Jazz Is Dead brings first tour by renowned Brazilian musician Arthur Verocai to UC Theatre
BERKELEY -- The brainchild of noted hip-hop and soul producers Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, Jazz Is Dead presents the first Bay Area appearance of brilliant Brazilian musician and arranger Arthur Verocai at the UC Theatre Saturday night.
While they both had long successful careers prior to collaborating -- Muhammad as a member of iconic hip-hop act A Tribe Called Quest and super group Lucy Pearl, and multi-instrumentalist Younge for his production skills and film work -- the pair began a fruitful partnership that has included acclaimed soundtrack work for the Netflix show Luke Cage and recordings with their group the Midnight Hour for Younge's Linear Labs imprint. More recently, the pair launched its ambitious Jazz Is Dead project.
Initially focusing on live concerts with such heavily-sampled luminaries as Roy Ayers and Lonnie Liston Smith, Jazz Is Dead has also brought some of those '70s jazz influences and inspirations into the studio to record full albums, including such giants as Black Jazz recording artists Doug and Jean Carn, saxophonist Gary Bartz, longtime Gil Scott-Heron collaborator Brian Jackson and Brazilian masters Azymuth, Marco Valle and João Donato as well as like-minded younger musicians like Los Angeles group Katalyst.
In addition to the collective's popular ongoing concert series in Los Angeles, last summer they launched "Jazz Is Dead: The Tour" which played dates across the country with '70s jazz greats Jackson, Carn and Henry Franklin. While some earlier tours had a collaborative approach teaming seasoned jazz legends with a house ensemble, earlier this summer Jazz Is Dead presented gifted Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal playing with his current backing band.
Jazz Is Dead brings another Brazilian legend to the U.S. with the current tour of renowned songwriter, arranger and musician Arthur Verocai. While he went to college to study civil engineering, Verocai was already playing guitar and writing songs, with singer Leny Andrade recording his song "Olhando o Mar" in 1966. After graduating, his engineering career was brief as Verocai soon threw himself into studying guitar, harmony, piano and arranging with several established artists including the man who would become his mentor, guitarist and producer Roberto Menescal.
It didn't take long for Verocai's bossa nova-influenced songs to be embraced at Brazilian festivals as well as by a number of artists, with singers Ellis Regina and Maria Creuz and the group O Quarteto. He was soon working as an arranger, playing guitar and serving as musical director on the television show "É a maior." The program and other television work would put Verocai in contact with a constellation of MPB (Música Popular Brasileira) stars. Verocai would collaborate on television and in the recording studio with such luminaries as Ivan Lins, Jorge Ben, Gal Costa, Erasmo Carlos, MPB-4, Célia, O Terço and Marcos Valle, introducing elements of American soul and funk into their music as well as elements of progressive rock and the complex compositions of Frank Zappa.
Verocai's success as a songwriter and arranger would eventually lead to a deal to produce his own album for the Continental label. His eponymous 1972 debut would spotlight the musician's brilliant material and lush arrangements, but despite the stunning presentation and indelible melodies, the album was largely ignored in Brazil. Discouraged by the lack of commercial success, Verocai would abandon the pursuit of a career as a solo recording artist, though he still worked in music, arranging and playing guitar for other artists, writing jingles for advertising campaigns and serving as musical director for a variety of television shows as well as writing several show themes and composing soundtracks.
Over time, Verocai's debut would be rediscovered both by Brazilian music fans and hip-hop artists with the likes of Madlib, MF Doom, Curren$y and Little Brother sampling his songs. Having become a coveted collector's item, the record was first reissued in 2003 by Bay Area-based imprint Luv 'n Haight and has seen multiple editions releases since (including several pressings by noted U.K. label Mr. Bongo.
The resurgence of interest fostered a return to music for Verocai, who released his first new collection of new music in three decades in 2002 with Saudade Demais. That was followed by the 2007 album Encore that included collaborations with his old partner Lins and Brazilian contemporaries from the jazz-funk outfit Azymuth. The revival also led to Verocai being brought to the U.S. for his first live performances, including a celebrated Los Angeles concert with a number of Brazilian instrumental giants and a 30-piece orchestra to perform his debut in full (a recording and DVD would be issued the following year).
More recently, Verocai has worked with more modern groups including Australian jazz-funk band Hiatus Kaiyote and Canadian instrumental act BadBadNotGood. For this first ever visit to the Bay Area at the UC Theatre Saturday night, Verocai will be joined by a 30-piece orchestra to reprise his live performance of his now classic album with special guests. The show wraps up a string of four dates in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago presented by Jazz Is Dead. Groove Merchant affiliated DJ the Sounds of Paradise (aka Fábian Pablo) spins records to warm up the crowd.
Jazz Is Dead Presents Arthur Verocai
Saturday, August 19, 7 p.m. $47.50
UC Theatre