Petworth Summer Festival - Coffee Concert - Bossa Nova

Mario Bakuna and Roberto Manzin present: Tribute to Stan Getz and João
Gilberto

Mario Bakuna and Roberto Manzin invite the audience to celebrate two of the most important artists of all time: the American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto in a tribute to the iconic album Getz/Gilberto. 
Getz/Gilberto was recorded in 1963 and is considered the album that popularised bossa nova worldwide and is one of the best-selling jazz records of all time, selling over one million copies. It was widely acclaimed by music critics, received the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and also became the first non-American album to win Album of the Year, in 1965.
In an evening full of harmonic richness, this virtuoso duo will transport the audience on an incredible journey through one of our most treasured musical pieces.

Mario Bakuna is a Brazilian composer, arranger, singer, and guitarist currently based in London. Over the past few years, he has emerged as a leading figure and a key reference in the UK’s Brazilian jazz scene. Renowned for his deep exploration of traditional Brazilian rhythms, samba, jazz, and bossa nova, Mario captures the spirit of Brazilian swing, blending it with refined jazz colours in both his original compositions and fresh arrangements of works by iconic artists such as Tom Jobim, Dorival Caymmi, Paulo Moura, and João Donato. Mario has built a distinctive international career, enchanting audiences in both intimate jazz clubs and on grand festival stages around the world, reaching audiences of up to 150,000 people. He has collaborated with leading artists including Guinga, Daniel Jobim, Nelson Ayres, and Robertinho Silva, and his albums Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia and Brazilian Landscapes highlight his unique fusion of tradition and contemporary jazz. His captivating live performances seamlessly unite tradition and modern groove, resulting in a sound that is unmistakably his own and resonates with audiences worldwide. (www.mariobakuna.com)

“Mario Bakuna, a sparkling guitarist, plays with palpable feeling – his virtuosic fluency on the fretboard is controlled and flourishes are perfectly placed. His voice has a texture like heavy cloth” – Songlines

“Mario Bakuna, a man who exudes music. (…) ‘vocals’ doesn’t begin to do him justice: his expressive range and the precision with which he was able to deploy it was truly the band’s fifth instrument. (…) And he did this while playing guitar with precision and finesse. (…) his solos were a further source of amazement, his technique somewhere between finger-picking style and classical. His solo introduction to a Baden Powell number made a hash of any attempt at a definition.” - The Whitman Review, Wakefield Jazz

Roberto Manzin was born in Rome, Italy, in a family of musicians. During the 1980s Manzin began playing in several music clubs in Milan, and during the 1990s was part of the Tony Scott Jazz Quintet (Scott being an American bebop clarinet player who performed with Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday). Manzin became a successful session player, contributing to eight albums in 1992 alone, with leading Italian artists as well as working extensively in TV where he played with, among others, James Brown, Zucchero Fornaciari and Manu Katché. In the late 1990s Manzin migrated to London, and over the years Manzin has performed and/or recorded with Martha Reeves and the Vandelas, Donna Summer, Dave Weckl, Jim Mullen, Harvie S, Pino Palladino, Trilok Gurtu, Kai Eckhardt, Dennis Rollins, Roberto Pla, Roland Perrin, Richard Bailey, Ernesto Simpson, Nicolas Meier, Jason Rebello, Ska Cubano, Manolín "El Médico de la salsa", Jesus Cutiño, Omar Puente, Alejandro Sanz, Rumer, Ismael Rivera Jr, Max Carletti, Carmel, Mario Biondi, Space UK, Dave Land, Adrian Reid; Maysa Leak, Francesco Lo Castro, Sid Gauld and Francesco Mendolia (from Incognito) and many others. Manzin continues to be a popular session player performing in music festivals and prestigious venues throughout Europe. (www.robertomanzin.com)

"...He (Manzin) has to be heard to be believed!” - Jon Newey, Jazzwise

"Sax-player Roberto Manzin's solos have something of the chromatic excitement of Brecker and the soulfulness of Sanborn.” - Alison Bentley, LondonJazz

"An expressive player with an attractive sound, his improvisations reveal a skilful strategist, a melodist first and foremost, who gradually unfolds a solo and builds up to a compelling conclusion.” - Charles Alexander, Jazzwise

"Woodwind virtuoso Roberto Manzin, one of the finest and most versatile saxophonists on the British scene” - Rainlore's World of Music