NELSON AYRES PROFILE | MUSIC ON MCB
Photo: Tatyana Alves
The pianist, conductor and composer Nelson Ayres is one of the most important personalities in contemporary Brazilian instrumental music, having authored compositions recorded by famous national and international artists such as Milton Nascimento, Herbie Mann, Monica Salmaso, César Mariano, Renato Braz, Kenny Kotwick, Joyce , Ivan Lins, Marlui Miranda, Daniel, among others.
Nelson’s erudite compositions have been performed by major orchestras, soloists and chamber ensembles around the world such as the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, New York Symphony Brass Quintet, Ahn Trio, Henry Bok and Julliard Brass Quintet. The artist was even commissioned by the São Paulo State Symphonic Orchestra to compose the Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2011 as best classical music CD.
Ayres played and recorded with Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, Ron Carter, Walter Booker, Vinícius de Moraes, Chico Buarque, Edu Lobo, Simone, Nana and Dori Caymmi, Milton Nascimento, Gal Costa and many other great names in jazz and MPB. With César Camargo Mariano, he starred in 1984 in the show Prisma, the first Brazilian show to intensively use computer resources combined with electronic instruments.
Nelson Ayres Trio plays Saci (Guinga / P.C. Pinheiro) Instrumental SESC Brasil, February 2011 – with Alberto Luccas, bass; Ricardo Mosca, drums
Nelson Ayres Big Band plays Só Xote by Nelson Ayres, Instrumental SESC Brasil, March 2017 – Trumpets: Nahor Gomes (solo), João Lenhari, Bruno Belasco, Rubinho Antunes; Trombones: André Tinoco, Fábio Oliva, Joabe Reis, Diego Calderoni; Saxophones: Cássio Ferreira, Mauro Rodrigues, Lucas XX, Carlos Alberto Alcântara, Ubaldo Versolato; Bass: Alberto Luccas; Drums: Ricardo Mosca
Nelson Ayres Trio plays Perto Do Coração by Nelson Ayres, Instrumental SESC Brasil, February 2011 – with Alberto Luccas, bass; Ricardo Mosca, drums
MAIN WORKS
For ten years, he was conductor of the São Paulo State Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, as well as conducting – also – other orchestras in Brazil and abroad, including the prestigious Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. As a pianist, he has been leading the Nelson Ayres Trio – sharing the stage with Monica Salmaso – and following the trajectory of the prestigious instrumental quintet Pau Brasil, existing since 1978. The latter won the titles of Best CD and Best Instrumental Group at the Prêmio da Música Brasileira (2013) with the CD Villa Lobos Superstar. The copyrighted CDs by Ayres “Perto Do Coração”, “Mantiqueira” and “Paixão” are considered great classics of Brazilian instrumental music.
Since 2015, he has been the conductor and member of the Artistic Council of the Orquestra Jovem Tom Jobim, with 64 members, dedicated to symphonic readings of all aspects of Brazilian music. His most recent project is the reissue of the Nelson Ayres Big Band, which marked an epoch in the 70s and is now reborn with 16 of the most talented musicians in São Paulo.
Nelson Ayres also continues to participate in the most famous European jazz festivals performing as a trio, alongside English saxophonist John Surman and American vibraphonist Rob Waring, with whom he recorded the CD Invisible Threads for ECM, the most prestigious label of instrumental music from Europe.
Follow the artist’s work through the channels:
Chair De Balanço and Nelson Ayres play Vó Terezinha by Nelson Ayres, Ibirapuera Auditorium, October 2010 – Alexandre Ribeiro, clarinet; Luizinho 7 Strings, guitar; Milton Mori, cavaquinho; Leo Rodrigues, tambourine
Night (Nelson Ayres) with Monica Salmaso, Nelson Ayres and Teco Cardoso – directed by Walter Carvalho, March 2015
César Camargo Mariano and Nelson Ayres play April Child (Moacir Santos) – Memorial da América Latina 1990
Tom Jobim Youth Orchestra plays Carinhoso (Pixinguinha) Remote recording – Nelson Ayres Arrangement / direction Nelson Ayres and Tiago Costa / EMESP 2020
About MCB
The Museu da Casa Brasileira, an institution of the Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy of the State of São Paulo, is dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the material culture of the Brazilian house, being the only museum in the country specialized in architecture and design. The MCB’s program includes temporary and long-term exhibitions, with an agenda that also includes educational service activities, debates, lectures and publications contextualizing the museum’s vocation for the formation of critical thinking on themes such as architecture, urbanism, housing, economy creative, urban mobility and sustainability. Among its numerous initiatives, the MCB Design Award, the main award in the segment in the country, held since 1986, stand out; and the Casas do Brasil project, to rescue and preserve the memory of the rich diversity of living in the country.
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