Ticket To Brasil

Growing up in the Czech Republic, it probably seemed quite remote that Pavel Jany would one day be regarded as an accomplished performer and composer of Bossa Nova. Trained as a classical guitarist, he was introduced to the music of Villa Lobos and Baden Powell; later he spent a few years in Gabon where he was introduced to West African music and Afro –Brazilian traditions. Inspired by bossa nova and Brazilian fusion artists, these forms became his main interest, a focus he carried with him to the U.S. in the early 1990s. Based in the Twin Cities, he found like-minded musicians to join him as Ticket to Brasil, a popular international ensemble now celebrating the release of its third recording, simply titled Songs. Jany and cohorts will hold a CD release party at the Artists Quarter on Sunday, March 14th at 7 pm. 

Five of the dozen tracks on Song are penned by Jany; the rest are arrangements of celebrated Brazilian composers including Jobim, Pixinguinha, Baden Powell and more. In sum the music covers a variety of moods and colors, in varying combinations of guitar (Jany), bass (Dan Weston, Mark Haynes), percussion (Jany, Haralds Bondaris, Andrew Gillespie, Brian Rydell, Marc Anderson), sax (Doug Little), flute (Rose Rinder, Maggie Roston) and vocals (Lidia Berman, Lucia Newell, Selmara Abreu, Carla Puglia) with special appearances from Dan Newton on accordion and the late Ralph Fraisse on violin. 

Song

Of the covers, the festive “Bahia Com H” (Denis Brean) spotlights lots of percussion and Ralph Fraisse on violin. “Sozihna” (Carlos and Muniz) sounds closest to American folk/pop music, particularly the blending of solo guitar and voice (Lidia Berman); Dan Newton adds accordion, a subtle orchestral presence.  Jobim’s “Once I Loved” is sweet and ethereal with the perfectly simply instrumentation of guitar, flute and voice (Lidia Berman); “Samba Saravah” (Baden Powell) is a soft upbeat song with Jany on both acoustic and electric guitar. Powell is in the spotlight again with “Tristeza E Solidao,” featuring the haunting vocals of Lucia Newell and complementary sax from Doug Little, a wistful song to savor long after the track ends. Lucia again adds a perfect voice to “Ilu-Aye” (Cabana/Reis) with mixed percussion, yielding a celebratory rite, from the opening sounds of birds and insects in the rain forest to the steady beat of tribal drums. My favorite here, Pixinguinha’s “Carinhoso” is an exquisite ballad, highlighting the partnership of flute (Rose Rinder) and guitar. 

If you like your samba and bossa both hot and cool, there is much to enjoy on Songs, and all can be enjoyed live at the Artists Quarter on March 14th! 

The Artists Quarter is located at 408 St. Peter Street in downtown St. Paul. CD release with Ticket to Brasil begins at 7 pm. $5 cover. CDs will be available at the show. More on Ticket to Brasil at www.tickettobrasil.com  
 

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