Vinicius Cantuaria & Chico Pinheiro Duo

Musical Style: Brazilian

Vinicius Cantuaria

“Vinicius Cantuária is the doyen of Brazilian singer-songwriters, more melodic than Caetano Veloso, more consistent than Gilberto Gil and with more talent than Max De Castro, Otto and Patricia Marc put together. If more people covered his songs, we'd be talking about him as the new Tom Jobim.” – London Guardian

Brazilian singer/songwriter/guitarist Vinicius Cantuária is currently touring one of the finest musical ensembles of any genre. Drawing from the rich history of Brazilian music and integrating it with jazz, avant-garde and pop, Vinicius Cantuária’s music is like a rolling rhythmic whisper filled with dramatic turns and stunning sonic ideas. His new project Psychedelic Rio will be released in the fall of 2023.

For over four decades Vinicius Cantuária has been one of Brazil's most accomplished songwriters. His compositions "Lua e Estrela" and "So Voce" are MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) classics that sold over 3 million copies each in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite this success, Cantuária left the Brazilian pop scene in 1994 and moved to Brooklyn, New York in an effort to redefine the art form of Bossa Nova which he so desperately loves. The results are a captivating Nova Bossa Nova, which is deeply influenced by music of his heroes: Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Bill Evans and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

​In New York he became a sought after percussionist, guitarist, singer and muse by bold-faced names from jazz and the avant-garde to pop. Many of them -- from David Byrne to Jesse Harris, Melody Gardot to Norah Jones, Ryuichi Sakamoto to Caetano Veloso, Bill Frisell to Arto Lindsay -- have, in turn, been eager to guest-star on Cantuaria's own releases. Best known among his extra-curricular efforts are his collaborations with Bill Frisell, in a duo and concert program that resulted in the recording, Lagrimas Mexicanas (Naïve, 2011), and as a member of the Grammy-nominated jazz-meets-world music quartet “The Intercontinentals”.Cantuaria's almost instantaneous cult star status in New York City was no mere lucky break. He arrived with just the right resume at a time when the sounds of Brazil past and present were increasingly attracting curious musicians and audiences.

In New York, he released 9 internationally acclaimed studio albums including Sol Na Cara (Gramavision, 1996), Tucuma (Verve, 1999), Vinicius (Sony, 2002), Horse & Fish (Rykodisc, 2004), Silva (Rykodisc, 2005), Cymbals (Naïve, 2007), Samba Carioca (Naïve, 2010), Lagrimas Mexicanas (Naïve, 2011), Indio De Apartamento (Naïve, 2013).

In 2014 he returned to live in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where he recorded Vinicius Canta Antonio Carlos Jobim (Sunnyside, 2015). In 2017 Vinicius Cantuaria will release a project dedicated to Brazil’s two most famous Rivers, the Amazon and the Rio Negro, titles “Sounds of the Rivers”.

With critically acclaimed concert performances at some of the most prestigious festivals and concert halls including the North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Jazz A Vienne (France), The Blue Note Tokyo (Japan), The Vancouver Jazz Festival (Canada), The Blue Note New York (U.S.A.), The SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco (U.S.A), Sydney Opera House (Australia), and The Barbican and Queen Elizabeth Hall (London, UK), he continues to wow audiences throughout the world.

Chico Pinheiro

An exceptional guitarist with a beautiful sound and great fluidity, a unique composer that blends Brazilian Music, Classical Music, and Jazz, Chico's been nominated twice for the American Grammy Awards (in 2019 & 2020).

Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, he started playing the guitar when he was 6. At 14, he started working as a studio session guitarist and soon began to be called to collaborate with a wide range of artists in his hometown, then in Brazil, then abroad. In 2002 Chico put together a band of his own and started recording as a leader. His first album, 'Meia Noite Meio Dia' (Sony Music/ 2003), was released in 2003 with great reviews at all the most important newspapers and music magazines in Brazil and abroad and was included in the 'Top 10 Brazilian albums of the year' in the major newspapers of Brazil: 'O Estado de São Paulo,' 'A Folha de São Paulo' and 'O Globo.' This well-received debut included special guest vocalists Lenine, Ed Motta, Chico César, and Maria Rita.

His second release, 'Chico Pinheiro' (Biscoito Fino/ 2005), enjoyed great critical and audience acclaim, once more being included in the 'Top 10 Brazilian albums of the year' by newspapers' O Estado,' 'O Globo' and 'Folha de São Paulo.'

The third album, NOVA, was released in Dec/ 2007 in collaboration with the American guitarist and composer Anthony Wilson. It was, again, celebrated by critics and the audience.

His fourth album, There's a Storm Inside (CT Music Japan / Sunnyside Records, NY, 2010), was released in 35 countries. It featured guest appearances by Dianne Reeves and Bob Mintzer, and was highlighted in publications such as DownBeat, Revista Veja, O Estado de São Paulo, Folha de São Paulo, Jornal O Globo, and Rolling Stone Brasil as one of the "Best Albums of the Year." The record also received awards for Best Brazilian Jazz Album of the Year and Best Latin Jazz Composition of 2010 (for “Mamulengo”) from the Latin Jazz Corner Association (USA). Chico was also named Best Latin Jazz Guitarist by the same association.

In 2012 he released the CD' TRIZ' in partnership with the pianist and composer André Mehmari and singer and composer Sergio Santos.

Meanwhile, in the DownBeat Magazine Annual Critics Poll, Chico has been included on the "Rising Star – Guitar" list three times.

In 2017, he released Varanda, a unique collaborative project that appeared on multiple "Best of the Year" lists in major newspapers and magazines in Brazil and abroad. His composition "Varanda" is performed by Vince Mendoza and the WDR Big Band on the Project "Focus on Brazil", along with Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Gilberto Gil, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Villa Lobos.

Today Chico is considered a leading figure in and outside the Brazilian music scene, who has distinguished himself as a guitarist, composer, and arranger. Alongside with his main projects as leader, he also has collaborated with artists such as Placido Domingo, Kathleen Battle, Brad Mehldau, Dave Grusin, Kenny Werner, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Danilo Pérez, Nnenna Freelon, Bob Mintzer, Herbie Hancock, Brian Blade (IJD), Ron Carter, Chris Potter, John Patitucci, Renee Rosnes, WDR Big Band, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, The Israel Chamber Orchestra, The Bob Mintzer Big Band, The Paris Jazz Big Band, The Swiss Jazz Orchestra, The Danish Radio Big Band, The Seasons Guitar Quartet with Anthony Wilson, Julian Lage & Steve Cardenas, Esperanza Spalding, Joyce, Ivan Lins, Rosa Passos, Dori Caymmi, Danilo Caymmi, João Donato, Johnny Alf, Chico César, Ed Motta, César Camargo Mariano, Elza Soares, Monarco, Mark Turner, Tom Scott, Joe Lovano, Luciana Souza, Terri Lyne Carrington, Eddie Gomez, Gary Novak, Lee Ritenour, Abraham Laboriel, Paulinho da Costa, Sammy Figueroa, Cachaíto Lopez (Buena Vista Social Club), Roberto Fonseca, Ari Hoenig, Claudio Roditi, Duduka da Fonseca, Peter Erskine, Giovani Hidalgo, amongst others.

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