The New York-based Trio da Paz is to Brazilian jazz what Cream was to rock in the late ’60s—a meeting of three of the greatest instrumentalists in their field coming together to make great music together. Unlike the British band, however, this format has not only stuck, but has also spawned lasting friendships and also five discs—one of which (2002’s Partido Alto) was awarded best Brazilian jazz album by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Trio da Paz had its start in the late ’80s when drummer Duduka Da Fonseca began playing on and off with fellow carioca bassist Nilson Matta and acoustic guitar whiz Romero Lubambo in assorted bands, including a brief period with vocalist Astrud Gilberto and another with Herbie Mann (who would later produce their second disc, Black Orpheus).
After several gigs together, the three musicians began to rehearse in Da Fonseca’s Thompson Street studio for a book/CD project the drummer was working on at the time. It was during one of the rehearsals that Matta said that playing with a trio gave him a lot of peace. “It was then the group (which means “Peace Trio”) got its name,” explains Da Fonseca.
While on-stage, the group has a laid-back demeanor, showing their chops with the kind of chemistry that only comes with being longtime musical collaborators. Although they do have that unmistakable bossa-nova feel to their sound (Da Fonseca performed with Jobim earlier in his career), they are always willing to explore new territory, as evidenced on their latest album, Somewhere, in which they reinvent tunes by Miles Davis (“Seven Steps to Heaven”), Paul Desmond (“Take Five”) and the title track, originally featured in West Side Story.
During their weeklong residence at the Blue Note, Da Fonseca says that they will be playing “a lot of new material and some tunes that we enjoy playing; it will be a a mix of songs we’ve been working on for an upcoming album and also some songs that the audience has responded to over the years.”
Brazilian singer/songwriter and pianist Ivan Lins shares the bill, a performer who took on the music of his Rio de Janeiro predecessors and successfully reshaped into his own signature style. “It will be great because we have great rapport with him,” says Da Fonseca. “He has played in Matta’s solo records, and we have been to each others’ shows and hung out together several times.”
Does that mean that audiences might be treated with an impromptu jam session? “I would not say so, given the way the concerts are structured,” Da Fonseca says with a chuckle. “But hey, you never know what might happen ...”
Feb. 27-March 4,The Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St. (at 6th Ave.);
212-475-8592; 8 & 10:30, $37.50.
