Nilson Matta | |
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Background information | |
Origin | São Paulo, Brazil |
Genres | Brazilian Music, jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, educator, arranger, producer |
Instrument(s) | Acoustic bass vertical electric upright bass electric six-string bass |
Years active | 1960s–present |
Labels | Motéma Music, Zoho Music |
Website | nilsonmatta |
Nilson Matta is a Brazilian bassist and composer. He has been based in New York City since 1985. He is also known for his work with Trio da Paz, Don Pullen African Brazilian Connection, Joe Henderson, Yo Yo Ma and Nilson Matta's Brazilian Voyage.
Nilson studied bass at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) with Sandrino Santoro, a Brazilian classical bass player. During his years living in Brazil, Nilson played the bass with musicians such as João Gilberto, Hermeto Pascoal, Roberto Carlos (singer), Chico Buarque de Holanda, Nana Caymmi, João Bosco, Johnny Alf, Helio Delmiro, Luis Bonfá, MPB4, and Roberto Carlos.
Nilson moved to New York City in 1985. Since that time he has performed and recorded with artists as Joe Henderson, Paquito D'Rivera, Slide Hampton, Herbie Mann, Mark Murphy, Oscar Castro Neves, Don Friedman, Paul Winter, and Gato Barbieri.
After moving to New York City, Nilson co-founded the project "The African Brazilian Connection" with pianist Don Pullen. The group released three albums on Blue Note Records. Nilson then started a project of his own with longtime friends Romero Lubambo and Duduka da Fronseca - "Trio Da Paz". The trio released five albums.
From 1995 through 1998, Matta worked extensively with saxophonist Joe Henderson. Nilson played on the album Joe Henderson Big Band, which won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance in 1998. Yo Yo Ma selected Nilson to play on Obrigado Brazil and Obrigado Brazil – Live in Carnegie Hall Concert with Yo Yo Ma, both of which were Grammy winners. These albums prompted a worldwide tour that lasted for two years. Nilson also recorded with Yo Yo Ma on his album Songs of Joy & Peace in 2008.
Since 2006, Nilson has been focused on many of his own projects. That year he released Walking with My Bass. He is a member of the International Society of Bassists and often appears as a featured guest and performer at their conventions. Matta is also well known for his teaching ability, which has been showcased in different settings through the country. Nilson gives lessons to young bassists in addition to his master classes. He has taught at Litchfield Jazz Campus. Nilson is the Artistic/Music Director of Samba Meets Jazz Workshops, with vocal and instrumental programs for adults in Bar Harbor, ME, Boston's North Shore, as well as in international locations.
Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
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2002 | Cyro Baptista | Beat the Donkey | Tzadik |
2002 | Kenny Barron | Canta Brasil | Sunnyside |
1999 | Charlie Byrd | My Inspiration: Music of Brazil | Concord |
1989 | Paquito D'Rivera | Return to Ipanema | Town Crier |
1989 | Paquito D'Rivera | Tico! Tico! | Chesky |
2002 | Yoshiko Kishino | Siesta | GRP |
1995 | Herbie Mann | Celebration | Lightyear |
1995 | Herbie Mann | America/Brasil | Lightyear |
2004 | Roseanna Vitro | Tropical Postcards | A Records |
Source: [1]
Getz/Gilberto is an album by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto, featuring pianist and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, who also composed many of the tracks. It was released in March 1964 by Verve Records. The album features the vocals of Astrud Gilberto on two tracks, "Garota de Ipanema" and "Corcovado". The artwork was done by artist Olga Albizu. Getz/Gilberto is a jazz and bossa nova album and includes tracks such as "Desafinado", "Corcovado", and "Garota de Ipanema". The last received a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and started Astrud Gilberto's career. "Doralice" and "Para Machucar Meu Coração" strengthened Gilberto's and Jobim's respect for the tradition of pre-bossa nova samba.
Jazz Samba is a bossa nova album by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd released by Verve Records in 1962. Jazz Samba signaled the beginning of the bossa nova craze in America. Stan Getz was the featured soloist and the tracks were arranged by Charlie Byrd, who had first heard bossa nova during a tour of Brazil in 1961.
Don Gabriel Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed pieces ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz. The great variety of his body of work makes it difficult to pigeonhole his musical style.
Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras, known as Paquito D'Rivera, is a Cuban-American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He was a member of the Cuban songo band Irakere and, since the 1980s, he has established himself as a bandleader in the United States. His smooth saxophone tone and his frequent combination of Latin jazz and classical music have become his trademarks.
"Chega de Saudade", also known as "No More Blues", is a bossa nova jazz standard. It is often considered to be the first bossa nova song to be recorded. Like "The Girl from Ipanema", the music for "Chega de Saudade" was composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes.
Cyro Baptista is a Brazilian percussionist in jazz and world music. He creates many of the percussion instruments he plays.
Sérgio Assad is a Brazilian guitarist, composer, and arranger who often performs with his brother, Odair in the guitar duo Sérgio and Odair Assad, commonly referred to as the Assad Brothers or Duo Assad. Their younger sister Badi is also a guitarist. Assad is the father of composer/singer/pianist Clarice Assad. He is married to Angela Olinto.
Obrigado Brazil is a music album by Yo-Yo Ma.
Helio Alves is a jazz pianist and son of pianists.
Romero Lubambo is a Brazilian jazz guitarist.
Trio da Paz is a Brazilian jazz group formed in 1986 that consists of Romero Lubambo on guitar, Nilson Matta on bass and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums.
Duduka Da Fonseca, born Eduardo Moreira Da Fonseca is a Brazilian jazz drummer who is a founding member of Trio da Paz with Romero Lubambo and Nilson Matta. He leads the Duduka da Fonseca Trio, with David Feldman and Guto Wirtti.
Kele Mou Bana is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen and the African-Brazilian Connection recorded in 1990 for the Blue Note label.
Ode to Life is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen and the African-Brazilian Connection recorded in 1993 for the Blue Note label.
Live...Again: Live at Montreux is a live album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen and the African-Brazilian Connection recorded in 1993 at the Montreux Jazz Festival for the Blue Note label.
Tropical Postcards is the 9th album by jazz singer Roseanna Vitro, released in 2004 by A Records, an imprint of Challenge Records International. Brazilian jazz and popular music predominate, with seven of the album's eleven tracks provided by Brazilian composers, plus one familiar standard – Sammy Fain's I'll Be Seeing You – performed as a bossa nova.
"Once I Loved" is a bossa nova and jazz standard song composed in 1960 by Antônio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. Words in English were later added by Ray Gilbert. In a few early cases, the song was also known as, a translation into English of the original Portuguese title.
"Só Danço Samba" is a bossa nova song composed in 1962 by Antônio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. English lyrics were later written by Norman Gimbel. On occasion, it has also been known as "Jazz Samba" and "I Only Dance Samba", an English translation of the original Portuguese title.
Canta Brasil is an album by pianist Kenny Barron recorded in New York in 2002 and released on the Sunnyside label.