Guitarist brings sounds of Brazil to Dayton

New York-based musician will perform with a trio.

Contributed photo Brazilian guitarist Bruno Mangueira will perform at Gilly's on Wednesday, July 20.

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By Adam Alonzo, Contributing Writer 6:10 PM Friday, July 15, 2011

Brazilian musicians bring a special agility to jazz, handling melody and rhythm with the same grace as their countrymen do a soccer ball. When guitarist Bruno Mangueira of Sao Paulo, Brazil, played recently at the Dayton Art Institute, he made a strong impression on local club owner Jerry Gillotti.

“He had such a command of the instrument,” Gillotti said. “The lines he played were different than most guitarists.”

Gillotti has arranged for Mangueira to return to Dayton and perform with pianist Phil DeGreg at Gilly’s on Wednesday. They will be joined on stage by drummer John Taylor and bassist Aaron Jacobs.

Mangueira and DeGreg have been friends and collaborators for years, having met while DeGreg was in Brazil teaching jazz on a Fulbright scholarship. “I could tell that Phil and Bruno had been playing together a while,” Gillotti recalled. “It really showed.”

“Bruno is a very high level guitarist who understands the whole tradition of bossa nova and samba, and Brazilian popular music styles in general,” DeGreg said. “He also has a good knowledge of American jazz and loves to improvise in both American and Brazilian idioms.”

DeGreg is often seen at the piano at the Blue Wisp or Cactus Pear in Cincinnati, but his musical skills have taken him around the world. He has recorded two CDs of Brazilian music and toured that country with a jazz combo. Recalling his first experience with a Brazilian rhythm section, DeGreg said, “I had never felt a bass and drum feel like that and was completely in love with the groove. Since then, I have continually been learning Brazilian styles and repertoire, and fusing it with my jazz language.”

Visiting the United States for six months, Mangueira is currently living and performing in New York City. “I’ve been meeting and playing with great musicians there, in concerts or informal situations,” he said.

Offering an explanation for why the sounds of his country are so well loved throughout the world, Mangueira said, “Brazilian music, just like its population, includes elements from many different cultures, mixed and turned in a singular and original way.”

Adam Alonzo is a contributing writer for the Dayton Daily News. He can be reached by email at music@adamalonzo.com.

How to go

What: Guitarist Bruno Mangueira with the Phil DeGreg Trio

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 20

Where: Gilly’s, 132 S. Jefferson St., Dayton

Cost: $7

More info: (937) 228-8414 or www.gillysjazz.com

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