Vinicius Gomes, Massimo Biolcati & Alex Kautz / Brazilian Jazz Jam.

Vinicius Gomes, Massimo Biolcati  & Alex Kautz / Brazilian Jazz Jam.

Presented by Terraza 7 

Thursday, January 17th, 2024 at 7:30 pm.

$20 Cover Charge for Mezzanine

Featuring:

• Vinicius Gomes / Guitar
• Massimo Biolcati  / Bass
• Alex kautz / Drums

About Vinicius Gomes: 

Guitarist, guitarist and composer, releasing in 2017 his first album entirely authorial, “Resilience”, dedicated to merge the Brazilian universe to modern jazz.

He has performed with important composers and performers, such as Zizi Possi (with whom he acts as guitarist and arranger in the show “À Flor da Pele”), Rosa Passos, Jane Duboc, Arthur Verocai and Oswaldinho do Acordeon, as well as names of instrumental music such as Toninho Ferragutti (with whom he recorded the album “A Gata Café”, winner of the Brazilian Music Award 2017), Thiago Espirito Santo, Robertinho Silva and Mestrinho. He has also worked with orchestras such as OSESP and Jazz Sinfônica de SP.

He has a master’s degree from ECA/USP, where he wrote the work “Helio Delmiro – Compositions for Guitar Solo”, winner of PROAC 2015 in the instrumental music category.

He has been participating in various Brazilian instrumental music authorial works with musicians such as Daniel de Paula, Guilherme Ribeiro, Rafael Abdalla and Alexandre Silverio, besides being one of the leaders of the group KVAR.

He has performed in festivals such as: Festival Internacional de Jazz de Buenos Aires (ARG), Festival de Jazz do Capão (Chapada Diamantina – BA), Jazz a La Calle (Mercedes – Uruguay), Bourbon Street Festival (Paraty – RJ), FIMUPA (Belém – PA) Festival de Jazz de La Plata (ARG), Festival de Garanhuns (PE), SESC Jazz & Blues (SP). He has also performed in Finland, Sweden and Colombia.

About Alex Kautz:

Renowned for his musicality, groove, and knowledge of various genres, Alex Kautz stands out as a distinguished percussionist, educator, and composer. With an unwavering passion for jazz and world music, he has crafted a captivating and distinct musical voice and unique artistic expression.

Alex has been an important part of the NY competitive music scene for the last decade and has played and/or recorded with some of the top artists in the industry today including Tim Ries, Magos Herrera, Nilson Matta, Chico Pinheiro, Steve Willson, Lenny Andrade, Fabio Gouvea, Helio Alves, Victor Prieto and Lionel Loueke among others.

In addition to his work with various artists, Alex has taken the lead in various projects where he combines the sounds of Brazilian music fused with jazz. Notably, he played a vital role as a co-founder of the collective ensemble known as "Trio Afora" and he is releasing his new album, "Where We Begin," with Sunnyside Records in Spring 2024.

A Magna Cum Laude graduate from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Alex received the “Best Achievement merit Scholarship” while attending the prestigious institution in pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree in Music. He later received a full scholarship award from Mexico’s National Fund for Culture and Arts (FONCA) to study a Masters of Arts Degree in Aaron Copland School of Music in New York.

As an active educator since 2001, Alex has been an important part of the artistic community in different countries including USA, Mexico, India, and Brazil teaching private lessons as well as master classes. In addition he has been a guest professor in Souza Lima Conservatory and College of Music in Sao Paulo, Brazil, JAZZUV School of Music in Veracruz Mexico and in Swarnabhomi School of Music in India and he is currently part of the faculty at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Mannes Concervatory in NYC

About Massimo Biolcati:

21st century jazz is a global movement, and New York bassist Massimo Biolcati embodies the music’s creative reach. A first-call accompanist, producer, composer and bandleader, he is known as a founding member of Gilfema, the acclaimed collective trio with Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth and West African guitarist and vocalist Lionel Loueke that recorded two albums for Obliqsound. The group also recorded three albums for Blue Note as the Lionel Loueke Trio, including Karibu featuring Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.

Moving to New York City in 2003 he has been thriving as a sideman working widely with Paquito D’Rivera, Terence Blanchard, Ravi Coltrane, Lizz Wright and Luciana Souza. As a leader he released Persona (2008, Obliqsound), an ambitious and critically hailed debut album of original compositions played by Loueke, pianist Peter Rende, and drummer Jeff Ballard, with vocal contributions by Lizz Wright and Gretchen Parlato. 

While touring the world and performing widely in New York, Biolcati also runs his own record label Sounderscore, a venture that is allowing him to release his own solo projects (Incontre – 2020, Momenta – 2022, On a Misty Night – 2023) in addition to producing albums by longtime friends and collaborators Lionel Loueke and Ferenc Nemeth.

Biolcati also runs iReal Pro, the music app he created in 2009 that has become an essential tool for musicians and music students. Since its inception, Biolcati has spent several years honing the code and developing the app’s features and capabilities.