Marcos Ariel - Americas (2017)

Marcos Ariel is in the forefront of the 90’s Brazilian musician. He is indefatigable as a pianist, flutist and composer, with his musical style purely “Carioca” (one who is a native of Rio de Janeiro) splashed with a passion for Classical and Jazz. As a player he is swift and precise transcending genuine warmth that can only be Marcos Ariel.

In his home of Rio de Janeiro, music flourished. His father encouraged him to listen and absorb the masters: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin. He later developed an admiration for fellow countryman, Hereto Pascoal and American contemporary Jazzman Chick Corea.
At tender age of seven he began studying piano and by 1971 he was studying flute in the School of Music of the Brazilian Symphonic Orchestra. He was also a professional actor with the Guanabara Youth Theatre, but eventually returning to music performing with a group of musicians and singers playing a Brazilian music style called “Choro”.He also backed up such Brazilian greats Master Cartola, Roberto Gnatalli, Johnny Alf, Banda Black and many others.
Marcos Ariel recorded his first album in 1980 “Bambu” which was simultaneously released in France by Globo Records and England by wathmusic and Faroutrecordings.
After the success of Bambu, he released in Brazil and the USA the award-winning album Terra do Índio.
Terra do Índio was chosen by Jazziz Magazine as one of the best albums in the US. With the release of AMERICAS, Marcos Ariel totals 30 albums released worldwide.

ABOUT “AMERICAS” PROJECT

The name of the album was born when Marcos Ariel realized that all the tracks of the CD had melodic, harmonic and rhythmic elements that are played and practiced in all the countries of the Americas of the North, Central and the South.

The album was produced and recorded by Eduardo Chermont de Brito who participated with Marcos Ariel in other projects that had great success in the American market such as the CDs My Only Passion and Magic Eyes that were released by Para’s Group label.
As an assistant in the recordings with the piano Steinway Grand Concert, Marcos Ariel had the participation of his son the engineer and producer Lucas Ariel.

Marcos Ariel wrote all the tracks of the album except "Flight over the Horizon" composed by José Roberto Bertrami and that was a great success of the legendary group Azimuth.

Besides the own Bertrami in the keyboards, the recordings counted on great musicians like the Canadian saxophonist Jean-Pierre Zanella, the genial Paulinho Trompete who wrote all the horns arrangements and has great prominence in the title track Americas.

“Marcos Ariel’s compositions bring out best in Brazilian beat...”
“...Marcos Ariel the Brazilian pianist whose luch sense of phrasing comes with a feel that’s at once sensitive and impressionistic...”
(Bill Kohlhaase, Los Angeles Weekly)

“Marcos Ariel’s unique musical phrasing are played out stylishly employing classical keyboard technique and very ‘Brazilian’ ideas have a sensibility steeped inRio brew that combines ‘Choro’ with Chopin...”
(Jazziz Magazine by Mark Holston)

“Marcos Ariel revealed a major-league compositional talent. His vibrant works - rich shifting multiplique rhythms - managed to comnbine the twists and turns of be-bop articulation with the soaring melodies of the samba."
(Don Heckman - Los Angeles Times)