The Sofa Sessions is thrilled to present a brand new project from one of Ireland’s leading musicians and composers, bassist Ronan Guilfoyle, exploring the music of Brazil as part of Yulefest Kilkenny on December 22nd.
The music of Brazil is rich, melodic and above all one of the most groove-laden musics on the planet. Blessed with a long tradition of great composers and songwriters, and a vast range of regional styles, the music has been hugely influential , moving far beyond its own borders to find a place in so many other musical traditions, including jazz and popular music
Leopoldo Osio - piano
Ronan Guilfoyle - bass
Andre Antunes - drums
Chris Guilfoyle - Guitar
Aleka Potinga - Vocals
Paul Dunlea - Trombone
Brazilian music has been a passion of bassist and composer Ronan Guilfoyle for many years, and in this group he has assembled some of the finest players in the jazz and Brazilian idioms to play classic Brazilian pieces, known and loved the world over. Outside Brazil, people often think of Brazilian music as being confined to Bossa Nova, but this is only one small part of the huge tradition of Brazilian music and Tudo Bem! explores many of these styles as well as many of Brazil’s greatest composers. Expect Baions, Forros, Partido Altos, Sambas, Xaxados and more, and music by Toninho Horta, Caetano Veloso, Joao Bosco, Chico Pinheiro, Egberto Gismonti, Hermeto Pascoal, Maria Rita and Joyce. Above all expect the joyous, infectious rhythms and grooves of Brazil played with an authentic feel, and a celebration of one of the world’s great music traditions.
About Ronan Guilfoyle
“It’s hardly a coincidence that Ronan Guilfoyle’s story mirrors the journey of jazz in Ireland … the bassist and composer has been one of the prime movers on that journey, an auto-didact who earned his spurs on stage with the players of the previous generation, including a prolonged stint with the great Louis Stewart.”
- The History of European Jazz
“{Ronan Guifoyle] is the godfather of the Irish contemporary jazz scene”
Cormac Larkin, The Irish Times
Ronan Guilfoyle is a major figure on the Irish jazz scene and has developed an international reputation as a performer, teacher and composer. He began his career with Louis Stewart's group in the early 1980's and studied at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 1986 and 1987 where his teachers included John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, and Steve Coleman. Performing on the acoustic bass guitar since the early 1980s, Ronan is now one of the instrument's leading exponents, and is much in demand as a bassist, both in his native Ireland and on the international jazz scene. Among the people he has performed with are Dave Liebman, Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano, Kenny Wheeler, Keith Copeland, Brad Mehldau, John Abercrombie, Larry Coryell, Benny Golson, Jim McNeely, Sonny Fortune, Andrea Keller, Andy Laster, Emily Remler, Simon Nabatov, Richie Beirach, and Tom Rainey.
Ronan has also been leading his own groups since the mid 1980s, and his groups have toured extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America. He has recorded extensively both as a sideman and as a leader and his output includes the award winning "Devsirme" in 1997. Ronan has been composing for classical ensembles since 1993, specialising in compositions which feature both improvised and written music. He has had great success in this field and has now a large body of work that ranges from solo piano pieces, to chamber works, to orchestral compositions. He has had commissions from a wide range of ensembles and organisations including the RTE Concert Orchestra in Dublin, The Opus 20 String Orchestra in London, and the European Jazz Youth Orchestra. He has also been commissioned to write works for many great soloists including the saxophonist David Liebman, the violinist Michael D'arcy and the virtuoso accordionist Dermot Dunne.
Ronan has also acquired a formidable reputation as a composer in the world of contemporary jazz, and his music has been performed by such jazz luminaries as Dave Liebman, Kenny Werner, Kenny Wheeler, Keith Copeland, John Abercrombie, Andy Laster, Simon Nabatov, Richie Beirach, Tom Rainey, Julian Arguelles, Rick Peckham, and Sonny Fortune. In 1997 he won the Julius Hemphill Jazz Composition Competition in the United States. Over the past 10 years Ronan has become very well known for the teaching of advanced rhythmic techniques for jazz improvisation and his book, "Creative Rhythmic Concepts for Jazz Improvisation" which covers such areas as metric modulation and odd metre playing, is now seen as the standard text for this area. He has been invited to teach this subject at many schools around the world including Berklee College of Music, The New School, and is an associate Artist of the Royal Academy of Music in London, and has also lectured on it for the International Music Congress (UNESCO) in Copenhagen. Ronan is the founder of and head of the jazz department at Dublin City University, Ireland’s first third level course in jazz performance.
For more about Ronan, check out his website:
http://www.ronanguilfoyle.com/
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