Indeed, to anyone familiar with the music of jazz pianist Brian de Lima, two things are very clear. The first is that he has dedicated a substantial amount of time to the study of the music of the masters; the second, for which the first is undoubtedly a prerequisite, is that he has cultivated a unique and mature sound, both as a composer and a performer.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya to Goan parents (Goa is a state on India’s west coast that was colonized by Portugal), Brian relocated with his family to Toronto while still an infant. From his earliest days, he enjoyed a steady diet of jazz – his father, in addition to possessing great talents in the visual arts, is a proficient jazz guitarist with a special affinity for the music of Wes Montgomery. Brian began playing the piano at the age of three – with his father – before starting private studies at five (his first teacher was a pupil of Daisy Peterson, the sister and teacher of Oscar Peterson). Jazz was a focus from the very beginning....
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Indeed, to anyone familiar with the music of jazz pianist Brian de Lima, two things are very clear. The first is that he has dedicated a substantial amount of time to the study of the music of the masters; the second, for which the first is undoubtedly a prerequisite, is that he has cultivated a unique and mature sound, both as a composer and a performer.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya to Goan parents (Goa is a state on India’s west coast that was colonized by Portugal), Brian relocated with his family to Toronto while still an infant. From his earliest days, he enjoyed a steady diet of jazz – his father, in addition to possessing great talents in the visual arts, is a proficient jazz guitarist with a special affinity for the music of Wes Montgomery. Brian began playing the piano at the age of three – with his father – before starting private studies at five (his first teacher was a pupil of Daisy Peterson, the sister and teacher of Oscar Peterson). Jazz was a focus from the very beginning.
Brian moved on to study with Estonian concert pianist Armas Meiste, who introduced him to the music of Bud Powell and in 1993, he received a full scholarship to Humber College of the Arts. Still not satisfied and typifying the artist on his unending quest to enhance his creative capacity, Brian sought out master bebop educator and pianist Barry Harris. Harris, who boasts Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers, and a host of other greats as former students, has cultivated and imparted a unique approach to teaching the music of Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. Just listen to Brian’s playing – it certainly attests to the effectiveness of Harris’ teaching methods. But perhaps as impressive as Brian’s fluency in the bop idiom is his ability to seamlessly integrate some of the more impressionistic and 20th century influential elements (bringing to mind such influences as Debussy, Ravel and Oliver Messiaen) into an approach that derives its focus from the music of Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. It is in this respect that de Lima distinguishes himself: he imbues bebop with a diverse harmonic palette bent without betraying the spirit of the music’s originators.
Originators such as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Errol Garner, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and Nat Cole have now gained priority on Brian`s overall sound, including the exploration of the masters of stride piano and impressionism. In 2003 Brian started Dementia Five, a band committed to playing and exploring the music of traditional Bebop and Swing. The debut recording, INhER DEMONS has already received accolades from such masters as Barry Harris, Benny Green and Bob Mover.
Brian De Lima – piano
Jake Wilkinson – Trumpet
Lee Wallace – Guitar
Jon Meyer – Bass
Friday and Saturday, August 1st and August 2nd
Music Starts at 8pm
Music Charge $15.00 (Friday/Saturday)
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