LIVIA LUCAS
www.myspace.com/livialucas
(As Featured on I Love Bossa Nova)

Lívia Lucas (Nêga Lucas), who at present is 29 years old, has been tracing a notorious musical trajectory in Brazil. She has played not only in festivals and several musical events but also performed as the opening live act at the internationally well-known Tiradentes Film Festival, which takes place in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. 

Lívia, who is a native from Juiz de Fora Brazil, started her career at the age of 13 when she became a member of a church chorus in her hometown. During this time she was able to improve her knowledge of voice techniques. Later by the age of 19, she started singing in a local band and she also developed her first music project as a trio, with a violinist and a bassist. Her trio played a varied repertoire of MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) and they attracted a wide audience to their performaces. 

In March 2006, she was honoured for her contribution to the local culture by the city hall of Juiz de Fora. Also in 2006, Lívia started a new project to save Sambas De Raíz (Root Samba), Choro and also other types of Samba that originate from this style, from being forgotten.

One year after having launched her project Música Mulata Brasileira, Lívia celebrated its success with a non-profit show in the MAM (Museum of Modern Art Murilo Mandes). She took part in an event called Central do Samba at the Cine Teatro Central in Juiz de Fora. This place is well recognized not only in Minas Gerais but also throughout Brazil for its cultural history. Starting in the year 2007, Lívia Lucas has been touring throughout Europe.

At the same time she developed several projects in varied areas such as: Afro Music, Samba, MPB, socio-cultural projects, among others. Finally, in 2008, Lívia produced and recorded her first album called Canto de Casa in Rio de Janeiro together with Gabriel Improta and Henrique Band.

Since then she has been promoting this album at well known places in Barcelona (Castelo do Montjuic, Jazz Bel Luna), Paris (Favela Chic, Divan Du Monde, Belleviloise) and at music festivals in Southern France. At this point in time she is concentrating on presenting Canto de Casa in Brazil, starting off with a series of shows in Rio de Janeiro and MinasGerais states since January 2010.

Her band is made up of top line artists:
Rodrigo Lessa (guitar and mandolin)
Rodrigo Villa (bass)
Cassius Theperson (drums)
Wili Noya (trombone)
Walmer Carvalho (saxophone and flute)

BRAZUKA FINA (Helena Cutter)
www.helenacutter.com.br
(As Featured on Brazil:Sambossica 2)

Helena Cutter nasceu no Rio de Janeiro e sua estréia nos palcos foi aos 5 anos no Karaokê Manga Rosa, onde seu pai era sócio, cantando “Ovelha Negra” de Rita Lee. Cresceu ouvindo e cantando boa música, Chico Buarque, Tom Jobim, Ella Fitzgerald e Beatles faziam parte do repertório que cantava para a mãe na cozinha de sua casa no Leblon.

Aos 17 anos entrou para a Escola de Teatro Martins Pena e se formou atriz. Três anos depois, quando fazia um comercial, conheceu Tomaz Crochemore, seu primeiro parceiro musical. Juntos fizeram mais de 10 canções em inglês, uma delas – “Your time is over”- faz parte do seu disco de estréia como cantora solo “Quarto 47”.

Em 2001 começou a ter aulas de canto com o preparador vocal Felipe Abreu, que disse sobre a cantora: “Helena Cutter, tão jovem, já tem o que muitas cantoras levam anos para conseguir: um timbre. Uma voz de seda e metal escuro, que nos envolve em luz e sombra, calor e frio, um sol da meia-noite”.

Apaixonada por Beatles, em 2002 formou sua primeira banda, Acid Beatles, onde faziam releituras bem ousadas do Fab Four, acid jazz com direito a scratches do DJ Fábio Machado.  No mesmo ano Helena se apresentou no Sesc Tijuca com o espetáculo “Na trilha das paixões”, composto de canções românticas de filmes nacionais, dirigido por Gilberto Gawronski com preparação vocal de Felipe Abreu.

No ano seguinte, ao lado dos músicos André Valle, Kim Pereira e Ciro Cruz, a banda Acid Beatles decide partir para um trabalho autoral, formando a banda Acid X. Após gravar o cd “Uma Geral”, conquistou o terceiro lugar no Festival Aroma do Campo de Música Brasileira na categoria música original com a canção “Uma Geral”, de autoria de Helena Cutter e André Valle. As canções “Na Estrada”, “Uma Geral” e “Dicionário” entraram em 5 coletâneas: “Bossa a la mode”, “Le pop for afternoon tea” e “Le pop for party” (Japão), “Nu Brasil 2”  (Inglaterra) e “Elas” (Brasil).  No mesmo ano, Helena entra para a faculdade de cinema, impulsionada pela sua paixão por escrever. Roteirizou, dirigiu e fez a trilha sonora de dois curtas-metragens: “Na Bainha da Vida” e “Sapatos Brancos”.

Em 2005 e 2006 Helena fez parte do Espetáculo Musical “Missa dos Quilombos” de Milton Nascimento, Pedro Tierra e Pedro Casaldália, com direção de Luiz Fernando Lobo, da Companhia Ensaio Aberto, em uma turnê por Minas Gerais, Brasília e São Paulo.

Em 2007 participou do projeto “Brazuka Fina-Samba Eletrônico”,  com canções nas coletâneas: “Rio de Janeiro: The Finest World Beats” (Portugal), “Jazzilia-Cool Brazilian Jazz beats”- (USA), “Brazil​- Sambossica 2” (USA) e Nuth Lounge (Brasil/USA). No ano seguinte, Helena entra para banda Rio Sound Machine onde fez shows até 2009.

Em 2010, Helena Cutter decide gravar seu primeiro trabalho solo de forma independente – “Quarto 47” – produzido pelo guitarrista e produtor musical Alexandre Vaz, assinando 8 faixas em parcerias com Alexandre Vaz, Jorge Ailton, Keko Calazans e Tomaz Crochemore. O disco tem 10 canções inéditas, sendo duas de autoria de Jorge Ailton – “Agora” e “Não necessariamente nessa ordem”- onde Jorge faz uma participação especial. O disco conta também com a participação super especial da cantora Thalma de Freitas em “Valsinha n° 3” ao lado de Helena e Vaz.

MARCELO VITAL & BRAZIL VITAL RADIO : (Toronto, Canada)
www.BrazilVital.com
www.OiToronto.com (featured artcile)

After almost a year being broadcast on FM radio in Toronto, the program has reinvented itself to accommodate more content and expand its growing audience. The weekly show will continue in Portuguese and English, the most recent shows can be heard directly in BrazilVital.

As part of its new format, is joining forces with BrazilVital OiToronto, the largest source of news and information for Brazilians in Canada. This partnership will increase the visibility of BrazilVital through the thousands of visitors who click on OiToronto each month.

"It has everything to do with OiToronto," says Fernanda Thiesen, editor in chief of OiToronto. "The popularity of the Internet and social media is attracting more and more Brazilian community to our website and we are also happy to offer the Vital Brazil to them."

The new site will feature Brazilian music news, interviews with local and international artists, reviews, videos, news, calendar of events of Brazilian music in Toronto and of course lots of music!

The journalist Marcelo Vital will continue producing and presenting the program with the goal of bringing the best of Brazilian music of yesterday, today and always to the four corners of the world and to highlight local talent of the Brazilian community in Toronto.

"One comment I hear a lot of listeners is that they appreciate the convenience of listening to the program when they want. And by BrazilVital they can - any time, "says Marcelo.

The program has become a conduit of information about Brazilian music and culture and offers a weekly list of events related to Brazilian music happening in the city of Toronto.Through social media platforms integrated into the new site, will be even easier to read and hear the latest news about Brazilian music in Brazil and worldwide.

In its first year, the program has featured several guests - some Brazilian artists in Canada, other acclaimed abroad - names such as Daniela Mercury, Luisa Maita, Luanda Jones, Maria Farinha, Fernanda Cunha, Guiomar Campbell, DJ Seduce Afrobaile seal, DJ Ziko, tuning and other Carioca. And the guest list will increase in 2012!

The first program of the new series will be a special New Year edition, which airs on the first day of January 2012, bringing also a retrospective of the 2011 programs and headlines of Brazilian music in 2011. To listen to the program, simply click BrazilVital .

As Scene and Written on Oi Toronto:
http://www.oitoronto.ca/19733/programa-de-radio-brazilvital-passa-a-ser-online/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OiToronto+%28OiToronto%21%29&utm_content=FaceBook 

VANESSA PINHEIRO
www.vanessapinheiro.com
(As Featured on I Love Bossa Nova)

"Velvet Voice wrist copyright. A singers emission is irresistible. " This is how the reporter Tarik de Souza defines Vanessa Pinheiro. Pará, founded in Rio de Janeiro, via Curitiba, Vanessa arrived 12 years ago in the federal capital. In Brasilia, she majored in journalism and writing, and studied singing at the Music School of Brasília. In 2004, she released her first CD & received rave reviews and earned her invitations to tour in Portugal, Spain and France. In 2005, Vanessa made ​​a number of shows in Portugal and the Portuguese press was considered as a revelation of Brazilian music. Now, Vanessa released her second CD, Balcony, produced by Arthur Maia, who has the participation of great musicians including Romero Lubambo, Carlos Malta, Kiko Continentino, Lui Coimbra, Gabriel Grossi and many others. In her two albums, she shows her own compositions, which sail between modernity and post-bossa nova MPB current balance, and is competent readings of classic MPB. To the maestro Leonardo Bruno, Vanessa brings a new way of writing: refined, cultured, of exquisite taste and a strong popular appeal. All simple, but not commonplace, music or poetry. Vanessa Pinheiro has been building a solid career as a singer and songwriter and recently by Nelson Motta was considered as one of the best revelations emerged on the plateau, an artist who makes a quality MPB.  Vanessa has had some of her songs included in compilations released in the United States and Japan including the "I love Bossa Nova," in which Vanessa sings "Vidigal" (Vanessa Pinheiro / Mario Jovita), the World Music Central blog wrote "Some of the best cuts in the album are the exquisite" Vidigal "which includes the gorgeous voice of Vanessa Pinheiro." With the recognition of the public and press, Vanessa Pinheiro has led to Brazil and the world, the best music Brazilian. 

JENNY CHI & CHI BOSSA
www.jennychi.ch/
(As Featured on I Love Bossa Nova)

In the Rio de Janeiro of the early sixties, a group of bourgeois musicians collaborating with João Gilberto and Tom Jobim created a novel, distinctive sound. The soft velvety voice of Jenny Chi and the ChiBossa group recreates Bossa Nova’s sensual longing and soft melancholy, enchanting heart and soul.

Already at a young age, the Swiss-Chinese singer Jenny Chi devoted herself to Brazilian music. She went to live in Brazil, took music lessons and performed in concerts. 1999 she launched her own Bossa Nova Quartet: "Jenny Chi & ChiBossa".

The Swiss Singer was singing the Lead in various Brazil- und Jazzbands. Since the age of seven she took piano lessons and sang in the childrens choir. Later on she educated herself in classical singing, Jazz vocal and percussion in Switzerland and Brazil.

TURMA DA BOSSA
www.myspace.com/turmadabossa
(As Featured on I Love Bossa Nova)

A new look, a new way of listening and a touch of modernity, Turma da Bossa after nine years of evolving, has become the new reference for bossa nova in Brazil. A bridge between the past and the future. After performing more than 600 shows, having released two CD's and even sharing the stage with the big bossa nova masters like Roberto Menescal, Turma da Bossa is now preparing to fly higher. Each year that passes, the Brazilian music occupies a bigger space in the world. In several countries bossa nova is the basis for the creation of new rhythms and tendencies. Turma da Bossa is an example of one of these new creations. The shows are full of vibration, with the influence of the classics, yet still taking into consideration the new, such as the cool samba "Ambar", composed by Gustavo Rocha and Julio Carvana.