May 15 · 12:30pm – 3:30pm
131 West 3rd Street, New York, NY 10012-1208
ERIKA MATSUO SEXTET (www.erikajazz.com)
Erika Matsuo (vocal)
Carlton Holmes (piano)
Juancho Herrera (guitar)
Essiet Essiet (bass)
Willard Dyson (drums)
Paulo Levi (sax)
12:30pm &2:30pm
$24.50 includes a brunch,the show and a drink
Erika Matsuo’s debut album, OBSESSION, takes listeners on a journey of love that travels between jazz and Brazilian Popular Music (Musica Popular Brasileira or MPB), culminating with her original compositions. A special treat for world music lovers as well as jazz fans, with classics by the likes of Billy Strayhorn and Cole Porter, OBSESSION also includes interpretations of tracks from Brazilian greats Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chico Buarque and Djavan in Portuguese, and two of her original tracks in Japanese. Whether or not one understands the lyrics, through Erika’s delivery nothing is lost in translation.
A native of Japan, Erika’s love for music surfaced at an early age when she began to study classical piano in her pre-teenage years. By the time she reached her late teens, her all-girl rock group, Tear Drops, had won first prize in one of Japan’s most respected teen music competitions, the Yamaha Teen Music Festival. Through a chance meeting with Quasimode pianist Yusuke Hirado, Erika was invited to New York to tour as the lead vocalist of his jazz group.
After relocating to New York City, she immersed herself in the city’s jazz scene, exploring the genre’s wide spectrum of colors with everything from straight-ahead to Brazilian jazz. Along the way, she had the opportunity to study under and perform with notable musicians the likes of Sheila Jordan, and at such distinguished venues as BB Kings, Sweet Rhythm and S.O.B.’s. The contribution these combined experiences have made to her artistry is evident in the accolades she continues to gain back home in Japan where she tours regularly. In March of 2007, Erika won first prize in the Asakusa Jazz Contest, Japan’s number one jazz contest. Later that year, featured in Coca Cola’s So-Ken-Bi Cha TV commercial, her voice became one of the most recognized in the nation.