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Home   >   Projects   >   Lisboa a Solta   >   Press Release

Track Listing:

1
Os Indios de meia Praia
2
Foi Por Ela
3
As Certezas do Meu Mais Brilhante
4
Velho Mondego
5
E Levantou-Se O Arraial
6
Cancao
7
Cancao com Lagrimas
8
A Morte Saui A Rua
9
Fado Lopes_Meditando
10
Meu Fado Meu
11
Maria Lisboa
12
Ao Longo de um Claro Rio de Agua Doce

Susan Palma-Nidel :

Lisboa a Solta

On the heels of a successful 30-year career as a revered classical flutist, circa 1999, Susan embarked on a mission to explore music that is virtually unknown outside its own, cloistered universe.  For decades, Susan has adored and been intrigued by the nuanced musical forms of Portugal (Fado being only one such form), and was astonished to learn that outside the country – even in most of the Lusofone world – Portuguese music is virtually unknown. 

In 2014 during a visit to Portugal, through friends, she made contact with some of the finest musicians in Lisboa and expanded her considerable knowledge of the music.  Susan experienced a musical epiphany as to how she could bring this incredible music to a wider, global audience.  This has been and remains the goal in this endeavor.

Her concept for the project was clear:  Invite the most accomplished Portuguese musicians to record selected, important compositions, suited to fresh interpretation, and arrange and record these works in Portugal.  By respecting the roots and history of the music with great passion and detail, Susan created a platform that has enabled her to share the music with the world. 

One of Susan's many musical gifts is her ability to adapt to a given genre and quickly learn to play the music as if she had been performing it forever.  Time and again, I have seen her surprise long-time veterans with her ability to integrate her classical virtuosity to their native music and become one of them.

Susan's two recordings of Portuguese music, Lisboa Íntima (2016) and Lisboa à Solta (2018) are examples of what is really a new musical form.  Her recordings have drawn raves from journalists and music lovers in Portugal.  The finest musicians in Portugal have embraced her projects and support them as their own.   

Musical Ambassador accurately describes Susan's role in this project.
 

LISBOA SOCIAL CLUB.  Lisboa Íntima and Lisboa à Solta have much in common with Ry Cooder's renowned Buena Vista Social Club recordings from the mid-1990s, although this was not Susan's intent in creating the projects. 

Cooder traveled to Havana with an idea of presenting the Cuban musical form known as Son to a wider audience and sought out the finest (unknown in the USA) musicians in Cuba for his recordings.  Other than himself and his son, Ry worked only with local musicians, tapping into a culture that had been ignored by the US record business since the early 1960s.  As we all know, the project instantly went viral. 

Part of the magic and success was the infectious camaraderie of the musicians and Cooder's reverence for the music.  Cuban music in 1995 evoked a fresh sound, foreign and new, unknown to the musically xenophobic USA, yet somehow familiar to American ears. 

The craft of the compositions and arrangements on Lisboa Íntima and Lisboa à Solta, the learned tradition and the elegance and emotion of Portuguese Music, evokes a similar magic to that of the Buena Vista Social Club.  The rapport and mutual admiration between Susan and the other artists is palpable in the recordings and live performances.  This cloistered, timeless music is a precious gem, a sonic world clearly of a particular place, as beautiful and alluring as any music in the world. 

Upon listening, Susan's recordings will sound foreign yet instantly familiar to those outside of Portugal who listen for the first time.  It will resonate in the Western European psyche and be instantly familiar and refreshing to the Latin and African American communities in the US.   Most of all, the level of the musicianship, the wonderful arrangements and the energy will astonish American music lovers of all generations.
 

LISBOA À SOLTA (LISBON ON THE LOOSE)

Following Susan's highly acclaimed Lisboa Íntima recording and a concert in November 2016 at the famed Ler Devagar in the LX Factory in Alcantara, Lisboa, Susan organized two tours in the US.   In May 2017 she performed with Pedro Jóia, Ruca Rebordão, Leo Traversa and Philip Hamilton in a series of marvelous concerts in Manhattan.  In July 2017 Pedro and Ruca travelled to New Hampshire where they performed with Susan and the North Country Chamber Players for sold-out performances of music from Lisboa Íntima as well as new material, now recorded on Lisboa à Solta.  Once Susan was clear on the music, the only missing component was to find the right Producer/Arranger.  When we asked our friend Dave Sanborn for a recommendation, without hesitation, he said,  "There is only one person, Gil Goldstein."  Gil's arrangements and production have become the essence of the sound of the recording.

THE MUSIC and THE RECORDING

Lisboa à Solta focuses on new interpretations of major compositions by the most important Portuguese composers of the last 50 years, including Fausto Bordalo Dias, Paulo de Carvalho, Carlos Paredes, Sergio Godinho, and Zeca Afonso.  Susan joined forces with the great Gil Goldstein who came to Portugal to produce, arrange and perform on the recording, giving an already extraordinary endeavor a new, multi-faceted artistic component.

When the reclusive, iconic Fausto learned from Susan's friend and colleague Né Ladeiras that the recording was to include 3 of his compositions, mindful of what he had heard on Lisboa Íntima, he eagerly came to the sessions and sang on 2 tracks.  The roster of musicians joining Susan and Gil is a veritable all-star ensemble from Lisboa including vocalists: Fausto Bordalo Dias, Ricardo Ribeiro and Né Ladeiras; Pedro Jóia, guitar; José Manuel Neto, guitarra Portuguesa; Ruca Rebordão, percussion, berimbau; Carlos Barretto, bass and Sandra Martins, cello & clarinet.

 

LISBOA À SOLTA – The Players

SUSAN PALMA-NIDEL (flute, alto flute, leader).  

In his 1990 New York Times Review entitled A Flutist Who Spans Many Idioms, Donal Henahan wrote: "Susan Palma has long been held in awe as a virtuoso flutist and a good musical citizen by followers of a wide variety of performing groups, including Speculum Musicae, Orpheus, the American Composers Orchestra, the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Bach Chamber Soloists.  Her [solo recital] program at Merkin Concert Hall on Tuesday evening may or may not have been planned to reflect that catholicity of associations, but it left the listener in little doubt as to her range of capabilities."

Susan has recorded over 70 CDs for DGG and Nonesuch with Orpheus including her own album of the Mozart Flute Concerto in G and the Flute and Harp Concerto with harpist Nancy Allen.  Gramophone Magazine called it the "the best recording of these works to date".  She is featured on the Orpheus Copland recording of Appalachian Spring, which was nominated for a Grammy as well as the 2001 Grammy winning Shadow Dances. 

Susan has continued to perform this music but circa 1999, she began to move away from, but not abandon, her classical background.   Fortuitous meetings with new musicians helped her find a new way.   On a tour to Buenos Aires in 1997 with Orpheus she met Pablo Zeigler, the renowned pianist with Astor Piazzolla's from 1979-1989.   Because of Pablo's interest in writing for chamber orchestra and chamber groups they began working together, playing his music, Tango Jazz, as well as his arrangements of Piazzolla's music.   

Pablo soon wrote Susan a Suite for Flute and String quartet, which was recorded on her first solo CDs, Elegante: New Flute Music of South America (2012).   Also included on Elegante were Ivan Lins singing two of his own tunes accompanied by Susan's friend and colleague Branford Marsalis.  Hector del Curto, the great bandoneon player, guitarists Leo Amuedo, Chico Pinheiro and the talented Café on percussion, also highlight that recording.  A new version of Villa Lobos' "Jet Whistle/Assobio do Jato" is brilliantly reimagined by Robert Sadin, with Chico, guitar, Eddie Arron, cello and Cyro Baptista, percussion accompanying Susan.

Because of these meetings and her highly successful debut solo recording, Susan began searching for a new World Music project.  This search eventually led to her exploration of the rich, cloistered musical tradition of Portugal.  With the encouragement of Ivan Lins, Susan sought out the finest musicians in Lisboa and found that there was great interest in working with a renowned, classical New York flutist who had a passion for their music.  Lisboa Íntima was released in Portugal November 11, 2016.  Susan continues to perform regularly with Orpheus both in the US and around the world and with the American Composers Orchestra in New York City.  For more on Susan's Lisboa à Solta, (released in the US September 12, 2018; in Portugal October 2018) see "The Story" both in the booklet to the CD and on this site.   

Throughout her website www.susanpalmanidel.com, there are informative videos of the recording sessions in Lisboa and descriptions of the projects in a short video as well as more information about all the musicians who participated on the recording and Lusofone music in general.  Also go to YouTube: https://youtu.be/fnbSxPPAG-w (video of the sessions) and https://youtu.be/TCEPLJ-AOxk (Susan discussing the project).  

 

GIL GOLDSTEIN (producer, arranger, accordion, piano) is one of the most prominent producer/arrangers in the Jazz and World Music arenas.  His work as an arranger includes projects with Michael Brecker, Esperanza Spalding, Chris Botti, Milton Nascimento, and David Sanborn, among others. 

Gil is an important disciple of Gil Evans, having worked with his band from 1981 until his passing in 1988, after which he was appointed musical director of Evans' band.  He reconstructed the classic Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaborations of the 60's for a concert in Montreux, Switzerland under the direction of Quincy Jones. 

Gil has won 5 Grammy Awards through his work as an arranger and producer. As a pianist and accordionist he has worked with most of the leading modern jazz artists including Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, Jim Hall, Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin among many others. He is versed in all varieties of world music and has recorded with the leading musicians of Brazil, including Toninho Horta and Romero Lubambo; of Portugal, including Fausto, Pedro Jóia, Ricardo Ribeiro, Né Ladeiras, Anna Maria Jopek, Rui Veloso, José Manel Neto; of Spain with Carles Benavente and Jorge Pardo; of Paris with Juliette Greco, and also the cream of American popular music, including Paul Simon, James Taylor and Sting. He has collaborated on film scores with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Pat Metheny as an arranger and orchestrator, and has composed a number of scores. 

As an educator, he holds a Ph.D. in music education from Union Graduate School, and has written The Jazz Composer's Companion which is published by Schott Music.  Gil's unique style, vision and brilliant arranging are a major component of Lisboa à Solta.

RICHARD O. NIDEL (executive producer) conceived and developed Lisboa à Solta with Susan and Gil Goldstein.  In 2004, he wrote: WORLD MUSIC:  THE BASICS, (Routledge), which remains an important reference work in the field.  It is a comprehensive survey of folk, traditional, roots and popular music from virtually every country in the world, containing brief historical, political and musical commentaries and anecdotes for each country and extensive recording recommendations for 1000s of artists.   His love and knowledge of Portuguese musical genres is central to Susan's Lisboa projects and has informed the repertoire.  

Richard owned and operated Citron 47, a World Music Bistro in New York City's Hell's Kitchen, from 1995-2000, featuring renowned World musicians Richard Bona (Cameroon); Bakhiti Kumalo & Tony Cedras (South Africa); Pablo Ziegler, Pablo Aslan, Cecilia Tenconi & Hector del Curto (Argentina); Romero Lubamba, Café, Teco Cardoso, Weber Iago, Vanderlei Pereira (Brasil); Hector Martignon (Colombia); Johnny Almendra, Valerie Naranjo, Philip Hamilton, Leo Traversa and Frank Colon (New York); and Jazz luminaries Frank Wess, Annie Ross, Jimmy Owens, Warren Vaché, Jeff Haynes, Aaron Heick and Howard Alden.

Richard has published numerous writings about wine including his widely acclaimed "Knowledge Cards" for Pomegranate. When not involved in new music projects or writing about wine, Richard reluctantly works as a practicing attorney with offices in New York City.

 

AMANDIO BASTOS (recording engineer, photographer, videographer, production advisor) was born in the north of Portugal and moved to Lisboa as a child in the mid-1960s.   At a very early age, he began working in concert sound companies as a mixing engineer for many top Portuguese and international artists.  Largely self-taught due to the lack of formal courses and programs in Portuguese universities and schools in the 1980s, Amandio has become expert in a wide range of technical sound and visual disciplines.  

In the mid-80s, he began to work as a recording engineer in Valentim de Carvalho, the major Portuguese recording studio at the time.   He worked with a vast array of the top Portuguese musicians including the legendary Amalia Rodrigues, Rui Veloso, Madredeus, Sergio Godinho, Trovante, Pedro Burmester, Sétima Legião, Waldemar Bastos (Angola) and numerous others.

After the major political, cultural and economic upheaval in Lisboa following the World Expo of 1998, Amandio expanded his career by incorporating his longtime love and knowledge of photography into his skill set, working freelance as a photographer and videographer in many musical settings.  

Amandio's artistic vision, resourcefulness and technical ability are central to the creation of Lisboa à Solta and Lisboa Íntima, where he has served not only as engineer, photographer and videographer, but as production advisor throughout the life of the projects.

 

GUEST MUSICIANS on Lisboa à Solta:

 

The Singers:

FAUSTO BORDALO DIAS (vocals, composer) is a musical legend in Portugal, a composer and visionary musician revered throughout the country and Lusofone Africa.   Born in the Atlantic ocean aboard a ship in 1948, Fausto spent his childhood and adolescence in Angola where he discovered his interest in music.

In 1968 he settled in Lisboa to start university studies in Socio-Political Sciences and International Relations and soon joined the movement to oust the Salazar dictatorship, where he met and began to collaborate with Zeca Afonso, Adriano Correia de Oliveira, Manuel Freire, José Mario Branco and others, becoming an integral part of the revolutionary process leading to April 25, 1974.  The Portuguese music world then discovered his remarkable voice and composing ability.

Fausto's music is a journey through the universe of sound, collective memory and the history of his country, especially Portugal's relationship to Africa.   His recordings insightfully chronicle Portugal's abuse and colonization of Africa, and its post revolution relationship with the continent.  All his recordings are different and wonderful, always subtly political, witty, musically unique and pointing forward.  

Prior to Lisboa à Solta, Fausto had become somewhat reclusive and had not recorded in many years, his best work completed perhaps in the late 1990s.  It seems that Susan's sessions have served to introduce a new period of creativity for one of Portugal's musical giants, who once again is appearing on concert stages in 2018 following the Lisboa à Solta sessions.

The energy and excitement of the musicians in the studio for the day of the Fausto session was euphoric when he arrived; he clearly moved and inspired his colleagues and was singing in top form.  Please see "The Story" in the booklet to the CD for more on the recording with Fausto.

 

RICARDO RIBEIRO (vocals) was raised in the Bairro da Ajuda section of Lisboa and started singing at the age of 9 for his friends.  Today he is widely considered to be the leading male Fado singer in the world, although his versatility has allowed him to expand to other musical genres.

In 2004 he participated in A tribute to Amalia Rodriques, a compilation recording and homage to Portugal's greatest Fadista, which also included Ana Moura, Argentina Santos, Cristina Branco and Joana Amendoeira.  

His debut album Ricardo Ribeiro was released in 2004, marked by several traditional Fado tracks but also including compositions by Jorge Fernando, Paco González and Manuel Mendes. 

Ricardo has won numerous awards including the coveted Amalia Prize given by the Amália Rodrigues Foundation (2005) and best male performer by the Foundation in 2011.   In 2006 he was selected to perform a Fado version of Portugal's National Anthem during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.   In 2007 he appeared at the club "Casa de Fados" in the international film Fados, directed by Carlos Saura.

Today, Ricardo is one of the few Portuguese musical artists to achieve international renown, regularly touring Europe, East Asia, Africa and the United States.   He often records and performs with Pedro Jóia and Zé Manel Neto and can be heard on two tracks in Lisboa à Solta:  Canção com Lagrimas, and in the coda to Meu Fado Meu.  It was an honor to have Ricardo perform on the recording

NÉ LADÉIRAS (vocals) is a veteran of the renowned folk ensembles Trovanté and Brigada Victor Jara, a visionary artist, musician and vocalist from the northeast region of Portugal, Tras-os-Montes.  Her recordings from the 1980s and 1990s are revered as masterpieces of Portuguese folk music, especially with Né as lead vocalist in the eclectic Banda do Casaco.  Né is a long time friend of Fausto's and it was her enthusiasm and love of the project that brought him to the sessions. 

Her vocal on Foi Por Ela shows Né's uniquely soulful, natural and mysterious voice to perfection and her collaboration with Fausto on the CDs last track Ao longo de um Claro Rio de agua doce is magical.  

Né recently completed a long awaited, exciting new solo recording of her own compositions titled Outras Vidas, released in Portugal in November 2016.

 

The instrumentalists

CARLOS BARRETTO (double bass) is the leading double bass player in Jazz and popular music in all of Portugal.  After completing courses at the National Music Conservatory of Lisbon, Carlos resided in Vienna (1980-1982) to study with the legendary Ludwig Streicher.  While in Paris (1984-1993), he performed in the most prestigious festivals throughout France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands.  

Carlos returned to Portugal in 1993, and recorded 9 CDs as a leader.  He currently is collaborating with LST (String trio), Suitable (António Eustáquio), the Carlos Martins Quartet and in his own trio with guitarist Mãrio Delgado and percussionist José Salgueiras.  He has worked with numerous jazz and world musicians, including:  André Gago, Lee Konitz, Gary Bartz, Steve Lacy, Steve Potts, Brad Mehldau, Art Farmer, Carlos Bechegas, Jorge Pardo, Mal Waldron, Bernardo Sassetti, Richard Galliano, Mário Laginha and Barry Altschul.  His artistry can be heard throughout both Lisboa recordings.

 

JOSÉ MANUEL NETO (guitarra Portuguesa) is widely considered the leading proponent of the guitarra Portuguésa in the world today, perhaps without peer.  The instrument is the signature sound of Fado, possessing an immediately recognizable, almost metallic sound.  All Fado singers rely on the guitarra Portuguesa in their live performances; it is the instrumental voice of Fado, much as the bandoneon is the essence of Tango.  

Zé Manel is ubiquitous on the world stage, travelling constantly and in demand as a studio musician.  He is an integral part of major Portuguese ensembles that tour the world including top international stars Maríza, Camané, Ana Moura and Carlos do Carmo.  He is an astonishing improviser.  Zé Manel joins Susan on Lisboa à Solta, bringing a breathtaking elegance to several tracks highlighted by a give and take, dar e receber, with Susan at the conclusion of Foi Por Ela and E Levantou-se Ó Arraial.

 

PEDRO JÓIÀ (guitar) is an internationally renowned guitar virtuoso whose versatility includes a rare expertise in Flamenco guitar.  He has recorded six albums in his own name and is a featured soloist on numerous other recordings.  He is widely considered the finest guitarist in Portugal today.

Pedro resided in Brazil for several years and worked there with Ney Matogrosso, Yamandú Costa, Gilberto Gil and many others. In 2008 he was awarded the Carlos Paredes Prize for the album À Espera de Armandinho, which interprets the art of the great maestro.  Since 2013, Pedro has toured the world with the great Fado and pop singer Mariza, for whom he is musical director.

Pedro has developed a wonderful rapport with Susan over the past 3 years, performing with her in Portugal and the United States.  Their concerts in the US in May and July 2017, along with Ruca Rebordão (see bio below) were the inspiration for recording Lisboa à Solta.  Susan and Pedro's duets on Carlos Paredes' Canção and Pedro's own composition, Velho Mondego, both arranged by Pedro, are highlights of the recording. 

 

RUCA REBORDÃO (percussion, berimbau, chant) is an internationally acclaimed percussionist from Angola, a master of the berimbau, who possesses a broad understanding of the music and rhythms from everywhere in the world.  

Ruca has worked with many musical luminaries including Sadao Watanabe, Alejandro Sanz, Rão Kyão, Madredeus, Paulo de Carvalho, António Chainho, Mariza, Melody Gardot, Ivan Lins, Fafá de Belém, and is a fixture on the Lisboa music scene today.  He is regularly involved in World Music festivals on the Iberian peninsula performing as percussionist with, and musical advisor to many up and coming artists and dance companies.  He is the driving force in rising star Luiz Caracol's trio and continues to perform in tandem with the iconic Rão Kyão.  

Ruca's berimbau opens the session and his percussion work throughout is the backbone and the heart and soul of Lisboa à Solta.

SANDRA MARTINS (cello, clarinet, chorus) studied at the Academia Luísa Todi, the Lisbon Conservatory of Music and the Oporto Higher School of Music.  She has played with numerous folk and European dance and music projects and also with many dance companies.  Internationally, as a cellist, she performed with the Taiwan Puppetry Company and in live concerts with artists such as Kanyé West.

She took part in the Rosa Negra project, with which she received the coveted Carlos Paredes award.  She was also a member of the Os Poetas project, which included Rodrigo Leão and Gabriel Gomes (of Madredeus fame).  She regularly works with actors and with improvised music for poetry.

Since 2013, Sandra has been a co-leader of her own project Caixa de Pandora, an eclectic trio including violin, piano and vocals, one of the leading instrumental ensembles in Portugal today.  The group has a classical sensibility both in performance and on their recordings, with a theatrical, cabaret persona always integral to the music.  The group has released three albums and collaborates regularly with international artists throughout Europe.   Sandra is currently the cellist in Júlio Pereira's renowned, award winning quartet.   She also loves playing music to animals.

 

LEO TRAVERSA (electric bass) is one of the most versatile and proficient bassists on the World scene today.  A graduate of The Berklee College of Music in Boston, Leo is also well known as a clinician and instructor.  

Leo has performed and recorded with a wide range of internationally known artists including Angelique Kidjo, Michael Brecker, Larry Harlow, David Krakauer, Don Byron, John Pizzarelli, Ruben Blades, Eliane Elias, Randy Brecker, Ben E. King, Astrud Gilberto, Joyce, Cesar Camargo Mariano, Claudio Roditi, Toninho Horta, Phil Woods, Dianne Reeves, Milton Nascimento, Aster Aweke and many others.   He has authored two instructional books for Carl Fischer Publications entitled, Afro Caribbean and Brazilian Rhythms for Bass, and Fusion: A Study in Contemporary Music for the Bass, and Five Concepts in World Rhythms.  As a teaching artist with Carnegie Hall's "Musical Connections Program" Leo takes part in community outreach events, concerts and songwriting workshops at senior centers, high schools, juvenile homes, and prisons. 

Leo has appeared in the Jonathan Demme film Married to the Mob, in Paul Auster's Lulu on the Bridge and in the Broadway productions of Oh, Calcutta! and Beehive.  In 2012, he was nominated in the Downbeat Readers Poll in the electric bass category.

 

ANA TERESA SANTOS (chorus) is primarily an actress, specializing in live theatre, also appearing on Portuguese TV soap operas and in film.  She studied theater, acting and directing at the Superior School of Theater and Cinema and studied Portuguese and French theatre at FLUC, the Faculty of Arts at the University of Coimbra.  Ana Teresa is an ardent advocate of the work of Samuel Beckett.  Ana Teresa led the chorus on Os Índios da meia Praia and Ao Longo de um Claro Rio de Agua Doce.

SUSAN'S COLLEAGUES FROM LISBOA ÍNTIMA:

CARLOS DO CARMO (vocal) received the 2014 Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the only Portuguese musician to receive such an award.  Carlos and his family – especially the incomparable, late Lucilla do Carmo - are historic figures in the Portuguese musical lexicon known as Fado.  After more than 40 years of recording and performing, Carlos remains in fine form, back on the concert circuit as we move through 2018.  The seeds for Lisboa Intíma were planted during a meeting with Richard and Carlos in New York City in the fall of 2014 at the introduction of Ivan Lins.   Susan's alto flute solo interlude of Um Homem na Cidade is an homage to Carlos, perhaps his most famous recording by the same name.  Fado Ultramar, a tune Ivan composed for Carlos in 1983, is the first and only duet recording of Carlos and Ivan, a highlight of Lisboa Intíma.

Carlos made his New York City debut in the spring of 2018 at Town Hall at the young age of 77 and is singing better than ever today.

 

IVAN LINS (vocal, piano), who graced Susan's Elegante, is Brazil's most recorded and best-known living composer both in Brazil and Internationally, a multi-Grammy winner.  A full bio would take many pages.  Here are some highlights.

His music has been heard on recordings of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Manhattan Transfer, George Benson, Dionne Warwick Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Diane Shuur, Patti Austin, Toots Thielemans, Take 6, Barbra Streisand, Carlos do Carmo, Michael Bublé, Jane Monheit, Sting and many others.  Ivan now resides mostly in Lisboa (Belêm), and after 50 years in the business, he is as active as ever.  He appears with Susan on his compositions Fado Ultramar and Iluminados. 

 

JÚLIO PEREIRA (cavaquinho) is the leading proponent of the cavaquinho in Portugal, perhaps all the world, a virtuoso of the highest order.  Júlio's career dates back to before the Carnation Revolution when he performed with Zeca Afonso and others who protested the long ruling dictatorship.  He has performed with Basque Trixitrixa master Kepa Junkera and with the Chieftains on their Grammy winning Santiago.  His composition Ler Devagar opens Lisboa Intíma with an upbeat flavor.  The interplay between Júlio's Cavaquinho and Susan's Flute is pure musical joy.  

Julio also curates the Cavaquinho Museum in Lisboa, a must to visit for fans of the instrument.  Known to many as the ukulele, the cavaquinho was invented in Madeira in the late 18th century, when it was called a machete, eventually exported to Hawaii by Portuguese craftsmen.

 

MARIO DELGADO (guitar, National Steel guitar) is one of the most prominent guitarists in Portugal today.  He has a classical background and has become a unique Jazz improviser through studies in the school of the Hot Club of Portugal.  He has studied with many renowned jazz guitarists including Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie, Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell and Derek Bailey.  Mario's ability to transform standard compositions to other genres, both from Tin Pan Alley and classic Fado, is his forte. His Filactera quintet was voted best jazz Portuguese group of 2001.  Check out Mario's solo on A Morte Saui à Rua, a vídeo on Susan's website (also on YouTube) for some Lisboan blues.

 

JOÃO MOREIRA is arguably the most in demand trumpeter in all of Portugal.  He graduated from the New School for Social Research in New York in 1999 where he studied with Henry Martin, Richie Beirach, Charles Tolliver and Jimmy Owens. 

Since 1989, João has taught at the Hot Club Jazz School in Lisboa, and is a founding member of the International Association of Schools of Jazz.  João has played virtually every jazz festival in Portugal, as well as many festivals in the United States, and throughout Europe. He has performed with Mario Laginha, Maria João, Ira Coleman, Nguyen Le, Kenny Wheeler, Maria Schneider, Gil Goldstein, Ivan Lins, António Zambujo and Cristina Branco.  He is the featured soloist on Ivan Lins' Iluminados on Lisboa Íntima
 

Abraços e todos.   A música é a força de cura no universe.
Richard O. Nidel, Executive Producer