Oct 18, 2012
"Gilson Schachnik is an artist for the 21st century. [He] creates the kind of all-encompassing jazz mix that fans of the music's new world order now demand: entertaining, uncliched and flavored with tastes from around the world." – Bob Young
When you want to talk about the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, it’s best to find a Brazilian musician with whom you have the conversation. And that’s what I did when I spoke with keyboardist Gilson Schachnik, an associate professor at Berklee School of Music and the mainstay of the group Mozik. Along with partner-in-crime drummer Mauricio Zottarelli, he helped create a band he calls “the United Nations” for the varying nationalities of the five members. Three (Schachnik, Zottarelli, guitarist Gustavo Assis-Brasil) are from Brazil, while the band is rounded out by Russian flutist Yulia Musayelyan and Argentine bassist Fernando Huergo.
Mozik will presents a roots, samba and jazz celebration in an all-Jobim show featuring jazz singer Rebecca Parris, on Tuesday, October 30 at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston.. Schachnik calls Ms. Parris “the last great jazz singer”, and he’s not far off, as she continues to follow in the footsteps of greats like Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan, Commonly referred to as “the First Lady of Boston Jazz”, her last CD, You Don't Know Me, featured guest artists Jerry Bergonzi, Gary Burton and Houston Person
Gilson and I talked about the band’s CD, appropriately enough called Mozik, why the music of Jobim was an acquired taste for him, and how it is to work with singers who might not be native Portuguese speakers. Click here for Podcast 306, which includes four tracks from the Mozik CD, including:
Mozik – “Desafinado” from Mozik. One of Jobim’s best known tunes always presents a challenge for musicians who want to find something new and exciting in songs that have been recorded over and over. Here its changes in tempo and a percussive feel that makes the tune their own.
Mozik – “A Felicidade” from Mozik.. This Jobim classic is given a boost by the flute of Yulia Musayelyan, who manages to be alternately percussive and melodic and the group takes the tune up-tempo.
Mozik – “Web’s Samba” from Mozik. Dedicated to the memory of his late friend Webster Roach, Jr., a drummer who died suddenly in 2010. Gilson talked about what makes a samba, a samba in the interview.
Mozik – “Eye of the Hurricane” from Mozik. A jazz classic from Herbie Hancock, the group brings an international flavor to the modal masterpiece from 1965.