Secrets of a musician
Part of the thrill of music for me is playing with other musicians. I've been blessed to sing and play guitar along with some amazing musicians, vocalists and performers, composers and artists. Among those closest to my heart are Marcos Aristides, guitarist extraordinaire of Brazil, whom I had the utmost pleasure of meeting at *Bartelier* in Rio de Janeiro in the early new millennium. I was there, experiencing the spontaneous musical atmosphere created in the artists' home-studio space of Tete and Eduardo, where every Saturday musicians from Rio de Janeiro, of the likes of Nova Bossa Nova singer-songwriter Kay Lyra (daughter of Bossa Nova great Carlos Lyra) and pianist and songwriter Philippe Baden Powell (son of the great Brazilian classical guitarist Baden Powell, 1937-2000) would gather to have jam sessions and everyone to share music, sing and love the experience of being in such a beautiful space. I had heard Bossa Nova and Baden Powell's music all my life through the LP albums always playing on my father's stereo system. I loved those records! They were among my best friends. Meeting Philippe was a phenomenal experience, and meeting Kay and performing with her one Christmas show that she did in Rio de Janeiro's famous Restaurante VinÃcius and Bossa Nova Bar in Ipanema was a daunting but glorious experience. Writing a song with Philippe, and watching Kay and becoming friends as I went to life-changing shows in my 9 months in Rio, have marked my life in ways that become ever more evident even today as I write this blog. With Marcos, writing and recording covers together, having found our mutual love of Djavan at Bartelier, and then with the group we created "Terra Coda" was wonderful, which included Tetê, Eduardo, Dudú the genius cavaquinho player, and me. We aimed to bring them one year to Harbourfront's Hispanic Festivals, but even more daunting than stage nerves can be the costs of intercontinental travel. But there is a recording of some of our sessions, which I aim to make available soon here on my website! Stay tuned!
And on a more somber note, my thoughts and prayers are with every person in Brazil as I read this morning that it is one of the hardest hits countries by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Let's pray that they recovery quickly and that all who need healing, protection and peace will receive it now. (Psalm 103)
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