Almir cortes and Harvey wainapel

ALMIR CÔRTES

A native of Bahia, Brazil, versatile multi-instrumentalist ALMIR CÔRTES is equally at home on the mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars, the folkoric viola caipira, and the rarely-seen guitarra baiana. His repertoire of styles and compositions is equally broad, including choro, frevo, samba, maxixe and Brazilian jazz among others. He has toured throughout Brazil as well as the United States, Europe, and Cuba. Almir has performed with Howard Alden, David Grisman, Mike Marshall, Nailor Proveta, Armandinho Macêdo and many other luminaries, as well as leading his own Trio.

Equally in demand as a teacher/scholar, Almir is currently a professor at the University of Rio de Janeiro’s Villa-Lobos Institute, after several years collaborating at Unicamp (University of Campinas), one of Latin America’s most prestigious universities. He has been a visiting artist at Indiana University, San Francisco State University, and the Latin Music and Culture Celebration, organized by the Berklee College of Music.

Mandolin master Mike Marshall says “Almir is a virtuoso instrumentalist who swings like mad in a variety of musical styles and improvises with great energy and creativity. He is a world class performer.”

“Almir is redesigning the Brazilian guitar with personality and virtuosity, seeking new paths but always on the roads of his native country.” –– Ulisses Rocha, guitarist & composer, professor at the Unicamp Institute of the Arts

HARVEY WAINAPEL

Saxophonist/clarinetist HARVEY WAINAPEL has his feet firmly planted in two musical worlds. His jazz experience has led to performances and/or recordings with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, Joe Henderson, Johnny Coles and the Metropole Orchestra. He has toured internationally with Ray Charles, Joe Lovano, and Airto Moreira & Flora Purim. Wainapel’s deep love for and research into Brazilian music has also resulted in performances with Guinga, Jovino Santos Neto, Spok, Amilton Godoy, Filó Machado and Paulo Bellinati, among many other notables from that country. To date Harvey has presented his work in clubs, festivals and studios in 22 countries.

The San Francisco Examiner stated “Wainapel proves that he is amongst the most

imaginative, sensitive and creative saxophonists of the post-Coltrane era.”

Rio de Janeiro’s daily newspaper O Globo wrote “Wainapel displayed incredible intimacy with the language of Brazilian music and great stage presence.”