Tuesday, November 19, 2024
5:00pm – 6:00pm
Kim Koo Library (328) 111 Thayer
RSVP here
Reception to follow
Dani and Debora Gurgel of São Paulo, Brazil join to perform a program of Brazilian Jazz.
Line-up:
Dani Gurgel - vocals
Debora Gurgel - piano
Timo Vollbrecht - sax
Dave Zinno - bass
Marcus Grant - drums
About Dani Gurgel and Debora Gurgel
Dani Gurgel and Debora Gurgel’s hypnotic bliss is the result of their long-established musical intimacy. Dani Gurgel’s syncopated and precise scatting vocals are stitched along Debora Gurgel’s left-hand piano grooves. Infused with dynamic energy, their performances are a celebration of Brazilian music, entwined with the artistry of jazz improvisation. Their constant, engaging interaction among themselves and with the audience electrifies the entire experience.
Dani Gurgel's “scatted vocal adventures” (Jazzthetik) over her “fantastic syllabary” (Badische Zeitung, Germany) are a mix of the percussive sounds of Brazil with the swaying curves of jazz, leading to “groovy, with fast prosody and mind-blowing improvisation” (Estado de SP). Dani began her musical journey as a 3-year-old and grew up searching for her instrument, under the tutelage of her mother, Debora Gurgel. After 15 years of playing the bass in rock bands and the saxophone in renowned big bands, Dani Gurgel finally found her instrument: her voice. Her singing relates to her bass grooves, her saxophone articulations, and Brazilian percussion.
Debora Gurgel connects her strong roots and improvisation to Brazilian contemporary music and applies it to her untamed piano grooves. “Debora Gurgel’s piano is highly refined. She thinks like a jazz musician, but won’t hide her Brazilian accent” (Estado de SP). Notably, Debora stands out as a composer and arranger, crafting exceptional and innovative original compositions, as well as delivering commissioned pieces that have graced the repertoires of Brazil’s leading orchestras.
For the past decade, Dani & Debora have released 9 albums with their “Dani & Debora Gurgel Quarteto”, which was nicknamed “DDG4” by their Japanese fans, and their “Dani & Debora Gurgel Big Band”, respectively the “DDG19 Big Band”. Joined by Big Rabello (production & drums) and Sidiel Vieira (bass), they have been awarded the Brazilian Music Professionals Best Jazz Group award and Japan’s Best Brazilian Album award multiple times and toured extensively through Japan, Europe and the Americas.