South Florida JAZZ presents the Antonio Adolfo-Hendrik Meurkens Brazilian Jazz Quartet
Saturday, 02/13/2016 – 08:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Miniaci Performing Arts Center
3100 Ray Ferrero Jr Blvd,
Davie, Florida 33314
Buy Tickets
Cost: $40 ($10 student w ID)
South Florida JAZZ presents the Antonio Adolfo-Hendrik Meurkens Brazilian Jazz Quartet at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr Blvd, Davie FL, February 13 at 8 PM. Tickets $40 ($10 students with ID.)
An exquisitely trained classical pianist, Antonio Adolfo has been among the elite of Rio de Janeiro’s jazz scene for decades, where his talent was nurtured with the bossa nova movement in Rio’s Copa section, somewhat analogous to Greenwich Village of the 1960s, actually. Soon, he was touring with legendary Brazilian singers, including Elis Regina and Milton Nascimento. Today, Antonio is a master of Brazilian song. A renowned educator, he established a prominent music conservatory, Centro Musical Antonio Adolfo, several years ago in Rio, which is now run by his two daughters. Antonio, of course, is a first-class performer and perhaps even better known as composer. Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, Stevie Wonder, Earl Klugh and Dionne Warwick have all have performed or recorded his compositions. In the last decade, he has been enormously prolific in his recorded output, often featuring his vocalist-daughter Carol Saboya. Included in his discography is an acclaimed 2015 CD, Copa Village, made with Hendrik Meurkens, a frequent collaborator for over three decades. His work has not gone unnoticed, either. A 2014 solo recording O Piano de Antonio Adolfo garnered a Latin Grammy Award nomination, as did the 2015 ensemble CD, Tema.
Hendrik Meurkens is not your basic exponent of Brazilian jazz. He is a German-born vibraphone virtuoso who trained at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He then broadened his scope after hearing the legendary chromatic harmonica legend Toots Thielemans. Hendrik was inspired to teach himself to play and master this capricious instrument and become its most important exponent since Thielemans. Another life-changing musical experience was his introduction to samba and bossa nova. He was so moved by Brazilian music that after Berklee, he moved to Rio de Janeiro to totally immerse himself in the music and culture of Brazil. His recordings and performances have earned worldwide acclaim because of the transcendent beauty of his music, a fusion of traditional and Brazilian jazz. He has recorded more than two-dozen albums as a leader or co-leader. A cross-cultural amalgam guaranteed to touch the heart, the quartet features Hendrik’s harmonica and vibes along with Adolfo’s piano styling, with bass and drums, playing many of Antonio and Hendrik’s stirring original compositions and arrangements.
Also featuring Jamie Ousley, bass, and Carlomagno Araya, drums.
Funding for South Florida JAZZ is provided in part by a grant from the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Division.
