Jazziz praised Brazilian guitarist Badi Assad (pronounced Bah-Jee Ah-Sahje) as "a virtuoso of the highest order" while Guitar Player pegged her as "fearless!" Wonderland, her second for Deutsche Grammophone is not only an album fantasy and hope; it is also a plea for some sanity in this insane world of ours. The CD touches on many taboo topics including rape, prejudice, child prostitution and loss of cultural identity.
Milton Nascimento (born 26 October, 1942) is a singer-songwriter who is considered one of the icons of Brazilian Music. Nascimento was born in Rio de Janeiro, and grew up in Três Pontas, Minas Gerais. His mother was the maid Maria do Carmo Nascimento. When he was just a few months old, the boy was adopted by the family for whom his mother had previously worked: the couple Josino Brito Campos (a banker, mathematics teacher and electronic technician) and Lília Silva Campos (a music teacher). He lived in the boroughs of Laranjeiras and Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro.
Matt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983 and continues to exist to date. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazzy, Latin-flavoured music. Popular during the mid 1980s in continental Europe, Matt Bianco epitomised the new jazz pop genre that they shared with Working Week, Sade, Everything but the Girl and The Style Council. The band name suggests that Matt Bianco is a personal name, but Matt is "a made up spy, a secret agent; we loved spy TV themes and film scores"
Calling Leo Genovese a "pianist" just doesn't do him justice. Even the term "musician" is rather limiting. Sure, he's a great musician and a great jazz pianist but Leo's goals are more existential. Armed with 88 keys, Leo writes and performs music that feeds off of dissonance and unconventional improvisation all under the guise of "jazz." But what Leo really wants to do is exist between the notes, in a state of musical enlightenment.
Roberto Fonseca was born in City of Havana (Cuba) on the 29 of March of 1975 in a family of musical tradition. This young lady's man and talented pianista, composer, arreglista and professor of piano's inclination to music begun at age four with his interest in percussion instruments like the battery. At the age of eight years he begun to study piano in the school Guillermo Tomás where he graduates in the elementary level of basic piano. At age twelve he begun to be interested in pop music, afrocubana music and Jazz and at fourteen he did his first compositions of afrocuban jazz.
Mark Murphy (b. 1932) is an American jazz singer based in New York. He is most noted for his vocalese and vocal improvisations with both melody and lyrics. He is the recipient of the 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2001 Down Beat magazine readers jazz poll for Best Male Vocalist of the Year, and is also the recipient of six Grammy award nominations for Best Vocal Jazz Performance. He is also famous for his original lyrics to the jazz classics "Stolen Moments" and "Red Clay".
Salford born guitar player Mike Walker has played and recorded with the legendary George Russell, Peter Erskine, Steve Swallow, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor and performed with Dave Holland, Tal Farlow, Vince Mendoza, Anthony Braxton and Bill Frisell and many others. See http://www.mike-walker.co.uk for more info.
Neil Angilley is known for his work with Down to the Bone who were nominated for a 'Grammy'. He has also been Musical Director for Vanessa-Mae since 1998 and has played on numerous albums with 'Snowboy and the Latin Section' & 'Negrocan' (nominees for the Ibiza Prize).. He has also appeared as a guest soloist on various albums including 'An Ordinary Day in an Unusual Place' - US3, 'Fuzzy Logic' - David Benoit, and 'Crush' - Richard Elliot.
Born in 1984, bassist, singer and composer Esperanza Spalding began playing in small jazz and blues venues around her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Soon after picking up the acoustic bass at the late age of 14, she helped form Noise for Pretend, an eclectic band fusing jazz and pop for which she sang and played bass (often simultaneously). The group signed with indie rock imprint Hush Records, which released two albums of their original compositions.
Mario Biondi is an Italian singer. Born in Catania, son of a popular song singer, still young sings in various small choruses. Years after he follows Califano, di capri, Bongusto, Fiorello and others in their tours. After a long series of participations with Italian and international artists and a small production of disco music, during 2006 he hits the success with the Schema Records album "Handful of Soul". His deep and warm voice recalls the great interpreters soul and rhythm and blues music.