ANTONIO ADOLFO is recognized internationally as a Brazilian jazz master. With a discography that stretches back over 60 years, he has released 25 albums as a leader. The prolific recording artist, pianist and composer has been nominated for several Latin Grammy and Grammy awards, and many of his 200+ compositions have been recorded by artists like Sergio Mendes, Earl Klugh, Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder, and Dionne Warwick.
In the last several years, his recordings have focused on a particular Brazilian musician or style of music. He released BruMa: Celebrating Milton Nascimento in 2020, Jobim Forever in 2021, and Bossa 65: Celebrating Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal in 2023. But Adolfo is not just a Brazilian or Latin musician. His complex jazz
harmonies reveal the influence American jazz has had on his playing and arranging.
Bossa nova was born over 65 years ago at musical gatherings in the Copacabana neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. The music of the great Broadway composers, like George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, had a great
impact on the young musicians creating their own, new style of music that would soon spread around the world. Adolfo’s newest release, LOVE COLE PORTER, is an homage to the beloved American composer, who is among his favorites. Adolfo says, “The music of this genius was immortalized through his unique melodies,
lyrics, harmonies and phrasing.”
Joining Adolfo are seasoned Brazilian musicians who have been on several of his recent recordings. The reputation of each of these players extends well beyond their native land. They are LULA GALVAO (guitar), JORGE HELDER (double bass), RAFAEL BARATA (drums), DADA COSTA and RAFAEL BARATA (percussion), JESSE SADOC (trumpet, flugelhorn), DANILO SINNA (alto sax), MARCELO MARTINS (tenor & soprano sax, flute), and RAFAEL ROCHA (trombone).
Adolfo chose songs for LOVE COLE PORTER not only for their beauty but also because they lend themselves so well to the Brazilian jazz idiom. He has been performing several of the tunes on gigs with different sized groups, and even recorded some of them on previous albums. For this album, he reconceived all the previously recorded compositions for a nonet configuration and added new ones to his repertoire.
There is more to Brazilian jazz than samba and bossa. There is also a myriad of other styles, like toada, ijexá, frevo, quadrilha, partido alto, among others, which are not well represented in Brazilian jazz. Adolfo explains, “I started out by experimenting with different Cole Porter tunes on the piano, trying out different styles of Brazilian music. It took a while to bring them into my musical world and ideas.”
