Piano is in Helio Alves’s DNA. Playing since age 6, the Jazz and Bossa Nova veteran will treat New York City audiences Aug. 11 at the Zinc Bar.

Alves was born in Sao Paulo in 1966 and gravitated to jazz in his teens. He moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music and received his degree in 1990. In Boston he would meet trumpeter Claudio Roditi, who advised the 24-year old pianist to move to New York – which he did in 1993.

Since then, the pianist and composer has been praised as a sideman with Joe Henderson, Yo-Yo Ma, Paquito D’Rivera, Gato Barbieri, Dave Samuels, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, Oscar Castro-Neves, and more. He has also recorded two albums with Roditi, ‘Samba Manhattan Style’ (1995) and ‘Double Standards’ (1997).

From 1995-97, Alves toured with Joe Henderson’s DoubleRainbow Quartet, celebrating the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, and was featured in the Grammy-winning release, ‘Joe Henderson’s Big Band’ (Verve, 1996). Alves was the pianist on Grammy-winning releases by Yo-Yo Ma (‘Obrigado Brazil,’ 2003) and Paquito D’Rivera (‘Brazilian Dreams,’ 2002), and on the Grammy-nominated ‘Samba Jazz Fantasia’ (Malandro Records, 2002), by Duduka Da Fonseca, and ‘Forests’ (Zoho Music 2008) by the Brazilian Trio, his band with Da Fonseca and bassist Nilson Matta. His playing has also appeared on albums by Rosa Passos, Joyce, Herbie Mann, Gal Costa, and many others.

Alves will be playing three shows at The Zinc Bar, located at 
82 West Third Street. For tickets or more information, click here.

Suavemente! That is the term once used to describe the sound of New York-based French vocalist, song stylist, and poet Pascalito. And the performer brings his show and his band to The Metropolitan Room in New York City on Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.

Pascalito was born Pascal Sabattier, in Paris, to a musical family of Mediterranean Jewish roots. 
He grew up listening to an eclectic mix of singers from Charles Aznavour, Claude Nougaro, Henri Salvador, Chet Baker, and Caetano Veloso. His voice and charismatic stage presence have made him a rising talent on the New York jazz and world music scene. Two original songs from his debut album ‘Le Blues d’Orphée’, released in 2007, were featured in the hit TV shows “Burn Notice” (USA) and “Damages” (FX).
His new album ‘Neostalgia’ was recorded in New York with a cast of international musicians from Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Texas. It was co-produced, recorded and mixed by Swiss producer/arranger Thomas Foyer and mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Alan Silverman.

Through lyrical songs with poetic narratives and rich instrumentation, ‘Neostalgia’ takes listeners on an atmospheric journey at the crossroads of different cultures and generations, blending the influences of Latin Jazz, Bossa Nova, French Chanson, Blues, and Pop to create a colorful signature sound. Pascolito’s band features: Sarina Suno (violin); Luca Hara Garacci (guitar); José Moura (bass); and Mike Ramsey (percussion).

The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22d Street. For tickets or more information call 212-206-0440 or click here.

Updating our earlier post on Kenia’s show in New York and her new album, Mosaic Brazil has learned the Brazilian artist will be performing several shows in Pennsylvania in the next few months.

Kenia’s blend of Brazilian sounds and jazz helped define the smooth jazz “Wave” sound over the last few decades, and her new album, Kenia Celebrates Dorival Caymmi, was released in April. Here is a full list of her upcoming shows.

• Aug. 3 – Pittsburgh, JazzLive at Katz Plaza.

• Aug 17 – Pittsburgh, Riverview Park/Observatory Hill.

• Aug. 15 – Pittsburgh, The Reservoir Of Jazz, Highland Park.

• Aug. 20 – Zelienople, Penn., JazZee at The Strand Theatre.

• Aug. 21 – Eagles Mere, Penn., Performing with Salsamba.

• Sept. 2 – Pittsburgh, Duo in the Park.

• Sept. 6 – Lancasster, Penn., Mark’s Place,

• Oct. 2 – Pittsburgh, Little E’s.

• Nov. 16 – Pittsburgh, Backstage Bar.

The artist’s reps say she will also be in Brazil in November. We will let you know if she adds shows outside Pennsylvania. For more information on her tours, visit Kenia’s official site. For more on Kenia or to purchase her albums, visit Connect Brazil.

Highly-respected Brazilian jazz singer Leny Andrade brings a bit of Bossa and Bolero for a series of five nights of shows Aug. 31 to Sept. 4 at the historic Birdland jazz club in New York City.

The show promises to take Brazilian jazz fans on a journey with sounds of Bossa Nova to her love of Boleros from her years living in Mexico, all with a Jazz flavor. The singer, who grew up in Brazil, has just released a new album, Alma Mia, focusing on her interest in boleros. The multi-talented vocalist is known as the Queen of Bossa Nova. Music reviewer Stephen Holden of The New York Times had this to say about Andrade:

“To describe Ms. Andrade as both the Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald of Bossa Nova only goes so far in evoking a performer whose voice seems to contain the body and soul of Brazil … like everything else she performs, it seems to well up from the center of the earth.”

Joining her onstage will be: Klaus Mueller on piano; Sergio Brandao on bass; and Helio Schiavo on drums.

The series will feature two shows each night. For more information on the show or tickets, visit the Birdland website.

Samba sounds will sizzle New York City on July 29 when the New York Samba Jazz Band performs at The Cooper Union.

The band features some of the best names in jazz: Duduka Da Fonseca on drums
; Jay Ashby on trombone; 
Klaus Mueller on piano
; and James Genus on bass. The band will perform two sets, at 7 and 9:30p.m.
in the Rose Auditorium. Thomas Conrad at JazzTimes said this of Da Fonseca:

“The universal appeal of Brazilian jazz is how measured, melodic emotion is energized from within by subtle, invincible rhythm. Da Fonseca may be the best in the world at motivating and sustaining  that special vital pulse.”

The Cooper Union is located at 41 Cooper Square on Third Ave. For more information or tickets, call 212-353-4135
or visit the Cooper Union website.

Fresh off a July 15 show in New York City, smooth jazz and Brazilian sensation Kenia has returned with a new album celebrating the music of Dorival Caymmi.

Her new album Kenia Celebrates Dorival Caymmi, released in April, is her first album since Simply Kenia in 2008 and The Ivan Lins Project, released in 2005. The album became somewhat of a family affair like Simply Kenia with her jazz trombonist and percussionist ex-husband Jay Ashby lending his talents to the disc and their 19-year-old son Lucas, a cellist, drummer, and percussionist, also playing percussion. Klaus Mueller provides piano and keyboards, and
 Leo Traversa plays bass.

The daughter of a Bank of Brazil treasurer, Kenia grew up in Copacabana, and first traveled to the U.S. in 1975 as an exchange student. She would eventually graduate from high school in Massachusetts. During Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964-85), she returned in 1980 to work as a bilingual secretary. Frustrated with the conditions in her homeland after experiencing democracy, she returned to New York City in 1980. She also had plans to start a music career. She soon met Ashby, who toured with Astrud Gilberto. Kenia and Ashby eventually became musical partners in L.A. in 1987 and later married. Her album Initial Thrill rode the smooth jazz wave and establisher her as one of the early favorites of the genre.

“That was the beginning of smooth jazz. She was one of the first artists. In fact, she kind of helped launch that whole KWAV [KWAV-FM, also known as The Wave] format,” Ashby told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2008. “She had her own voice. She had a unique timbre and texture to her voice, kind of an exotic energy, color to her voice. But I guess what always attracted me the most was her sense of rhythm. She really can swing.”

Another upcoming show has also been announced:

• Aug 17 – Pittsburgh, Riverview Park/Observatory Hill, 412-255-2391.

No word on more tour dates yet, but Mosaic Brazil will let you know as soon as we hear something. For more on Kenia or to purchase her albums, visit Connect Brazil.

Fresh off the success of her album Tide, São Paulo singer Luciana Souza has added more shows to her U.S. tour and may be coming to a city near you beginning this fall.

Tide has been well-received by critics and she has been on tour since January. The following is a list of her shows for the remainder of 2010 beginning this fall:

• Sept. 25 – Los Angeles, Calif., Royce Hall

• Oct. 23 – Kalamazoo, Mich., Dalton Recial Hall

• Oct. 25 – Austin, Texas, Hogg Memorial Auditorium

• Nov. 11 – Appleton, Wis., Lawrence Memorial Chapel

Click here for more on Souza and her recent Grammy nomination. For more on Luciana Souza and to purchase her albums, visit Connect Brazil.

Famed Brazilian guitarist, singer, and composer Oscar Castro-Neves has several upcoming concert appearances.

Castro-Neves is known for his unique guitar playing and has worked with some of the biggest names in Brazilian music. While most are outside the United States, he will be making one stateside appearance in November that includes a music class as part of the appearance.

• July 10 – Belgium, Ghent Jazz Festival (with Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner)

• July 21 – Turin, Italy (with Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner)

• Aug. 14 – Marina del Rey, Calif., Burton Chase Park (with entire band)

• Nov. 5-7 – Nashville, concert and Master Class

If you make to one of the shows, let us know what you think!

Cue the projectionist – Brazilian film is coming to London as part of Barbican Film’s Cinema of Brazil – Music and Rhythm.

The events began today with the showing of:

• The Ballroom (Chega de Saudade) – Focuses on a day in the life of a ballroom in São Paulo, where the audience follows the dramas and joys of five characters who take to the dance floor. (July 1)

• Two Sons of Francisco (Dois Filhos de Francisco) – A multi-award winning story of Francisco Camargo, a humble laborer from Goiás who dreams of turning two of his sons into famous country musicians. (July 1)

• Wandering Heart (Coração Vagabundo) – Much more than a music documentary, this behind the scenes glimpse of global superstar Caetano Veloso is also a revealing exploration of personal identity through music. (July 3)

The event is part of the annual City of London Festival, which “brings the city’s unique buildings and outdoor spaces to life with an extensive artistic program of music, visual arts, film, walks and talks.” The festival was begun in 1962 to revitalize London cultural life and has become one of the UK’s leading arts events.

By Sean Chaffin, Editor/Senior Writer

Last Updated: June 23, 2010; 12:o0 pm CT

Mosaic Brazil has learned that all João Gilberto shows scheduled in the United States this week and next have now been cancelled.

Yesterday it was announced that only the New York City show at Carnegie Hall had been cancelled due to a “visa snafu”. It has now been learned that shows scheduled in Boston this Friday, and Chicago on June 29 have also been cancelled “due to travel complications”, according to promoters. Promoters offered no exact travel reason for the cancellation of the Boston and Chicago shows, but promoter Fred Taylor had believed the two shows would go forward as of Monday. There was no word on whether the series of concerts would be rescheduled. Tickets would be refunded at the point of purchase.

In a Monday statement to the statement to the New York Times, the show’s producer George Wein said: “I am heartbroken over this unfortunate situation. Joao Gilberto is one of the most important musical artists of our generation, and it has always been a privilege to present him at Carnegie Hall.”

The cancellations will surely disappoint fans of the “Father of Bossa Nova.”

For João Gilberto CDs or to at least satisfy your Brazilian music fix, visit http://connectbrazil.com/#mce_temp_url#for its three webcast channels including the Sounds of Brazil with Scott Adams.radio show.