Jazzin’Around Afro Blue

Airto Moreira: In 1974 Airto formed his first band in the U.S., “Fingers” with Flora Purim. Since then they have performed constantly all over the world and recorded their own album for major record companies in Europe and America. Airto remains one of popular music’s most in demand percussionists.

Bobby Timmons @Hard Bop : “Bobby has the capacity to dig in deeply without sounding like a bulldozer. He can convey strong emotion and still float buoyantly.”

Oscar Brown Jr @allmusic : Although rooted in jazz, singer, poet, and activist Oscar Brown, Jr. defied musical categorization throughout his long and eclectic career — a forerunner of the political consciousness that would become predominant in soul, funk, and hip-hop in the decades to follow, his efforts to exact social change spread across the arts and even into government, spurring two unsuccessful but memorable campaigns for office.

Sheila Jordan : Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining country, Jordan began singing as a child and by the time she was in her early teens was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Her first great influence was Charlie Parker and, indeed, most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather than singers. Working chiefly with black musicians, she met with disapproval from the white community but persisted with her career. She was a member of a vocal trio, Skeeter, Mitch And Jean (she was Jean), who sang versions of Parker’s solos in a manner akin to that of the later Lambert, Hendricks And Ross.

Donald Byrd @soulwalking : Donald studied composition in Europe from 1962-63, then returned to the U.S., where he established himself as an academician, teaching at Rutgers, Howard University, and the Hampton Institute.

Duke Pearson @Wikipedia : In New York, Pearson gained the attention of trumpeter Donald Byrd, who saw Pearson performing with the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Sextet (also known as Jazztet). Shortly afterwards, Byrd asked him to join his newly formed band, the Donald Byrd-Pepper Adams Quintet. Pearson was also the accompanist for Nancy Wilson on tour in 1961. During that same year, Pearson became ill before a Byrd-Adams show, and a newcomer named Herbie Hancock took over for him.

Hermeto Pascoal : With a name already known, thanks to his talent, quality and creativity, he becomes an attraction in many major events, like the1978 International Jazz Festival, in São Paulo. In the next year, he takes part in the Montreux Festival, in Switzerland, where he releases his double-album Hermeto Pascoal ao Vivo (Hermeto Pascoal Live), and heads to Tokyo, where he takes part on the Live Under the Sky. In 1980, he releases the album Cérebro Magnético (Magnetic Brain), and extends his performances all over Europe

Cal Tjader : Tjader’s mid-1950s quintet rode the wave of the popularity of West Coast jazz, giving pianist Vince Guaraldi, among others, major career boosts. In 1963, Creed Taylor signed him for Verve and he worked with Claus Ogermann and other producers to create some of the hippest albums of the 1960s. His single of “Soul Sauce (Guachi Guara)” briefly reached the Top 40 charts.

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