Famed radio host and promoter Sergio Mielniczenko led a double anniversary of Brazilian music at the festive Moss Theatre Saturday night. Not only is 2018 the 40 year anniversary of his immensely popular Brazilian Hour program (heard locally at KXLU 88.9), but it has been 3 score years since the music that saved jazz, bossa nova, first entered the airwaves and added a lilt to modern music that I pray we never recover from.
Serving as mc and impresario, Mielniczenko opened the evening up with a thumbnail history of the birth of bossa nova, as well has the growth of his radio show which is now heard in five languages, including Mandarin (can we discuss this please?)
Musically, Mielniczenko wisely chose to deliver the music in a variety of settings.
Opening up the night was the core trio of Rique Pantoja/p, Jonathan Pintoff/b and Lucio Vieira/dr with a trio of sublime yet energetic tunes. Pantoja’s ivories were festive and glassy while Vieira was snappy on the festive “Samba Blim” and “Agua de Beber” as Vieira added sublime brush work that was silently somewhere on the hills on “One Note Samba.”
Pantoja then changed the pace and turned from the piano as he strummed quiet chords from his guitar and sang an optimistic “Izaura” just as tenor saxist Robert Kyle entered stage as if on queue as the second coming of Stan Getz with gorgeously breathy mellifluous musings.
As Kyle switched over to flute, tall and tanned, young and lovely vocalist Stephanie Patton delivered English lyrics to “Fotografia” that swung so cool and swayed so gently before Kyle’s warm tenor tones sensuously floated to Patton’s delivery of a delicious “Desafinado” that had her pour into that one not the love she felt for us before concluding with a “Corcovado” that floated like the steam from freshly baked bread.
Joining the festivities last of all was legendary Teka, armed with guitar and enthusiastically earthy voice for a rendition of “O Morrow” that had a cool breeze and kiss of fire as well as a version of “By The Sea” that melded into a luscious “Waters of March” that was a never ending melody, always compared to a symphony.
“Even though I’ve sung this for decades, it still is fresh to me, and I love it every time” glowed Teka as she swayed into the lilting anthem “Girl From Ipanema” before the entire ensemble banded together for a carnival atmosphere of “So Danco Samba.”
Mielniczenko mentioned that bossa nova started way back when because “the young people were waiting for a new sound.” This music, as presented by these artists, make the “old” sounds more lively and exciting than any new musical bump since.
Upcoming shows sponsored by the Jazz Bakery include Benny Golson 10/13, George Colligan 10/19, Circuit Rider with Ron Miles-Bill Frisell-Brian Blade/dr, Pablo Ziegler 11/16, Kurt Elling 12/14