Podcast 544: A Conversation with Livio Almeida

With the whole world's eyes trained on Rio for the Summer Olympics, it should come as no surprise to readers of that I'm thinking about Brazilian music. Here in America we think primarily of Bossa Nova and Samba, but I also enjoy more esoteric genres like Choro, Forro, and Tropicalissmo. The release last month of two new CDs from Brazilian artists that were not previously on my radar was cause for celebration here at SNC, and the next two podcasts will feature my conversations with saxophonist Livio Almeida and guitarist Sergio Pereira. Livio Almeida is Brazilian saxophone/woodwinds player and composer/arranger. He received his Bachelor in Classical Saxophone in Brasilia, Brazil, and received his second degree at The City College of New York with a BFA in Jazz Performance. You may have heard him in his role in the O'Farrill Brothers Band, or for his solos on recent releases by Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. He also directs a 10 piece band, the only one of its kind in the USA, a "dectet" dedicated to perform large ensemble Brazilian music, with regular residencies at the traditional Zinc Bar and Iridium Jazz Club in New York. Action & Reaction is his second CD as a bandleader, and features his working quartet of Vitor Gonçalves on piano, Eduardo Belo on bass, and Zack O'Farrill on drums. Adam O'Farrill drops in to lend a hand on trumpet as well. Podcast 544 is my conversation with Livio, as we discuss the differences in "Latin Jazz" and "Brazilian Jazz", what went into his latest CD, and where he plans to take his music next. Musical selections include "Mercado en Domingo" from Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra's Grammy winning The Offense of the Drum, as well as "Living in the Dark", "Those (Not So Infant) Eyes", and the title track "Action & Reaction."