When we think about Latin Jazz in the modern musical world, we often conjure thoughts of Afro-Cuban styles – a natural thought considering the genre’s impact upon Latin Jazz; yet Brazilian styles have been just as influential. In fact, Brazilian music captured the imagination of the United States unlike any other Caribbean or South American genre. When Stan Getz began his explorations of bossa nova, the world turned its head towards jazz with a magnitude that hadn’t been experienced in a while. The iconic album Getz/Gilberto won the 1965 Grammy Award for Album Of The Year – a feat that wouldn’t be repeated until Herbie Hancock’s won the honor 43 years later in 2008 for River: The Joni Letters. Bossa Nova became a regular piece of the jazz landscape, with musicians learning semi-authentic interpretations of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s vast songbook. Samba entered the jazz world to a lesser extent, but at least many musicians recognized its existence. For many years, when jazz musicians wanted to throw a “Latin” tune into the mix, they generally called upon some form of a bossa nova or samba. During the fusion wave of the seventies, musicians once again turned to Brazilian rhythms as a point of inspiration. Groups like Chick Corea’s Return To Forever and Joe Zawinul’s Weather Report drew heavily upon sounds and rhythms from Brazil, but for the most part, they were soaked in rock heavy rhythms. Brazilian music certainly found a permanent home in the jazz world, but slowly crept back from the cutting edge – far too many string saturated muzak interpretations of Bossa Nova and samba rhythms that quickly mutate into rock beats placed Brazilian music in the backseat of the Latin Jazz world. Strangely enough, Brazil housed their own cutting edge jazz musicians, such as Hermeto Pascoal, but here in the States, Brazilian jazz simply needed some champions that would reinvigorate the style.

The genre found its champions in 1990 when three transplanted Brazilian musicians came together to form Trio Da Paz. Drummer Duduka da Fonseca journeyed to the States in 1975, immediately working towards establishing a Brazilian music presence in New York. With a growing interest in the music around jazz fusion, da Fonseca built some traction around his groups, integrating artists such as Eliane Elias, Randy Brecker, and Bob Mintzer into his music. Both guitarist Romero Lubambo and bassist Nilson Matta moved to New York in 1985, setting the stage for the formation of the trio. When Lubambo first arrived in the States, he quickly found steady employment with Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, before the rest of the jazz world started turning their attention towards him. Matta began working with a diverse spectrum of artists, from jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson to Brazilian trumpet player Claudio Roditi and classical cellist Yo Yo Ma. The musicians really found a inspiring and sympathetic setting when they joined forces as a trio though, grabbing the jazz world’s attention with a stunning debut recording, Brasil from the Inside. They followed this impressive debut with a clever group of arrangements that showcased music from the classic film Black Orpheus. The group kept albums coming over the next few years, delivering two more releases, Partido Out and Café. The latest releases from Trio Da Paz include 2005′s Somewhere and the 2008 collaboration with vibraphonist Joe Locke, Live at JazzBaltica. In addition, each member of Trio Da Paz established important careers as leaders outside the group, recording a collection of albums – next month we can expect a new album from Matta, Brazilian Journey. These three musicians have revitalized Brazilian jazz, and continue to keep the style moving forward.

Brazilian music remains a vital and important part of the Latin Jazz world, we simply need more musicians like Lubambo, Matta, and da Fonseca burning the fire. With this in mind, we’re dedicating today’s Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix to some of the true champions of Brazilian jazz, Trio Da Paz. The first video finds the group performing a subdued version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Wave” that shows their sensitivity and connection to the Brazilian repertoire. The second clip places them within their own repertoire, stretching out on da Fonseca’s “Dona Maria.” The last selection combines the group with another Brazilian musician, vocalist Maucha Adnet. There’s some great Brazilian jazz here that makes a great argument for a deep exploration of the style – enjoy!

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Trio Da Paz Performing Jobim’s “Wave”

Trio Da Paz Performing “Dona Maria”

Trio Da Paz Performing With Brazilian Vocalist Maucha Adnet

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Want to hear more from Trio Da Paz? Check out these albums:

Black Orpheus

Live at JazzBaltica

Somewhere

Partido Out

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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in – it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans – let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE.

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Check Out These Related Posts:
5 Latin Jazz Guitarists On Video
Album Of The Week: Live At JazzBaltica, Trio Da Paz & Joe Locke
Getting To Know The Brazilian Album Of The Year Nominees
The Insightful Art Of The Duet: Continuous Friendship, Hamilton da Holanda & Andre Mehmari

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