Brazilian Jazz Quartet Album AT PLAY Features Romero Lubambo, Helio Alves, Edu Ribeiro and Reuben Rogers
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jul. 24, 2020
On their new acoustic Brazilian jazz quartet album AT PLAY, Romero Lubambo (acoustic guitar,) Helio Alves (acoustic piano,) Edu Ribeiro (drums) and Reuben Rogers (double bass) deliver a nine-song collection of originals and covers, including tracks by legendary Brazilian songwriters Caetano Veloso, Dori Caymmi, Joao Bosco and Debora Gurgel. Inspired by the band's first-ever live set together at Cornelia Street Café, AT PLAY captures lightning in a bottle, as the four musicians infuse the album with soaring energy and some of the magic of their first night together on stage.
AT PLAY was mixed by Grammy winner James Farber at Sear Sound, mastered by Grammy Winner Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, and produced by Brian Fielding. It will be released August 14th on Broken Symmetries Music, and distributed via Open Studio Jazz, the global community of jazz students and top jazz artists. All four AT PLAY musicians are Open Studio teaching artists and have courses focused on jazz and Brazilian music, its rhythms and styles. Visit https://www.openstudiojazz.com to learn more about the thriving platform, which now has students in over 137 countries. At Open Studio, the opportunity to reimagine the concept of a record label is a driving force, and with AT PLAY, they continue to establish a new paradigm.
The story of the AT PLAY quartet and project, here:Brian Fielding: "Pianist Peter Martin's trio gig in November 2016 at Dizzy's Club in NYC featured Mark Whitfield Jr. and Bob Hurst, with Romero Lubambo sitting in on a few tunes. The house was packed for every set, the music was joyful and the audience on the final night included two other master Brazilian musicians, pianist Helio Alves and drummer Edu Ribeiro. Helio invited Peter (Co-Founder of Open Studio Jazz) and me to his gig the following night at the Cornelia Street Cafe featuring Edu, Romero and bassist Ed Perez. This would mark the first time Romero and Edu - the young wunderkind on drums - would be playing together. The music promised to be something special. The Cornelia Street Cafe's intimate basement performance venue was packed but somehow we found seats up front. The energy and excitement on stage and in the room was palpable, and the chemistry among the musicians was obvious and deep. The music was soaring, beautiful. When the musicians joined us at our table after the first set, I told them I wanted to help them make a record. It's taken a few years and a lot of miles but finally in October 2019 everything came together, and with the addition of master bassist Reuben Rogers they were able to capture some of that particular magic from November 2016 - and add a lot more."
The album was recorded over two days at the legendary Sound On Sound Studios, recently relocated to Montclair, NJ from NYC. Studio sessions followed intimate rehearsals at Fielding's home studio located a few short blocks away. PRODUCED BY: Brian Fielding. ENGINEERED BY: Dave Amlen at Sound On Sound Studios, Montclair, NJ in October 2019. MIXED BY: James Farber at Sear Sound in NY, NY in December 2019. MASTERED BY: Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, NJ in January 2020. ORIGINAL ALBUM ARTWORK & GRAPHIC DESIGN: Lynne Buschman.
Track Listing / Times:
BALA COM BALA, 6:31, Joao Bosco
AMAZON RIVER, 7:12, Dori Caymmi
PRO ROMERO, 5:43, Debora Gurgel
IT"S CLEAR, 5:16, Helio Alves
RE: JOYCE, 5:46, Romero Lubambo
CEBOLA NO FREVO, 4:56, Edu Ribeiro & Chico Pinheiro
TRILHOS URBANOS, 6:35, Caetano Veloso
BEBE, 6:26, Helio Alves
NA CALADA DO DIA, 4:01, Edu Ribeiro
Artist Courses at Open Studio Jazz:Helio Alves: Brazilian Jazz Piano
Edu Ribeiro: Brazilian Jazz Drums
Romero Lubambo: Brazilian Jazz Guitar; Bossa Nova Jump Start
Reuben Rogers: Rhythm Section Fundamentals; Art of Swing; Jazz Bassline Bass-ics: Walking
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