MEMBERS
NELSON AYRES
Pianist, composer, arranger and conductor NELSON AYRES has been since the 70´s one of the most important names in Brazilian instrumental music.An acomplished jazz pianist, he played with big names such as Benny Carter, Toots Thielemans, Dizzy Gillespie, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. In Brazil it is hard to find one great singer or musician who has not counted on him as arranger or on piano. Milton Nascimento and Ivan Lins are among his partners in composition. During the 90´s he was conductor and artistic director of the São Paulo Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, the world´s only full time symphony orchestra exclusively dedicated to popular music. The originality of his arrangements have taken him to the podium of Orchestras all over the world, including the prestigious Israel Philarmonic.Nelson Ayres was consultant and President of the Jury for the Visa Prize, the most important music competition in Brazil. He also had during five years his own weekly jazz program on the Brazilian Cultural TV Network.His most recente activities includes conducting and arranging for the Tom Jobim Youth Orchestra in São Paulo, and concerts and recordings with his own trio, with 30 years old Pau Brasil quintet, and with singer Monica Salmaso.
RODOLFO STROETER
As a bass player, Rodolfo took part at two of the most important groups from Brazilian instrumental music from 80’s: Grupo Um and Divina Increnca.Founding member of instrumental Brazilian quintet Pau Brasil, he has played as a musician with artists such as Joyce, Gilberto Gil, Dori Caymmi, Edu Lobo, Paulo Moura and João Donato.During mid 90’s Stroeter has improved his production aspects with the independent Brazilian label “Pau Brasil Music”, recording artists as Gilberto Gil, Joyce, Dori Caymmi, Banda Mantiqueira, Mônica Salmaso, Naná Vasconcelos, Carlinhos Brown, Pau Brasil and the Grammy nominated jazz quintet Nonada.
PAULO BELLINATI
Graduated by The Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland, Paulo Bellinati is one of Brazil’s most accomplished sort-after contemporary guitarist, composer, arranger and also a respected music scholar. He rediscovered, transcribed, and recorded the music of the great Brazilian guitarist-composer Annibal Augusto Sardinha (Garoto). His landmark recording THE GUITAR WORKS OF GAROTO and edition of Garoto’s works have received international critical acclaim. In another special álbum, with vocalist Mônica Salmaso, they performed his arrangements of the complete “AFRO-SAMBAS” by Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes.He has recorded a dozen of solo albums and has played and recorded with many artists including Steve Swallow, Carla Bley, Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque, César Camargo Mariano, and Leila Pinheiro. He won the 1994 Prêmio Sharp awards (Brazilian Grammy) as best arranger for Gal Costa’s CD “O Sorriso do Gato de Alice. In Brazil he also produced and recorded several guitar albums including “VIRADO” with Weber Lopes, and “PINGUE-PONGUE” with Cristina Azuma. Bellinati typically draws on Brazil’s rich musical heritage, adapting traditional forms and styles but infusing them with contemporary techniques and harmonies. Many guitarists have asked Bellinati to write a large-scale works, among them the Brasil Guitar Duo (João Luiz and Douglas Lora), which, together with Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP), commissioned Bellinati to write one of his masterpieces: “Concerto Caboclo for Two Guitars and Orchestra”. The duo premiered the piece in São Paulo, Brazil in June 2012 with OSESP conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero. In 2016, the Duo and the DELAWARE SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA, conducted by Maestro David Amado, recorded the album “TWO CONCERTS FOR TWO GUITARS & ORCHESTRA” (Naxos), premiering Leo Brouwer and Paulo Bellinati concertos.He has won the first prize in composition for his solo guitar piece “Jongo”, at the “8th Carrefour Mondial de la Guitare” in Martinique. The piece has now more then 80 recordings by artists from all over the world including the great guitarist John Williams and, the outstanding DUO ASSAD.Recently, with Marco Pereira he has toured in Europe and Brazil with their most recent two guitars project. The “DUO” álbum will be launched by the end of 2017.
TECO CARDOSO
One of the most creative Brazilian soloists, multi-instrumentalists (all saxes, flutes and native Brazilian bamboo flutes) Teco Cardoso was born in Sao Paulo City, whose cosmopolitan flavors can be felt in his music. Cardoso lived for a while in Los Angeles, studying with composer/arranger Moacir Santos, then returned to his native country, where he has been performing with such important Brazilian artists/Groups as Dori Caymmi, Edu Lobo, Joyce, João Donato, Marlui Miranda and Baden Powell. A while later became a steady member of the internationally acclaimed quintet “Pau Brasil“. “… a true inventor. “ (John Payne LA Calendar), “… Cardoso displays passionate improvisational creativity.” (Leonard Feather LA Times), “… this is an albun (CD Meu Brasil) that gives us a key to define a contemporary style of brazilian instrumental music .”; “… A special thumbs up for saxophonist Teco Cardoso, who proves to be a remarkable team mate for the trumpeter Randy Brecker in “Randy in Brazil” during the exchange of solos.”
RICARDO MOSCA
Graduated in music at Unicamp (Sao Paulo), and studied at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood and at The Collective, in New York City. In Brazil, he is the drummer of one of the most famous Brazilian instrumental group known as ‘Pau Brasil’. He also plays with Mani Padme Trio, Nelson Ayres Trio and Nelson Ayres Big Band. He performed with several artists such as André Mehmari, André Abujamra, Monica Salmaso, Edu Lobo, Renato Braz, Ceumar, Karnak, Proveta, Ná Ozzeti, Campinas Symphonic Orquestra (where he did projects with Hermeto Pascoal and Wagner Tiso), among others. Ricardo Mosca is also a well known producer and mixing engineer in Sao Paulo.
