It is no secret that I love visiting, being in Brazil. I think this is my eleventh visit and it seems like home. I really need to learn Portuguese though but my many friends cover for me.  It is great seeing them and best of all playing music together.  There we speak the same language. Nothing like playing Brazilian music with a group of excellent Brazilian musicians. This trip started off with an amazing 80th birthday party for a good friend and she had hired the finest musicians in Brasilia – great fun playing with them.  

While visiting familiar places – Brasilia and Natal, I will make my first trip to Belo Horizonte and Minas Gerais, playing at two clubs with a friend and alum of our jazz program, bassist Pablo Souza. It will be great seeing him again and playing together. I will also be presenting master classes at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Besides learning about Belo Horizonte, I will get to travel to Ouro Preto. 

Natal is a special place where another friend, Anderson Pessoa, teaches at the Universidade Federal de Grande Norte. This year Anderson is hosting the 1st ENSAX – Encontro Nordestino de Saxofonistas, a meeting of outstanding Brazilian saxophonists and I am honored to be included. Amazing beaches, saxophones, sun, great food, new/people/old friends (Vadim Arsky) and music all day – sounds perfect to me.

Belo Horizonte

Natal