À PROPOS DE L'ALBUM ENCONTROS

Encontros (which means “meeting” in English) is the long overdue recording debut of Virginie Hamel, a singer with a beautiful sound and a smile in her voice. While this is her first recording, Virginie already has a lifetime of musical experiences including a countless number of performances, co-running a notable jazz club for a decade, and helping to found and establish the Quebec City Jazz Festival.

Virginie has wanted to record Brazilian music for a long time. For this project she gathered together four talented and versatile musicians who live in Canada but have their origins in other countries. Pianist Manoel Vieira and drummer Aquiles Melo are originally from Brazil, bassist Juan Cruz (who also plays guitar) grew up in Argentina, and percussionist Dayron Luis Muguercia is from Cuba. “I met Juan 12 years ago and we have played a lot together. He studied jazz at Marseille Conservatory, performed with many Brazilian bands and artists during his 20 years in France, and is fluent in Portuguese so he really gets what the lyrics are about. He has the right groove for this music and always does just what the music needs. It was great for me when I met Manoel because I knew I could bring in whatever Brazilian song I wanted to sing and he would know what to do with it since he grew up with this music. He pushes me to find new ways and new paths in my singing.  Aquiles, who lives in Montreal, also knows every Brazilian song. He is a very reactive and creative player whether on the drums or on the pandeiro and hand percussion. Dayron on congas has a lot of technique and a huge vocabulary. His playing is the icing on the cake on the songs that needed congas and guiro.”

Knowing four very skilled musicians who have the same love for Brazilian music as she did inspired Virginie to book a studio in Montreal for two days. She originally thought of recording an EP with just a few songs so there was no pressure and the atmosphere was relaxed. “We had not rehearsed since this is material that we had already played together on a number of occasions. The recording experience was so joyful with everyone in a good mood and just happy to be there. The arrangements came together spontaneously and everybody was very committed to the music.” Before she knew it, Virginie had a full album of delightful music that showcased her highly appealing singing.

Except for “Tu Verras” which she performs in French, all of Virginie’s singing on Encontros is in Portuguese which she studied in the past. “I wanted to sing the bossa novas in their original language. This is a collection of classic and contemporary bossa nova and samba songs but with a jazz orientation. Each of these songs is a little gem that I wanted to bring to light.” Even listeners who do not speak Portuguese will enjoy these performances which are filled with rich melodies and mix together joy with a haunting feeling of melancholy.

The set begins with João Donato’s “Nasci para bailar,” a happy tune about someone who says that they are born to dance. The lyrics mention many Brazilian percussion instruments and, as with many of these performances, there is a fine piano solo by Vieira.

It is not surprising that “Samba do carioca” sounds so cheerful for the lyrics say that the listener will be protected by the divinities, and given food, great drinks, the sun, the sea, women, and the samba!

The contemporary bossa nova “Desde que o samba é samba” by Caetano Veloso has poetic and poignant lyrics about loneliness, but also about the power of the samba which, when sung, will make the sadness go away.

Luis Bonfa’s classic “Samba de Orfeu” is modernized and made a bit more jazz-oriented by Manoel Vieira. The lyrics essentially say “I want to dance the samba ‘til the end of time. Let’s dance, let’s live, samba is freedom and I am free.”

“Tu verras/O que será” has Virginie performing lyrics written by the French singer Claude Nougaro that are about a couple that has been struggling and wishes to start all over again.

Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Águas de março” (“The Waters Of March”) is such a unique song that it is never reinvented although Manoel’s rhythmic approach at the end of the interlude gives this version a bit of freshness.

João Donato’s infectious “Bananeira” is a tribute to the Banana tree. Virginie describes her group’s version this way: “The intro turned out a bit psychedelic, Manoel lets himself loose on the Wurlitzer with great touches by Dayron on the congas, and a solid samba funk groove is provided by Juan and Aquiles.”

Encontros concludes with a spirited version of Jobim’s “O morro não tem vez” which has an open ending with all of the musicians singing before they fade out and the percussion (the heart of Brazilian music) has the last word.

Virginie, who can sing beautifully and with insight in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, has led several ensembles including the country swing group Miss V & the Lonestars, a small big band called Blue Gardenia, and her tribute to bossa nova, Couleur Brésil. “I love the freedom that jazz allows performers and that I can reinterpret the melody, rhythm and phrasing. Any standard can be made new again. I especially love the sophistication and refinement of Brazilian music, bossa nova’s melodies, harmonies, complex rhythms, and the pure poetry of the lyrics.”

She looks to the future with enthusiasm. “I have many ideas for future albums. Hopefully I will continue getting opportunities to present my music for live audiences and to continue to have rewarding artistic collaborations.” The release of Encontros is a major step forward in the career of Virginie Hamel and will certainly result in her musical dreams coming true.