The Brazilian Groove Band grew out of ‘Masters of Groove’ band, which was led by legendary New York jazz artists Bernard Purdie, Grant Green Jr and Tarus Mateen; originally formed by Reuben Wilson, Purdie and Green Jr.
Leo Gandelman was the special guest on their 2001 recording ‘Jazzateria’ and had the idea to form that BGB with the very best up and coming Brazilian musicians together with the ‘Masters of Groove’ emerged.
During the winter of 1999 the band recorded their debut album together in a basement in Brooklyn, New York. Leo Gandelman wanted his finest musicians to create original Brazilian grooves with lots of swing and fun.
Leo Gandelman states:
“We decided to start the sessions late in order to have a little silence for the recordings. Leaving the studio at four in the morning, during NYC's winter, was quite an adventure. But the garage sound of the recording reflects the atmosphere,”
“In 1999 there was quite a scene with Jam Bands and Groove Jazz in NYC. Masters of Groove represented the original thing, and to give some authenticity, we're invited as opening act to their shows. Then I thought about putting together Brazilian beats with the feeling of a Jam Band and that's how BGB's project got started. The album was entirely recorded and mixed by me and my co-producer Juliano Zanoni at our studio located at a basement in Brooklyn. We wrote all the parts but at the same time we left a lot of space for improvisation from the musicians. The nice thing about a Jam Band is that the biggest compromise is to have fun with music. With BGB there was a lot of freedom and lots of groove.”
So the record was created and named ‘Anatomy of Groove’ it was described as the perfect North American – Latin cross over jazz record from some of the true legends of the genre. By mixing New York brass with authentic Brazilian percussion, strings and keys, Gandelman showcased his epic career. Saxophonist, producer, composer and arranger he blends MPB (Brazilian Popular Music), American Jazz and influences that tend towards the legends of acid-jazz such as Azymuth and the special guest here, Reuben Wilson – a.k.a “the Godfather of acid-jazz.”
In 2000 the Brazilian Groove Band was considered too experimental for release but now this forward-thinking instrumental jazz funk finally gets its day. Far Out recordings rescued the swinging instrumental jazz funk record and released it for the whole world to enjoy.
Leonardo Gandelman was born August 10, 1956, in Rio de Janeiro. He spent his childhood studying classical music but ended up at Berklee College of Music studying saxophone, compositions and arrangements. He is now known as a Brazilian composer, producer and saxophonist. He has played with Lulu Santos, and guest appeared in Titãs’ single ‘Televisão.’ As a composer he has written soundtracks for major TV soap operas, series and films. He has performed at the Free Jazz Festival, Hollywood Rock (both in Brazil) and Montreux Festival (Switzerland.) He has been voted the most popular instrumental artist by ‘Jornal do Brasil’ (Brazilian newspaper) for 15 years in a row.
Charlie Hunter was born May 23, 1967, he is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader. Since the debut of his self titled album Hunter has recorded 17 albums; he plays custom-made seven and eight-string guitars, on which he simultaneously plays baselines, rhythm guitar and solos. Hunter played a seven-string guitar and organ in Michael Franti’s political rap group ‘The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy’ He has also collaborated, toured and worked with many different people including; Bobby Previte, Erik Deutsch, Simon Lott, Ron Miles, Scott Amendola, Curtis Fawlkes and many more. Hunter was also an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards judging panel to support independent artists. Charlie Hunter is represented by Tree Lawn Artists, Inc.
Grant Green Jr was born in St Louis on August 4, 1955. He started playing the guitar at the age of 14; he is a jazz guitarist and the son of late jazz guitar legend Grant Green. He is a member of the group ‘Masters of Groove,’ along with drummer Bernard Purdie and B3 organ player Reuben Wilson. In 1965 he moved to New York where he watched many jazz musicians stop by his family home, he then moved to Detroit in 1969, a time where Motown was widely felt, with his father. His next door neighbours were Stevie Wonders parents and Marvin Gaye who lived just a few blocks away; the Four Tops also happened to live just down the road; Grant Green Jr was surrounded by stars. His father and Stevie were great influences on him and his career. His first real gig was with Richard Groove Holmes, he went on to play with many greats including Leon Thomas.
Reuben Wilson was born April 9, 1935 in Mounds, Oklahoma; his family moved to Pasadena when he was just 5 years old. He is a rare jazz organist who performs soul jazz; I say he is a rare jazz organist because he started off by playing the Hammond not, stereotypically, the piano. “I was self-taught as a pianist. But before I could even get seriously involved with the piano, a friend introduced me to the organ, and I knew this was the direction I wanted to take.” In the late 60’s Reuben began mixing Jazz with Pop creating Fusion or Funk, which later inspired people like Sly Stone and George Clinton. This new sub-genre called Funk or Soul-Jazz became a hit in London and Blue Note records rode the wave. In the 90’s Nas, Tribe Called Qwest and Us3 sampled some of Reuben’s compositions; this success and confidence boost pushed his career forward to where it is today.
Discography
2009 - Anatomy of Groove
Artists who appeared on ‘Anatomy of Groove’;
Leo Gandelman – Saxophones, Flutes and Keys
Juliano Zanoni – Drums and Percussion
Charlie Hunter – Guitar and Bass
Eric Kresno – Guitar
Don Harris – Trumpet and Flugel
Ozi – Trombone
Café – Percussion
André Vasconcellos – Bass
Pedro Gomes – Guitar
David Feldman – Femder Rhodes and Keys
Sergio Brandão – bass
Gene Perez – Bass
Mitch Stein – Guitar
Guilherme Monteiro – Guitar
Toni Mola – Percussion
David Vieira – Percussion
