After years of dreams and plans, our friend, the Italian saxophonist Marco Chelo, finally managed to arrange for a group of musicians from The New York Jazz Workshop (NewYorkjazzworkshop.com) to come for an eight day visit with us. Six wonderful people, comprised of Marco and his illustrious wife Suzanne Rust, the formidable vocalist Jocelyn Medina, the extraordinary Dutch saxophone virtuoso Marc Mommaas, the erudite drummer Charlie Calderola and the captivating Argentine singer and pianist, Flavia Nuñez, arrived on Saturday, March 9.
They happily settled into their rooms in the Piccola Ribeira and tackled a dense schedule of city tours, musical encounters and delightful interludes on beaches, guided by ICBIE Artistic Director Paco Gomes. In order to provide the raw materials for a mouthwatering sampling of Bahian cuisine by our Dona Antônia, (assisted by our dynamic volunteer from Michigan, Krystal Palace), we made an early morning visit to the São Joachim market, Salvador’s unfiltered emporium of Afro-Brazilian culture. Thanks to Jocelyn’s contacts in the Salvador jazz scene, their evenings were spent at the city’s major musical venues, mainly in Rio Vermelho. It was great to see how thoroughly they enjoyed everything they did, and their enthusiasm certainly wasn’t compromised by the elevated temperatures.
On Thursday morning, the group stayed in Ribeira and held a music workshop, where Jocelyn conducted a voice clinic, ICBIE’s own Roy Zimmerman illustrated his theories about the differing approaches to rhythm between Brazilian and American musics, and Marc taught everyone to sing and tap complex polyrhythms, all leading up to a rhythm workshop led by Erica Sá.
Everything culminated on Friday night, when we had a sumptuous dinner on the front terrace of the ICBIE, followed by a spectacular capoeira performance by Turma do Zambi (featuring our Marcella!) and then an astounding concert featuring Marc, Jocelyn and Flavia, along with the formidable local guitarist Tarcisio Santos. A big crowd of music lovers showed up and they were treated to the wondrous performances by these talented artists, who, in turn were gratified by thunderous applause at the end of every piece.
All in all, it was a very special week for everyone, forming new friendships, sharing musical experiences and absorbing the unique vitality of the ICBIE community. Best of all, plans are already underway for a return visit next year!
