A Rio de Janeiro-raised pop hitmaker who reinvented himself in Brooklyn three decades ago as a supple Brazilian jazz singer/songwriter, guitarist Vinicius Cantuária has carved out a singular niche on the international music scene. A longtime favorite at SFJAZZ, he returns on the heels of his 2024 Sunnyside Records release, Psychedelic Rio, in an intimate duo performance with the masterful Brazilian guitarist and composer Chico Pinheiro.
After writing several multi-million-selling MPB (música popular brasileira) standards for the icon Caetano Veloso, Cantuária decamped for New York, where he quickly became a cult figure via collaborations with a startling array of artists, including David Byrne, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Arto Lindsay, Angelique Kidjo, Marcos Valle, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Many jazz fans discovered him through tours and recordings with Bill Frisell, like the supremely cosmopolitan 2003 album The Intercontinentals and the entrancing 2011 session Lágrimas Mexicanas.
A multiple winner in the DownBeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Guitarist and collaborator with Cantuaria on his 2015 tribute to Jobim, Chico Pinheiro is a GRAMMY-nominee and bandleader who has contributed to recordings by Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour, Kurt Elling, Luciana Souza, Romero Lubambo, Placido Domingo, and Paco D'Rivera.
On his latest release, 2024's Psychedelic Rio, Cantuária expands bossa nova's ravishing melodies and contained dynamics with a jolt of intensity and power inspired by his heroes, Miles Davis, Ched Baker, Bill Evans, and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
~~~
"Cantuária offered a set that was a masterpiece of contemporary music, regardless of definition."
-Los Angeles Times
Vinicius Cantuária was born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, living there until he was seven, when his family moved to Rio. As singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, his career connects several zones of Brazilian music. And though his music is known for its decidedly twenty-first century feel, Cantuária's band might best be described as 'post-electronica acoustic' - a band that includes jazz bassist Paul Socolow, Michael Leonhart (the young Steely Dan trumpeter) and a rotating crew of Brazilian percussionists Nanny Assis, Mauro Refosco and legendary drummer Paulo Braga. Their repertoire typically includes songs by Jobim and Gilberto Gil, as well as Cantuária's own fund of songs.
Cantuária's albums, always critics' favorites, have featured collaborations with some of the starrier names in left-field commercial music: Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Brian Eno, Bill Frisell, and Arto Lindsay. Though artists such as Anderson, Frisell and Lindsay have a common touch, there is always an awkwardness to their music: they don't worry about ugly sounds. They are prepared to confront their sophisticated audiences as well as delight them. Cantuária, by contrast, rarely produces anything that is not beautiful. He might express enthusiastic interest in DJ Spooky and the scratchy rhythms of laptop blip-hop, trade vocals with David Byrne or duet with Marc Ribot, but the end-result is always tuneful, light, fleet and musical. Compare his version of 'O Nome Dela' (co-written with Arto Lindsay) with the version on Lindsay's own album Prize. The song has a fabulous tune, a great hook and simple affecting words. Each version has its merits, and demonstrates a different aspect of Cantuária's chord playing, but it's the Brazilian's earlier version (on Sol Na Cara) that haunts the mind and grips the heart.
show less
After writing several multi-million-selling MPB (música popular brasileira) standards for the icon Caetano Veloso, Cantuária decamped for New York, where he quickly became a cult figure via collaborations with a startling array of artists, including David Byrne, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Arto Lindsay, Angelique Kidjo, Marcos Valle, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Many jazz fans discovered him through tours and recordings with Bill Frisell, like the supremely cosmopolitan 2003 album The Intercontinentals and the entrancing 2011 session Lágrimas Mexicanas.
A multiple winner in the DownBeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Guitarist and collaborator with Cantuaria on his 2015 tribute to Jobim, Chico Pinheiro is a GRAMMY-nominee and bandleader who has contributed to recordings by Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour, Kurt Elling, Luciana Souza, Romero Lubambo, Placido Domingo, and Paco D'Rivera.
On his latest release, 2024's Psychedelic Rio, Cantuária expands bossa nova's ravishing melodies and contained dynamics with a jolt of intensity and power inspired by his heroes, Miles Davis, Ched Baker, Bill Evans, and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
~~~
"Cantuária offered a set that was a masterpiece of contemporary music, regardless of definition."
-Los Angeles Times
Vinicius Cantuária was born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, living there until he was seven, when his family moved to Rio. As singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, his career connects several zones of Brazilian music. And though his music is known for its decidedly twenty-first century feel, Cantuária's band might best be described as 'post-electronica acoustic' - a band that includes jazz bassist Paul Socolow, Michael Leonhart (the young Steely Dan trumpeter) and a rotating crew of Brazilian percussionists Nanny Assis, Mauro Refosco and legendary drummer Paulo Braga. Their repertoire typically includes songs by Jobim and Gilberto Gil, as well as Cantuária's own fund of songs.
Cantuária's albums, always critics' favorites, have featured collaborations with some of the starrier names in left-field commercial music: Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Brian Eno, Bill Frisell, and Arto Lindsay. Though artists such as Anderson, Frisell and Lindsay have a common touch, there is always an awkwardness to their music: they don't worry about ugly sounds. They are prepared to confront their sophisticated audiences as well as delight them. Cantuária, by contrast, rarely produces anything that is not beautiful. He might express enthusiastic interest in DJ Spooky and the scratchy rhythms of laptop blip-hop, trade vocals with David Byrne or duet with Marc Ribot, but the end-result is always tuneful, light, fleet and musical. Compare his version of 'O Nome Dela' (co-written with Arto Lindsay) with the version on Lindsay's own album Prize. The song has a fabulous tune, a great hook and simple affecting words. Each version has its merits, and demonstrates a different aspect of Cantuária's chord playing, but it's the Brazilian's earlier version (on Sol Na Cara) that haunts the mind and grips the heart.
A Rio de Janeiro-raised pop hitmaker who reinvented himself in Brooklyn three decades ago as a supple Brazilian jazz singer/songwriter, guitarist Vinicius Cantuária has carved out a singular niche on the international music scene. A longtime favorite at SFJAZZ, he returns on the heels of his 2024 Sunnyside Records release, Psychedelic Rio, in an intimate duo performance with the masterful Brazilian guitarist and composer Chico Pinheiro.
After writing several multi-million-selling MPB (música popular brasileira) standards for the icon Caetano Veloso, Cantuária decamped for New York, where he quickly became a cult figure via collaborations with a startling array of artists, including David Byrne, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Arto Lindsay, Angelique Kidjo, Marcos Valle, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Many jazz fans discovered him through tours and recordings with Bill Frisell, like the supremely cosmopolitan 2003 album The Intercontinentals and the entrancing 2011 session Lágrimas Mexicanas.
A multiple winner in the DownBeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Guitarist and collaborator with Cantuaria on his 2015 tribute to Jobim, Chico Pinheiro is a GRAMMY-nominee and bandleader who has contributed to recordings by Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour, Kurt Elling, Luciana Souza, Romero Lubambo, Placido Domingo, and Paco D'Rivera.
On his latest release, 2024's Psychedelic Rio, Cantuária expands bossa nova's ravishing melodies and contained dynamics with a jolt of intensity and power inspired by his heroes, Miles Davis, Ched Baker, Bill Evans, and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
~~~
"Cantuária offered a set that was a masterpiece of contemporary music, regardless of definition."
-Los Angeles Times
Vinicius Cantuária was born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, living there until he was seven, when his family moved to Rio. As singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, his career connects several zones of Brazilian music. And though his music is known for its decidedly twenty-first century feel, Cantuária's band might best be described as 'post-electronica acoustic' - a band that includes jazz bassist Paul Socolow, Michael Leonhart (the young Steely Dan trumpeter) and a rotating crew of Brazilian percussionists Nanny Assis, Mauro Refosco and legendary drummer Paulo Braga. Their repertoire typically includes songs by Jobim and Gilberto Gil, as well as Cantuária's own fund of songs.
Cantuária's albums, always critics' favorites, have featured collaborations with some of the starrier names in left-field commercial music: Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Brian Eno, Bill Frisell, and Arto Lindsay. Though artists such as Anderson, Frisell and Lindsay have a common touch, there is always an awkwardness to their music: they don't worry about ugly sounds. They are prepared to confront their sophisticated audiences as well as delight them. Cantuária, by contrast, rarely produces anything that is not beautiful. He might express enthusiastic interest in DJ Spooky and the scratchy rhythms of laptop blip-hop, trade vocals with David Byrne or duet with Marc Ribot, but the end-result is always tuneful, light, fleet and musical. Compare his version of 'O Nome Dela' (co-written with Arto Lindsay) with the version on Lindsay's own album Prize. The song has a fabulous tune, a great hook and simple affecting words. Each version has its merits, and demonstrates a different aspect of Cantuária's chord playing, but it's the Brazilian's earlier version (on Sol Na Cara) that haunts the mind and grips the heart.
read more
After writing several multi-million-selling MPB (música popular brasileira) standards for the icon Caetano Veloso, Cantuária decamped for New York, where he quickly became a cult figure via collaborations with a startling array of artists, including David Byrne, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Arto Lindsay, Angelique Kidjo, Marcos Valle, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Many jazz fans discovered him through tours and recordings with Bill Frisell, like the supremely cosmopolitan 2003 album The Intercontinentals and the entrancing 2011 session Lágrimas Mexicanas.
A multiple winner in the DownBeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Guitarist and collaborator with Cantuaria on his 2015 tribute to Jobim, Chico Pinheiro is a GRAMMY-nominee and bandleader who has contributed to recordings by Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour, Kurt Elling, Luciana Souza, Romero Lubambo, Placido Domingo, and Paco D'Rivera.
On his latest release, 2024's Psychedelic Rio, Cantuária expands bossa nova's ravishing melodies and contained dynamics with a jolt of intensity and power inspired by his heroes, Miles Davis, Ched Baker, Bill Evans, and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
~~~
"Cantuária offered a set that was a masterpiece of contemporary music, regardless of definition."
-Los Angeles Times
Vinicius Cantuária was born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, living there until he was seven, when his family moved to Rio. As singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, his career connects several zones of Brazilian music. And though his music is known for its decidedly twenty-first century feel, Cantuária's band might best be described as 'post-electronica acoustic' - a band that includes jazz bassist Paul Socolow, Michael Leonhart (the young Steely Dan trumpeter) and a rotating crew of Brazilian percussionists Nanny Assis, Mauro Refosco and legendary drummer Paulo Braga. Their repertoire typically includes songs by Jobim and Gilberto Gil, as well as Cantuária's own fund of songs.
Cantuária's albums, always critics' favorites, have featured collaborations with some of the starrier names in left-field commercial music: Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Brian Eno, Bill Frisell, and Arto Lindsay. Though artists such as Anderson, Frisell and Lindsay have a common touch, there is always an awkwardness to their music: they don't worry about ugly sounds. They are prepared to confront their sophisticated audiences as well as delight them. Cantuária, by contrast, rarely produces anything that is not beautiful. He might express enthusiastic interest in DJ Spooky and the scratchy rhythms of laptop blip-hop, trade vocals with David Byrne or duet with Marc Ribot, but the end-result is always tuneful, light, fleet and musical. Compare his version of 'O Nome Dela' (co-written with Arto Lindsay) with the version on Lindsay's own album Prize. The song has a fabulous tune, a great hook and simple affecting words. Each version has its merits, and demonstrates a different aspect of Cantuária's chord playing, but it's the Brazilian's earlier version (on Sol Na Cara) that haunts the mind and grips the heart.
show less
Date/Times:
The Best Events
Every Week in Your Inbox
From Our Sponsors
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great suggestion! We'll be in touch.
Event reviewed successfully.