Interview with Latin Jazz pianist and composer Antonio Adolfo. An interview by email in writing. 

JazzBluesNews.com: – What are the experiences of your life that led you to see music as a spiritual endeavor?

Antonio Adolfo: – That came naturally to me since I was very young during my childhood. I think MUSIC is like a religion to me. It is with me all the time.

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JBN: – Life is more than just music, is there any other field that has influence on your music?

AA: – Different cultures, but specially Brazilian culture in its different forms, not necessarily music.

JBN: – Where does your creative drive come from?

AA: – I can’t detect it, is is something beyond my knowledge – it is difficult to theorize it.

JBN: – Bossa Nova was the most important musical movement to come out of Brazil in the 20th Century. What are you doing to keep it relevant today, to develop it and present it to the youth?

AA: – I keep looking at and feeling it with my today’s eyes (and my ears…and soul), That is an important point: it would be obvious to try to bring the past as it was. I naturally look to the past with my new musical influences in combination with my my colleagues (musicians, sound engineers…) and technology. That is what I’ve been trying to do when recently recording albums dedicated to Bossa Nova people.

JBN: – What do you love most about your new album 2023: Bossa 65 – Celebrating Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal, how it was formed and what you are working on today.

AA: – The repertoire, musicians …. actually. everything. I also like the sound of it. Everything sounds nice to me. It is great when we have a finalized album and listen to it and say: That is it!!! That’s what I wanted to show!! And this new album came in the right time: 65 years of inauguration of Bossa Nova, the legendary composers are still alive and in good health (Lyra is 90 and Menescal, 86), It is great to send the flowers to people you pay a tribute to when they are still alive! I’ve worked many times with both composers, as you can see in the liner notes. They are great and deserve many tributes. And Bossa Nova was my deepest influence together with Jazz and Brazilian music.

Buy from here – New CD 2023

JBN: – Did your sound evolve during that time? And how did you select the musicians who play on the album?

AA: – We are always trying …! Well, the musicians are pretty much the same who have been participating in my recent albums: Jorge Helder, Rafael Barata, Lula Galvao, Dada Costa, Jesse Sadoc, Danilo Sinna, Marcelo Martins and Rafael Rocha. GREAT musicians!!

JBN: – Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album?

AA: – The album was recorded live with the 8 musicians, except Dada Costa (percussion), who spent one session (on the day 5) overdubbing some tracks with Rafael Barata (percussion) under my direction. The mixing was done by Marcelo Saboia, my cousin, who has a studio in a small town on Rio de Janeiro state hills (Friburgo) and Andre Dias, mastering engineer, who also works in his house in the Rio de Janeiro Hills (Miguel Pereira) as well. The recording assistant engineer Leo Alcantara, was my piano student some time ago.

JBN: – What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

AA: – I have some interesting life highlights, It is a long life :-), so you can imagine… Professionally, I can say that having a song “Pretty World” recorded by such people as Sergio Mendes, Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder, Jason Miles and so on, can be a highlight,. Another professional highlight can be the 7 nominations for the Latin Grammy as the one for the Grammy (2018) with my recent albums.

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JBN: – What would you say characterizes Latin Jazz scene in comparison to other local US/EU scenes and circuits?

AA: – Latin Jazz îs everywhere these days, even if not “explicit” found in many albums or performances, whatever….It brings great taste (sabor), the taste of Latin America and the Caribbean to the music anywhere.

JBN: – Do you think there is an audience for young people to become future audiences and fans?

AA: – For sure!!! Welcome, young people – we need YOU!!!

Interview by Emmanuel Bolton

Note: https://jazzbluesnews.com/2023/03/19/useu-jazz-blues-association-festivals/ You can express your consent and join our association, which will give you the opportunity to perform at our Jazz and Blues festivals, naturally receiving an appropriate royalty. We cover all expenses. The objectives of the interview are: How to introduce yourself, your activities, thoughts and intellect, and make new discoveries for our US/EU Jazz & Blues Association, which organizes festivals, concerts and meetings in Boston and various European countries, why not for you too!! You can read more about the association here. https://jazzbluesnews.com/2022/11/19/useujba/