Fernando Brandão and the Berklee Brazilian All-Stars are the latest act to join the line-up of artists who will be performing at the first Cambridge Jazz Festival, July 27th 12-6pm at University Park Commons, Sidney St.
Flutist, composer, author and educator Fernando Brandão is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has performed extensively as a bandleader, sideman, chamber musician and as a soloist with many ensembles and prominent orchestras both in Brazil and the US.
He leads the Fernando Brandão Ensemble, the group Alma, the gafieira band Bohemia Carioca, and he is an active member of the groups Trio Choro Brasil, Sergio Brandão & Manga Rosa, Teresa Inês Quintet, and Pablo Ablanedo Octet. He has also played or recorded with Oscar Castro-Neves, Rosa Passos, Luciana Souza, Kris Adams, John Stein Quartet, Leandro Braga, Maria Teresa Madeira, Emmanuel Music Orchestra. His compositions have been recorded by Choro das Três, guitarist Almir Cortes and New World Guitar Trio. His latest set of compositions has been a mix of original instrumental and vocal songs.
Mr. Brandão is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and a faculty member of the Community Music Center of Boston. A leading educator in Brazilian music, he has given many lectures about its music styles, history and composers, and he is the author of the play-along book Brazilian and Afro-Cuban Jazz Conception, published by Advance Music. He was the first prize winner of several national music competitions in Brazil, and the 1991 Pappoutsakis Flute Competition in Boston.
For the Festival, Fernando Brandão will lead a nine-piece band playing powerful Brazilian jazz in a variety of styles. The band is comprised of talented students from Berklee College of Music. As a group, they have performed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and other venues.
“We are extremely to have them perform for us,” said Larry Ward, the Festival’s Executive Director, “and to feature some great Brazilian jazz styles in this Festival.”
