A Pequena Loja da Rua 57 – Benjamim Taubkin

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Taubkin is a wonderful jazz pianist and composer. Lopa Kothari, BBC RADIO 3

Their sound is built around Taubkin’s gorgeous, delicate, Keith Jarrett-tinged piano. Sophisticated, satisfying, serious stuff. SONGLINES

Brazilian piano star making waves with his sensual mix of flush traditional arrangements, cutting edge technique and contemporary harmony makes his UK debut. Catch him here before he starts selling out bigger venues. TIME OUT London

This is an album that is destined to become one of those delivered on a rarefied plane. Without doubt it will be remembered as one of the finest in 2010, or any other year. LATIN JAZZ NETWORK

Performing a repertoire that includes original works as well as compositions by Jobim, Coltrane, and Pixinguinha, Taubkin allows the extraordinary talent that earned him such praise as

“delightfully minimalist” (from the All Music Guide) to truly shine on this series debut. Taubkin spent three nights alone in the Fazioli Piano Salon in New York, performing on three different pianos to record the CD, in what the pianist refers to as “almost a magical experience.”

Although this CD is only his second solo recording, Benjamim Taubkin has more than 130 albums to his credit as a producer and musician. In addition to his jazz project, Trio +1, his recent projects have included the Latin American collective América Contemporânea and the Orquestra Popular de Câmara. In 1997, Taubkin founded Núcleo Contemporâneo, an independent label and production company, dedicated to the popular instrumental music of Brazil

Acknowledged as being among the finest handmade pianos in existence, each Fazioli instrument is individually handcrafted, combining high quality materials with the finest workmanship and technology. Fazioli pianos have long been esteemed by jazz and classical pianists, including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Alfred Brendel and Herbie Hancock.

Listen

A melodia e a Semente

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Pro Frank

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Tracks

1- Em Torno de Influencias (Around the Influences)
2- A Melodia e a Semente (The Melody and the Seed)
3- Em Torno de Vibracoes de Jacob (Around Vibrations)
4- Morro Nao Tem Vez (Somewhere in the Hills), O
5- Proezas de Solon (Solon’s Exploits)
6- Coracao e o Rio (The Heart and the River), O
7- Pro Frank (To Frank)
8- Giant Steps
9- Meu Outuno em Ny (My Autumn in New York)
10- Em Torno de Estacio De Amado Maita (Around Estacio from Amado Maita)
11- Caipira

Biography

Benjamim Taubkin

Brazilian music has been the playing field for this instrumentalist, arranger, composer, and producer.

Benjamim Taubkin started his studied at the age of 18 and soon begin to dedicate himself fully to this career, working in important plays such as Ópera do Malandro and 39 of Flávio Rangel; and at contemporary dance studios like Ruth Rachou, Klaus Viana and Clarisse Abujamra. Inspire by the desire of playing jazz and bossa nova, he performed in music venues in São Paulo.

In 1997, he released his first album A Terra e o Espaço Aberto, which has just original themes. Beside Toninho Carrasqueira, Lui Coimbra, Teco Cardoso, Caíto Marcondes and Marcos Suzano, the CD was nominated by two important awards in Brazil: Sharp and Movimento.

As a musician he has participated in several formations, ranging from solo work to symphonic orchestras – presented in Brazil and abroad. He has performed with prestigious artists such as Marcos Suzano, Banda Savana, Rafael Rabello, Zizi Possi, Moacir Santos, Paulo Moura, Mônica Salmaso, Hermeto Paschoal.

His current projects as musician and director include: the Latin american collective América Contemporânea, the Orquestra Popular de Câmara, the choro ensemble Moderna Tradição, his work with the traditional music group Abaçai and his jazz project Trio + 1.

Some of the most recent projects he’s participated in as musician and arranger include: Jobim Sinfônico, Samwad – Rua do Encontro, which promoted dialogue between Brazil and India; and Milágrimas, which celebrated the encounter with South Africa.

In his solo career he recorded his second CD in New York at Fazioli Salon, one of the most prestigious piano house nowadays. The album will be released in the US by Adventure Music and then in Brasil by Núcleo Contemporâneo. With this work, Benjamim has been performing in important venues and festivals, such as The Vortex Jazz Club, in London, and at Ruta del Cister, in Spain. And he did in 2009 an artistic residence in Austria, invited as composer and instrumentalist in Krems.

Since, 1997, Benjamim is the director of Núcleo Contemporâneo, an independent label and producer company, dedicated to the popular instrumental music from Brazil.

He has been traveling in South and Center America aiming to know more about those countries’ music production, seeking to promote dialogue and exchange networking.

As musician or producer Benjamim is in more than 130 albums and directed around 500 concerts.

He is the curator for Mercado Cultural da Bahia, a platform focused on Brazilian and Latin American music; and for ELA – Encontro Latino-Americano, a forum to discusse the new paths for the latin music. Benjamim is on board of the European Forum for Worldwide Music Festivals (2008 – 2010), and he participates frequently of conferences and meetings around the world.

Among the most important festivals and venues where he performed, are: Joe’s Pub, Disney Hall, e Fazioli Salon (USA), Teatro Amadeo Roldán (Cuba); Orquestra do Rio Infinito (Costa Rica and Nicaragua); Festival Internacional de Jazz de Punta del Este, Oficina de Música Brasileira na Universidade de Montevidéo (Uruguay); Festival Rudolstadt, Massala Festival e Rádio WDR (Germany), Festival Glatt und Verkehrt (Austria), Auditori Barcelona and the festivals Etnosur, Kesse, La Garrida and Ruta del Cister (Spain); The Vortex Jazz Club (UK); Sfinks (Belgium);

Ópera de Paris (France); Festival Timitar (Morocco); Festival III Delphic Games (Korea); and Oficina de Música de Curtiba, do Festival Instrumental da Bahia, Sabará Instrumental, Festa da Música e Música na Pampulha, Festival de Jazz de Guaramiranga, Projeto Prelúdios da Primavera, Olinda Jazz Festival e MIMO – Mostra Internacional de Música em Olinda, Auditório Ibirapuera, TUSP, Galeria Olido, SESCs, Centro Cultural São Paulo, Casa de Francisca, Memorial da América Latina, Sampa Jazz, Virada Cultural da cidade e do estado, Festival de Choro no Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (Brazil).

Information

Produzido por Jim Luce e Richard Zirinsky
Produtores Executivos Richard Zirinsky e Benjamim Taubkin
Gravado 1-bit/ 5.6 MHz por Benjamim Taubkin e Jim Luce no Fazioli Piano Salon at Klavierhaus, 211 West 58th Street, New York, em novembro de 2007
Gravado em um Korg mr-1000, Sennheiser mkh-800 microphones E Grace Lunatec microphone preamp
Mixado por Jim Luce no Piano Culture Studios, Easton, Pennsylvania, utilizando Sonic Solutions Soundblade software
Masterizado por Alberto Ranelucci em Fevereiro de 2010 em São Paulo, Brasil
Design gráfico: Teresa Maita
Desenho da capa: Denis Duarte
Foto: Benjamim Taubkin