Pianist Luiz Simas Talks About his Career & Music – and the Pre-Carnival Night at DROM.

By Rodrigo Brandao

While this year’s Brazilian Carnival doesn’t officially begin until February 13th, New York City dwellers will have a chance to dance to Brazilian music (and escape this season’s chilling temperatures) at many of the pre-Carnival events taking place in the coming weeks.

From Brazil Foundation’s Carnaval Party, which takes place on Tuesday, February 9, to the already-famous Made In Brazil, taking place on Friday, February 12, at the GLO Nightclub in Long Island, New Yorkers can easily choose their favorite facet of Brazilian samba and move accordingly.

Pianist Luiz Simas

But for those looking for something less overwhelming than a nightclub, acclaimed Brazilian composer, singer and pianist Luiz Simas (together with his band Recipe for Rhythm) and dance instructor Danielle Lima have the perfect Saturday night introduction to Samba music (and its fast feet moves).

On Saturday, February 6, at DROM (located on 85 Avenue A; between 5th and 6th streets), Mr. Simas will play a great repertoire of sambas specially chosen for dancing samba-no-pé (basic samba step) and passo marcado (simple choreography), the staple dance styles of Rio’s Carnival. And with a large dancing space right in front of the stage, master dance teacher Danielle Lima will give a lesson on how to dance samba – minutes before Mr. Simas and his band enter the stage.

Listen to Luiz Simas’ audio clips; he’s planning to play the first track, Vai e Vem, on February 3.

More importantly: BrazilNYC, Luiz Simas and DROM are offering a $5 discount for all BrazilNYC readers who send their names and email addresses to BrazilNYC@gmail.com (with the words BRAZILNYC DISCOUNT on the email subject line).

But remember: Only members who submit their names AND email addresses to BrazilNYC@gmail.com will be able to pay $15 for the concert. Regular tickets are available for $20 each. All emails must be submitted by Friday, February 5.

Writer Rodrigo Brandao had a brief conversation with musician Luiz Simas about his work as a classical samba composer, his 1970s Progressive Rock band Vimana, and the grief of being asked to play The Girl From Ipanema one too many times.

Rodrigo Brandao: I wonder how many in New York City know about Vimana, the influential Progressive/Rock Brazilian band you started with Lulu Santos, Lobão, Ritchie and other musicians in the mid-1970s.

Luiz Simas: I wonder that myself.

RB: Can you describe the importance of that moment in your artistic and professional development as a musician?

LS: Very important. Some of the members of Vimana – such as myself – still appreciate the experience we had with that (great) band, while other(s) disregard it as unimportant for them. I personally think it was a phenomenal band, and it’s a shame that today very few people have had a chance to hear its music.

RB: In the bio available at your official website you describe being frustrated about having to play The Girl From Ipanema and other common Bossa Nova songs when you play in the United States.

LS: Fortunately, I don’t perform in places where I feel obliged to play the same old songs over and over. The audience is becoming more sophisticated and educated in relation to Brazilian music in general, and they appreciate original songs and arrangements, as well as material they have never heard.

RB: And what are some of the best and worst assumptions about Brazilian jazz musicians living in the United States?

LS: Best assumption: that Brazilian music is some of the best music in the world. They’re right. Worst assumption: That there’s nothing else after Bossa Nova.

RB: What are some of your influences as far as Brazilian Jazz musicians?

LS: To tell you the truth, I prefer not to classify music according to genres. I use the term Brazilian Jazz because it makes an approximation of what I do, but it’s not [exactly that at] all. I listen to all kinds of music and love different kinds of musicians. Most of the “Brazilian Jazz” musicians that I know are those who live here in New York. Great pianists like Helio Alves, Cidinho Teixeira, great drummers like Adriano Santos, Mauricio Zotarelli, Duduka Fonseca, Helio Schiavo, great bassists like Itaiguara, Sergio Brandão, Nilson Matta, Gustavo Amarante, the great harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens and the list goes on and on …

RB: And is it true that your sold-out concerts at Mistura Fina Jazz Club in 2004 were your first performances in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, since the late 80s? What are some of the best places in Brazil to find great Jazz musicians like you?

LS: I don’t consider myself a jazz musician, but rather a “Brazilian-jazz-plus-a-lot-more-including-a-rock-past” musician. If you consider jazz to be improvised music in any idiom, then Brazil is awash with fantastic “jazz” musicians. Too many to list. You’ll find them everywhere…

RB: You have been incredibly successful as a classical composer and performer of Brazilian samba jazz, despite all the difficulties that classical composers still face in Brazil and abroad. Has it become easier for classical musicians to make a living these days, compared to 20 years ago?

LS: Again, I’m a musician with a classical background who has composed classical pieces too, but I’m not totally dedicated to classical music. So I wouldn’t know the answer to your question…. Musicians in general are still very poorly paid, unless you achieve complete stardom. On the other hand, the internet has helped a lot. I really believe it has opened the doors to every good musician, and set us free from the dictatorship of the record companies.