The BMF Big Band Orchestra, created under the umbrella of Brazilian Music Foundation will bring together international audiences to an artistic, appealing and modern conception of the Brazilian Popular Music. The orchestra will serve as an excellent part of educational concerts, potentially accompanied by instructive lessons on Brazilian history and culture. Primary schools, churches, higher educational institutions, and community centers are all possible performance locations. In addition, conferences and outdoor festivals will provide ample opportunities for the orchestra to expand its horizons. They play elaborate arrangements with deep roots in Samba, Choro, Bossa Nova, Frevo, Maracatu, Baião and other styles. The sound is tight and sophisticated and as joyous as Carnival itself!
“Concert Review – By Dina Pinos”
BMF Big Bang made their debut on July 27, 2013 with an awesome concert!
True to its name, the Brazilian Big Band Orchestra made its big band bang debut in Greenwich Village’s Zinc Bar on July 27, introducing its artistic, much hailed and loved Brazilian popular music, but with a modern touch, to the New York music scene. Cracking the walls of the Zinc Bar, the superb, jam-packed show featuring ten of New York’s most respected musicians couldn’t have had a better start, demonstrating command and fluency in a handful of Brazilian styles playing elaborate arrangements with roots in samba, choro, bossa nova, frevo, maracatu and baiao of well-known Brazilian and emerging contemporary composers.
The artist Director and Conductor of the BMF Big Band, Livio Almeida, orchestrated the concert with professionalism, immense performance and sound quality, and a joyful atmosphere. Director Almeida, who also blared his tenor sax and flute, and his band, started the set with a nice samba de gafieira: “A queima roupa.” This already brought the audience dancing to its feet. The night continued, unveiling the sophisticated arrangement of the Jobim’s Classic “Só danço samba” featuring special guest trombone player from Brazil Jorginho Neto, whose fancy skills brought the crowd to a roar. In the middle of the set the funky “Action and Reaction,” was another shifting gear in the night’s show continuing to bring down the house, capping it with the breathtaking special participation of the breath-taking singer Monika Oliveira on another of Jobim’s classics, “O morro não tem vez.” Following, a fascinating piece by Moacir Santos, “Amphibious,” featured the sensational alto saxophonist, Jon Gordon. Last but not least, the grand finale, was an upbeat piece that clearly was the tightest one of the set, getting the most applause from a very cheerful and impressed audience, the samba/partido alto “Brooklyn High” by Nelson Faria, featuring unbelievable solos by Jon Gordon and trombonist Joe Beaty.
Madalena Sousa, Chair/President of the Brazilian Music Foundation, stated “Congratulations to the Band and the Brazilian Music Foundation on the success of their debut. We had a full house, the audience loved the band cheering them on throughout the night, leaving us with the feeling that our mission was accomplished.”
