Curated by Pianist / composer Bianca Gismonti and Drummer / Percussionist Julio Falavigna, this musical series features special guests and musicians from India and across the world.

Pianist and composer Bianca Gismonti is a rising star in the international Jazz circuit. Her father Egberto Gismonti, is considered a ‘Master of Brazilian Music’. Bianca’s familiarity with Hindustani classical music comes from her father, who has a long-standing partnership with the flute Master Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. The BG duo presents beautiful authorial compositions with unique harmonies and inspired melodies. Julio Falavigna is a drummer/ multi-percussionist with worldwide experience.

Ep. 2: LOTUS

1. Ostinatos (Bianca Gismonti)
feat. Preetha Narayan

Preetha Narayan, violin
She is a violinist, composer, and educator with a unique musical story that crosses countries, cultures, and genres. Born in Memphis, TN, she started to play violin and piano at the tender age of 2 in a home filled with the sounds of music, from the likes of Michael Jackson, the Beatles, and Simon and Garfunkel to Indian devotional/classical music. She pursued Violin and Piano Performance studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, during which time she performed in renowned Classical festivals in the USA and in Europe. Her desire to find a more creative form of expression led her closer to my cultural heritage, and she received a Fulbright Research grant to formally study South Indian Classical music (2006) in Chennai, India.

Bianca Gismonti, piano
Julio Falavigna, tabla

2. Feitiço (Bianca Gismonti)
feat. OKAN

OKAN-
Elizabeth Rodriguez, violin and voice
Magdelys Savigne, percussion and voice
Taking their name from the word for heart in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria, the women-led ensemble OKAN fuses Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, courage and love. Espiral delves deeper into the group's rich Cuban roots, finding renewed inspiration in this rich musical heritage. The Santeria influences are most evident in the title track, Espiral which uniquely blends guajira, the folk genre of Eastern Cuba, with Santeria-derived chants. Born in Havana, Cuba, Elizabeth Rodriguez is a classically trained violinist who served
as concertmaster for Havana’s Youth Orchestra. Magdelys Savigne hails from Santiago de Cuba and graduated with honours in orchestral percussion from Havana’s University of the Arts. Both are also Grammy-nominees for their contributions to Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, of which they are former members.

Bianca Gismonti, piano
Julio Falavigna, drums

3. Maria, Maria (Milton Nascimento/Fernando Brant)
feat. MPB4 and Claudia Castelo Branco

MPB4:
Aquiles Reis, voice
Milton Santos, voice
Dalmo Medeiros, voice
Paulo Malaguti, voice
MPB4 is a Brazilian vocal and instrumental group, created around 1965 in Rio de Janeiro. Its main styles are Samba and MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira). With a vast repertoire marked by compositions from the cream of Brazilian Popular Music such as Noel Rosa, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque, João Bosco, Paulo César Pinheiro, Aldir Blanc, Vinícius de Moraes and Tom Jobim. They’ve been presenting themselves all over Brazil for 55 years, as an acclaimed success of both public and critique.

Claudia Castelo Branco, piano and voice
With four CDs and two DVDs released, pianist and composer Claudia Castelo Branco hails from Rio, having presented her art in diverse countries such as France, Turkey, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain. Alongside her peer Bianca Gismonti, she’s part of Duo Gisbranco (2 pianos), that completes 15 years in 2020. She’s been also part of PianOrquestra of Claudio Daueslberg, until the year 2007. Claudia holds a BA and Masters degree on composition from UFRJ and UNIRIO universities. She’s also dedicated towards composition and performance of contemporary songs, also doing research on alternative applications of the piano unto popular music. She has released two albums under her name.

Bianca Gismonti, piano and voice

4. Serrado (Djavan)
feat. Frank Colón

Frank Colón, percussion
Frank Colón is a specialist in Latin- Caribbean, Brazilian and Asian percussion instruments including congas, bongos, timbales, bata drums, shekere, cuica, berimbau, and tabla drums, among others. Frank began his musical career with a five-year stint in Julito Collazo’s Afro-Cuban drum ensemble. On NYC’s jazz scene, he began performing with Walter Booker, Chet Baker, Jaco Pastorious, Michel Camilo and African master drummer, Babatunde Olatunji. He quickly went on to perform and record with Gato Barbieri, Harry Belafonte, Weather Report, Tania Maria, Flora Purim, and Airto Moreira.

Bianca Gismonti, piano and voice
Julio Falavigna, drums