared on over 200 albums and performed with artists such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Gerry Mulligan, Claudio Roditi, John Scofield, Wayne Shorter, Tom Harrell, Eddie Gomez, Rufus Reid, Lee Konitz, Herbie Mann, Jorge Dalto, Joe Henderson, Kenny Barron, Emily Remler, Nancy Wilson, Slide Hampton, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Gil Goldstein, Joanne Brackeen, Marc Johnson, George Mraz, John Patitucci, Renee Rosnes, Bill Charlap, Maucha Adnet , Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Phil Woods amongst many others.
Among these recordings are three prior releases as a leader for the ZOHO label, including: Duduka Da Fonseca Quintet: Samba Jazz in Black and White (ZM 200603) in 2006; Brazilian Trio: Forests (ZM 200806) in 2008; and Duduka Da Fonseca Trio Plays Toninho Horta (ZM 201115) in 2011. In 2009, his Brazilian Trio album "Forests" was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the "Best Latin Jazz Album" category. zohomusic.com
Tracklist:
1    Duduka's Mood 6:15
David Feldman
2    Sonho De Maria 6:18
Marcos Valle / Paulo Sérgio Valle
3    Solito 5:25
Guto Wirtti
4    Alana 5:13
Duduka Da Fonseca
5    Isabella 5:42   
Duduka Da Fonseca
6    Zelão 6:02
Sergio Ricardo
7    Tetê 6:26   
David Feldman
8    Céu E Mar 5:26
Johnny Alf
9    Bad Relation 6:27
David Feldman
10    Samblues 5:06
David Feldman
Credits:
Duduka Da Fonseca - Drums
David Feldman - Piano
Guto Wirtti - Bass

DUDUKA DA FONSECA TRIO - Jive Samba (2015) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Master drummer Duduka Da Fonseca and his Rio-based Trio, interpreting Brazilian Samba Jazz compositions by North American jazz icons Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and others.
Duduka Da Fonseca has been hailed as one of the leading drummer/band leaders in Brazilian Samba Jazz, re-uniting here with his Brazil-based Trio for their third ZOHO CD release, in ten exquisite arrangements, including "Jive Samba", "Sco's Bossa" and "Speak Like a Child".
Since his arrival in New York in 1975, Da Fonseca has performed with, and has appeared as a sideman on over 200 CDs, with North American jazz greats Joe Henderson, Tom Harrell, John Scofield, Gerry Mulligan, Claudio Roditi, Phil Woods, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano and many more.
Da Fonseca has toured internationally with Brazilian legends Antonio Carlos Jobim and singer Astrud Gilberto, and formed the outstanding Brazilian jazz group Trio da Paz with guitarist Romero Lubambo and bassist Nilson Matta.
AN EVERLASTING LOVE AFFAIR
The wealthy Rio de Janeiro soccer impresario Arnaldo Guinle sponsored the first European tour in 1922 of the legendary innovator of modern Brazilian Choro, Alfredo da Rocha Viana, Jr., aka Pixinguinha, and his very important and entertaining band known as Os Oito Batutas (The Magnificent Eight). The songwriter, composer, arranger, and saxophonist/flutist Pixinguinha and the Os Oito Batutas served as trail-blazing ambassadors for Brazilian music and culture as they performed for a historic six-month residency in the Scheherazade Cabaret in Paris in 1922.
It was during that monumental nightclub engagement over 90 years ago that one of the most inspired and productive relationships in the last century of modern music making started to catch fire: an eternally passionate and mutual love affair between Brazilian music and American jazz. There is a wonderful legend about another great Giant of American Music, Louis Armstrong, meeting Pixinguinha during that magical time in Paris. What is most important to know is that these two creative forefathers both played a centrally vital role in developing and nurturing our music with the enormity of their hearts and souls.
Since forming his first samba jazz trios and all star bands in the mid 1960s, including being a co-founder of the landmark ensemble Trio Da Paz, master drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has done far more than most in combining American jazz and the heart of Brazilian music, shining the bright light of his soulful swing on what is most uplifting and heartwarming in both cultures. This music is all about abiding love and friendship. The fundamental idea for this special project was germinated after a conversation between Duduka and his friend David Benechis, a Brazilian lawyer and writer, several years ago while Duduka was visiting his hometown, Rio de Janeiro: magical interpretations of Brazilian-inspired compositions by major American jazz composers such as Keith Jarrett, Joe Henderson, Clare Fischer, and John Scofield .zohomusic.com
Tracklist:
1    Jive Samba 4:29
Nat Adderley
2    Lucky Southern 5:12
Keith Jarrett
3    Sco's Bossa 6:39
John Scofield
4    Recorda Me 5:06   
Joe Henderson
5    Peresina 6:45
McCoy Tyner
6    Clouds 6:37
Kenny Barron
7    Pensativa 6:03
Clare Fischer
8    Speak Like a Child 4:26
Herbie Hancock
9    El Gaucho 4:13
Wayne Shorter
10    Samba Yantra 4:37
Chick Corea
Credits:
Duduka Da Fonseca - Drums
David Feldman - Piano
Guto Wirtti - Bass
Paulo Levi - Tenor Saxophone (# 4)