Marcelo Andrade With Special Guest Marta Capponi

This is a fantastic world music gig with the majority of the music written and arranged by the wonderful Brazilian musician Marcelo Andrade. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, studying violin, piano and guitar as well as singing in the well-established choir "Canarinhos de Petrópolis" before moving to London in 1989 to continue his education. Since then he has established himself as one of the most creative and influential musicians on the UK/Brazilian scene, including work with numerous international artists, from Brazilian icon Milton Nascimento to Corinne Bailey Rae. He has also led his own bands for some years now, including Samburá, Ohoyo-Samba, Saravah Soul and the London Latin Jazz Ensemble, performing with them throughout the UK and Europe. Marcelo launched his most recent album "African Tree" in 2014 to impressive reviews; a unique project, it was recorded during his travels through Brazil, Africa and Europe, utilising over 70 musicians from 5 different continents. During his time in Uganda he also started a tree-planting programme, where he planted 500 trees to celebrate the arrival of the album, an initiative from which the album derives its name. Tonight Marcelo will be performing compositions from the record, although sadly we are unable to get all 70 musicians on to the bandstand! However, he has settled for the next best thing and will be appearing with some of the finest proponents of Brazilian music in Europe, including Sam Watts on piano and an amazing Brazilian rhythm section of master percussionist Adriano Adewale, Matheus Nova on bass and Raphael Delphino on drums. And if all that wasn’t enough watch out for one of Europe’s most impressive Italian-born Brazilian singers, Marta Capponi. This promises to be quite a night.

“Marcelo Andrade’s…African Tree serves notice to a very substantial talent” Jazzwise