Music
Press
Het was een waar genot om Cyro Baptista en Banquet of the Spirits in het Bimhuis mee te maken. De in New York wonende Braziliaanse percussionist had dan ook een geweldige band bij zich en zelf is hij een ware percussiemeester. Van zinderende percussiegrooves naar fantasierijke soundscapes en dat uiteraard alles met een Braziliaanse touch.
Cyro Baptista speelde met grootheden als Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma, Sting, Snoop Dogg en John Zorn. Onlangs bracht Cyro Baptista met Banquet of the Spirits een nieuw album uit: Caym. Book of Angels, Vol. 17. Masada Book Two. Caym is het 17e album in de door John Zorn geschreven serie Book of Angels. Een aantal stukken van die CD speelde de groep in het Bimhuis. Op Caym zijn maar liefst 75 verschillende instrumenten te horen. Een deel daarvan lag op de percussietafel van Baptista, een ander deel waaronder verschillende percussiedrums stonden om hem heen opgesteld; toetsenist Brian Marsella (Beat The Donkey, de andere groep van Cyro Baptista) had behalve de vleugel wel vier verschillende piano's en toetseninstrumenten om zich heen staan waaronder een Indiase snarenpiano en een houten speelgoedpiano; bassist Shanir Blumenkranz (John Zorn, Yo-Yo Ma) speelde behalve contrabas en elektrische bas ook de ud die hij soms ook als een bas bespeelde met Dorische maar ook Arabische toonladders; de jonge drummer/percussionist Tim Keiper (Vieux Farka Touré) speelde behalve de drums ook de uit Mali afkomstige kamelen'goni.
Baptista leidde de band vanaf zijn rechts opgestelde percussiehoek. Hij betrok ook regelmatig het publiek bij het optreden. Het concert begon met percussieve soundscapes die plots overgingen in een swingende forro (spreek uit: foho), een ritme uit noordoost Brazilië dat versterkt werd door zang en vervolgens veranderde in een stuk, gespeeld met een sterke jazzfeel. De sterke wisselingen in muzikale sfeer werden door Baptista nog geaccentueerd door zijn humoristische performance. Baptista is niet alleen een geweldige percussionist maar ook een prachtige comedian. Het ging van zinderende persussiegrooves naar fantasierijke soundscapes zonder vast ritme. Er werden stukken gespeeld van Don Cherry en de Braziliaanse componist Villa Lobos.
Er waren drum- en percussieduetten tussen Baptista en Keiper, soms ook op de pandeiro. Keiper liet nog meer dan bij Vieux Farka Touré horen wat een fantastische drummer hij is. Baptista, Keiper en Blumenkranz vonden elkaar in een bijzonder samenspel tussen berimbau, n'goni en contrabas. De uit Tel Aviv afkomstige Blumenkranz speelde een prachtige solo op de ud.
Je zou de muziek van Cyro Baptista & Banquet of the Spirits kunnen omschrijven als avantgardistische world fusion met een sterke nadruk op de percussie. In de Rhythm Awareness Workshop die Baptista met zijn band de avond voor het concert gaf liet hij de cursisten zijn interpretatie van samba horen, hij liet ze daar ook van proeven zonder instrumenten te gebruiken, hij liet ze met de voeten de ritmische basis leggen, daaroverheen diverse ritmepatronen klappen en ritmes zingen. Tijdens het concert kwam hij ook los van de Braziliaanse muziek maar keerde er wel weer steeds naar terug, vooral ritmisch (via instrumenten als berimbau, quica, pandeiro, triangel, Braziliaanse shakers). En dan was het alsof hij vanuit de Braziliaanse muziek abstraheerde en er een nieuwe dimensie aan toevoegde. ‘Een samba spelen zonder dat het een samba is,' zo verwoordde hij dat tijdens de workshop.
Baptista verwees ook nog naar het feit dat spelen in Amsterdam voor hem een soort thuiskomen is; hij heeft in de jaren zeventig van de vorige eeuw een tijd in Amsterdam gewoond. Tijdens de toegift liet hij het gordijn opengaan en wijzend naar het Amsterdam dat zichtbaar werd zei hij met veel gevoel voor ironie: ‘That's Pindakaas Kingdom.' - Cultural Podium nl
De in New York wonende Braziliaanse percussionist Cyro Baptista speelde met grootheden als Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma, Sting, Snoop Dogg en John Zorn met wie hij 2 jaar terug nog op North Sea Jazz te zien was met Zorn’s Masada Sextet. Zorn begon Masada begin jaren ’90 met als doel zijn Joodse roots te onderzoeken en schreef voor zijn door de Masada groep uitgevoerde Book of Angels 316 composities.
Caym is het 17e album in de serie; Zorn liet 12 nooit eerder opgenomen tracks uitvoeren en opnemen door Cyro Baptista’s Banquet Of The Spirits, een naam die enige uitlegt behoeft om zo de keur aan diverse stijlen te begrijpen die op dit album is samengebracht. Want Banquet Of The Spirits is genoemd naar de Braziliaanse culturele beweging Anthropofagia die in de jaren twintig verkondigde dat alles in de Braziliaanse cultuur van buiten is gekomen. Van aardappelen tot muziek ! Nu ik onlangs nog de Braziliaanse Assad Family (met een Libanese achtergrond) heb zien optreden op het Assad Family, sta ik niet meer te kijken van Oosterse invloeden in Braziliaanse muziek. Die zijn op dit album ook goed te horen.
Maar liefst 75 verschillende instrumenten worden er gespeeld door de vier groepsleden; naast Baptista zelf zijn dat Brian Marsell (keyboards. Speelt ook in Beat The Donkey, een andere groep van Baptista), de jonge drummer/percussionist Tim Keiper die ik al eerder bij Vieux Farka Touré heb zien schitteren en bassist Shanir Blumenkranz (John Zorn, Yo-Yo Ma) die veel van de arrangementen voor zijn rekening nam. Voor deze opnames speelden de bandleden alle 75 instrumenten zelf. De diverse stijlen op dit album vloeien organisch in elkaar over zodat je soms ’n Braziliaanse percussiegroove hoort, ingebed in oosterse melodieën; zo is Caym een wonderlijke muzikale reis van de favela’s van Brazilië naar de woestijn van Marokko, de eilanden van Japan en de Indonesische gamelan.
Banquet Of The Spirits creëert een zinderend amalgaam van uitheemse klanken en ritmes die niet alleen luistergenot verschaffen maar soms ook lekker dansbaar blijken te zijn. Er zijn slechts enkele momenten van verstilling, van rust, in een filmische muzikale sfeer. Er is een flirt met latin jazz, met jazz; swingende conga’s over een repetitief pianopatroon roepen associaties op met Weather Report. Het album sluit af met een kerkorgel dat verschillende toonhoogtes opzoekt. Zorn’s onderzoekende geest sluit mooi aan bij de creatieve energie en hoogstaande technische bagage van Cyro Baptista’s Banquet Of The Spirits ! Wie openstaat voor deze complexe avantgardistische World fusion, zal veel plezier beleven aan dit album. - Written in Music
Infinito, ultima fatica di studio del percussionista brasiliano Cyro Baptista, è un ottimo esempio di ciò che può succedere quando una tecnica impeccabile, un certo attaccamento alle proprie radici e un approccio musicale privo di preconcetti si incontrano. Il "banchetto degli spiriti" con cui Baptista si accomoda stavolta è composto da un mucchio selvaggio di musicisti come Erik Friedlander, Romero Lubambo, Brian Marsella, Tim Keiper, Shanir E. Blumenkrantz, Anat Cohen, e il collettivo di percussionisti Maracatu New York.
Infinito è sostanzialmente un progetto che guarda alla musica brasiliana tenendo ben aperte tutte le porte comunicanti coi generi che Baptista - forte di collaborazioni con una lista infinita di artisti del calibro di Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, Nana Vasconcelos, Medeski Martin & Wood, Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo Mama, Laurie Anderson e Sting, tra gli altri - ha in qualche modo incrociato o frequentato nella sua carriera.
"Infinito (Coming)," prima delle 11 tracce di questo album, vale come dichiarazione d'intenti: suona come una grande esplosione sonora guidata dalle percussioni dei Maracatu New York, ingigantita dalla cassa grande di Baptista e colorata da violini, flauti e melodiche. Una specie di inno d'apertura in cui il Brasile incontra l'Africa e porta dritti alle urgenze latine di "Batida De Côco" dove tanto l'anima brasiliana del progetto quanto le divagazioni jazz (le prime soprattutto nella chitarra scattante di Romero Lubambo, le seconde nel sassofono di Anat Cohen) prendono il sopravvento.
Un mondo sonoro bizzarro e pastoso è quello creato in "In Vitrous," brano nei cui oltre cinque minuti, Baptista suona come fossero uno xilofono un set di bicchieri preparato appositamente per l'occasione da George Kennard (e sponsorizzato dal Corning Museum Glass dello Stato di New York!) insieme a pochi tocchi del Rhodes di Cadu Costa. "Kwanza," fra battimani incalzanti e clarinetti a disegnare melodie cantabili, insieme con "Noia" e "Adeus Às Filhas" coincidono i capitoli più vicini a un modern jazz latino (con non poche divagazioni alla Weather Report) dell'intero disco. Proprio quando il folk e il jazz si avvicinano, nel mondo spiralideo di Baptista sono più leggibili le tracce della grande tradizione di Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Caetano Veloso e Gilberto Gil. Una tradizione che rimane sempre rigorosamente alle radici di un progetto con lo sguardo rivolto altrove, palese in modo particolare nelle sonorizzazioni di "Coronation of a Slave Queen" per esempio, o nelle eleganze un po' decadenti di "Blindman".
Divertente, spericolato, spettacolare e colorato, l'Infinito di Cyro Baptista è uno di quegli album che sa disegnare un mondo musicale a parte, e trascinarvi all'interno non solo gli appassionati di suoni e ambienti dal Brasile, ma ogni amante di grande musica. - All About Jazz Italy
Photo Review - Click Link - All About Jazz Italy
Definirlo un jazzista pare quasi limitante. Cyro Baptista è uno di quegli artisti che la musica pare averla letteralmente attraversata, cimentandosi in ogni tipo di genere, ramificazione e derivazione. Per rendersi conto della poliedricità del personaggio basta scorrere velocemente l'infinita lista di collaborazioni eccellenti: Sting, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, John Zorn, Carlos Santana, Laurie Anderson, Melissa Etheridge, David Byrne, Caetano Veloso, Bryan Eno, James Taylor, Robert Palmer, Wynton Marsalis solo per ricordarne alcuni.
Brasiliano, classe '50, e stabilmente negli Stati Uniti dagli anni Ottanta, Baptista è l'anima dell'esplosivo collettivo di percussionisti Beat The Donkey, e proprio quest'anno ha dato alle stampe Infinito, album pubblicato coi Banquet of the Spirits (Brian Marsella, Tim Keiper e Shanir Blumenkranz).
Bapstista ha risposto ad alcune domande di All About Jazz a proposito della sua ultima fatica discografica e dei progetti futuri, parlandoci anche di un'umanità in marcia verso l'Infinito, di lezioni imparate sul palcoscenico, di cinema, di Italia... e di buona cucina!
All About Jazz Italia: Titolo e copertina del tuo ultimo disco [clicca qui per leggerne la recensione] rimandano a un concetto ben preciso. L'"Infinito" così apertamente evocato si ritrova anche nella struttura 'ad anello' della tracklist: il disco inizia così come finisce. Puoi spiegarci meglio l'idea su cui poggia questo album?
Cyro Baptista: Nós viemos do infinito para dar o nosso grito de Paz. Ovvero, noi veniamo dall'infinito per dare il nostro grido di pace. Il concetto è che noi, come esseri umani, siamo venuti dall'infinito e stiamo andando verso l'infinito. Questo album contiene un'energia musicale che si dispiega nell'istante in cui l'ascolti.
AAJ: Di "Infinito" colpisce molto la vena melodica: si intuisce facilmente che è il disco di un percussionista, ma sarebbe un errore considerarlo un disco "per percussionisti". Come hai lavorato in fase compositiva? E in che misura gli altri musicisti hanno collaborato al progetto?
C.B.: Ho un grande rispetto per i percussionisti che si concentrano sul groove e tengono tempi fantastici. Orchestro i suoni percussivi che fanno parte del panorama circostante, in modo che anche quando tengo il tempo riesco a sentire melodie e armonie.
In questo album ho accanto a me musicisti incredibili che sono anche carissimi amici da tanti anni. Alcuni brani, come "Infinito," "Kwanza" o "Pro Flavio," avevano parti già composte. In altri pezzi, come "Adeus" e "Infinito Going," siamo partiti da un tema iniziale che abbiamo poi sviluppato improvvisando. Su "Batida," per esempio, abbiamo creato un collage musicale con influenze melodiche da Hermeto Pascoal e Teese Ghol.
AAJ: C'è un brano in cui ti sei divertito a suonare anche un set di bicchieri di vetro, puoi raccontarci come è nato?
C.B.: Due anni fa il Corning Museum of Glass di New York mi ha chiesto di creare strumenti a percussione fatti di vetro. "In Vitrus" è un pezzo in cui quasi tutti gli strumenti che si sentono suonati sono stati creati per quell'occasione.
AAJ: Le tue radici musicali sono evidenti e, in almeno un paio di occasioni, i riferimenti a classici della tradizione brasiliana suonano riconoscibili: quanto contano le tue origini nella musica che componi?
C.B.: Tutto quello che suono o compongo finisce per essere un prodotto delle mie radici. Per questo motivo invito tutti i musicisti a essere innanzitutto consapevoli delle proprie origini. Dopodichè si può essere come un bamboo: flessibili, curvabili e piegabili senza correre il rischio di essere spezzati. Se sei in possesso di una base forte potrai anche impazzire del tutto, ma avrai sempre un posto in cui tornare.
AAJ: Al contrario di molti tuoi colleghi, sul palco ami stupire anche dal punto di vista della performance. Con Beat The Donkey ti sei circondato di ballerini, travestimenti, molto colore. Quali pensi che siano gli ingredienti di uno show perfetto?
C.B.: Non ho la ricetta perfetta in tasca. Mi limito a ricordare una frase di Herbie Hancock "sono qui a suonare per il pubblico che è rimasto, non per quello che se ne è andato". Me la disse dopo un concerto in cui il suo pubblico si aspettava di ascoltare i vecchi successi funk. Lui però era tutto preso a suonare ben altro. Bene... a un certo punto metà della gente presente al concerto se ne va via senza troppi complimenti. Io ci resto molto male e così, alla fine dell'esibizione vado da lui, e gli chiedo come si è sentito quando tutta quella gente se ne è andata via. E lui mi risponde tranquillamente usando la frase che ho appena ricordato.
AAJ: Rispetto al lavoro in studio come consideri la dimensione live?
C.B.: In studio devo creare un microcosmo in cui io sono l'imperatore assoluto. In concerto, come percussionista, qualche volta ciò che ho fatto in studio diventa privo di senso. Così capita di dover fare adattamenti alla situazione... oppure no.
Mich - All About Jazz Italy
Dit album biedt de beste wereldreis voor thuis op de bank. Percussionist Cyro Baptista en de bandleden van zijn Banquet of the Spirits slaan geen muziekcultuur over in hun interpretatie van Masada Book Two, gecomponeerd door John Zorn. Het is het 17de volume in deze serie die uiteindelijk alle 316 composities die John Zorn in de herfst van 2004 in een vlaag van creativiteitswoede bij elkaar schreef, vertolkt. Ik moet bekennen dat ik de voorgaande zestien volumes van het Book of Angels, gespeeld door musici als Marc Ribot, Uri Caine en Joe Lovano, alleen maar scannend heb beluisterd. In het licht van die serie cd’s (we hebben ze in een Spotify-playlist gezet voor wie ze wil naluisteren – klik hier) is Cyro Baptista’s album de meest multiculturele van de serie, het minste hardcore jazz en het meest groovende. De musici maken hun wereldreis met 75 instrumenten. Van ud tot gamelan, van pandeiro tot synthesizer, van orgel tot accordeon, van guembri tot harmonium. Maar een allegaartje is het allerminst, daar zorgen de coherente composities van John Zorn wel voor, met overal zijn Joodse achtergrond als rode draad door de muziek heen verweven. De muziek van Caym leidt je door allerlei gemoedstoestanden. Ze ontroert, vertedert, is opwindend en spannend, en verrast voortdurend. Een wereldreis. En een met avontuur. (Erk Willemsen) - MixedWorldmusic.com - Erk Willemsen
Brazilian master percussionist Cyro Baptista first encountered composer John Zorn back in the early 1980s. Baptista, who has since gone on to work with everyone from singer Paul Simon to cellist Yo Yo Ma, at the time was only recently arrived in New York from Brazil. He and Zorn evidently recognized some common artistic craziness/genius between themselves, and since then Baptista's wide array of traditional and homemade instruments have been prominently featured in Zorn's own eclectic ensembles. At the same time, Baptista' own wild world music ensembles have had numerous releases on Zorn's Tzadik label.
The Book of Angels is the second volume of Zorn's Masada Songbook, a collection of several hundred compositions written in 2004 and basically built entirely around two Middle Eastern scales. Since then, Zorn has handed off collections of the songs to various musicians to be arranged and performed anew in a wide variety of contexts. These have ranged from power rock trios and prog rock bands to old school jazz quintets, string chamber groups, and solo explorations. Caym is the seventeenth such volume, and features Baptista's Banquet of the Spirits, a quartet that has turned out exuberant and eccentric grooves for the past five years.
This union of Zorn's compostions and Baptista's joyously tight band and world aesthetic makes for one of the most wonderfully exciting and eclectic releases in the series. Shanir Blumenkranz, one of the more exciting bassists in Downtown New York and another veteran of Zorn's music, produced arrangements of the tunes the band selected. The four musicians then worked out the kinks at home and on tour, before settling into the recording studio. The end result contains a huge variety of musical traditions, as well as a truckload of instruments.
Amidst the panoply of world grooves, the listener finds mystical chants, astral bells and swirling keys. It starts to sound like a kind of wonderfully supernatural tribal music from a not-too distant future. The clash is beautifully bizarre—perfectly exemplified by "Matafiel," which opens with drones of pump organ and jaw harp, before blending Brazilian choro with Middle Eastern modes and Hebraic chants. To top it off, there's a killer solo from Tim Keiper on the ngoni, a percussive West African lute.
Keiper also plays drum kit and provides extra percussion to back up Cyro. Blumnkranz breaks out his spectacular oud playing, including a lovely solo feature on "Flaef." Keyboardist Brian Marsella runs the gamut with dizzying statements of equal parts blaring funk harpsichord, spacey organs and exotic piano bop.
The album is, in some part, jazz. But it's also everything else—from traditional Moroccan music to Balinese gamelan playing—along with the heavy Brazilian, Middle Eastern and even elctronica inflluences. Marsella's superb piano work makes for some McCoy Tyneresque moments on "Hutriel." Then the scattering of birdcalls that open up "Natiel" gives way to mellow exotica with chimes and glockenspiel. Finally, the album gets a decidedly unexpected coda as the organ and melodica (it could be an accordion) join forces to play Zorn like a Bach fugue.
Of course, Cyro is everywhere. On top of the orgy of rhythms and the Portugese chants, the layered textures and the controlled insanity of so many different sounds, the energy humming here goes back to his leadership. Anyone who has seen him live before, or had the chance to catch this band at Zorn's recent Masada Marathon at the New York City Opera, will recognize that the electricity humming off every track here has its roots in Cyro. The band that he has pulled together produces a diversity of sounds and colors that can't be found anywhere else. This is global exotica of a kind so wonderfully weird and cool that it's a must-listen for 2011. - All About Jazz New York
Back in the heyday of world-music fusions in the 1980s, tradition-minded players and fans worried that too much mixing of styles would result in a dreaded generic "worldbeat" that was a bit of everything and a lot of nothing. The neo-traditionalist movements that countered runaway fusions were worthy attempts to keep old styles alive in specific regions and languages. And, eventually, the idea of huge crossover hits in world music faded away.
But the ideal of blending diverse styles never disappeared. One of the most enduring proponents is percussionist and bandleader Cyro Baptista. He's from Brazil, but his real native land is the recording studio and on stage. Baptista is a regular collaborator with John Zorn and, like Zorn, you never know quite what his records are going to sound like. Indeed, Caym, Baptista's latest project with his group Banquet of the Spirits, uses a dozen themes written by Zorn as starting points. But all the tracks take off in unpredictable, though satisfying, directions.
In the first cuts, Baptista and Banquet of the Spirits evoke and play around with the sounds and textures of North African gnawa music and even the horn-driven clamor of Morocco's Jajouka musicians. But just when you think Caym is settling into a pan-Middle East mode, the album swerves into a delightful evocation of Indonesian gamelan.
Most impressive is that all this variety comes from just a quartet. Producer and arranger Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz plays oud and the gimbri African lute, as well as bass. Tim Keiper does drums and percussion, as well as the ngoni guitar from Mali, and Brian Marsella excels on piano, harpsichord and pump organ. Leader Baptista plays a slew of instruments that throb and rattle, including some of his own invention. Everybody does some affable chanting from time to time.
But, more than virtuosity, it's the harmonious, positive spirit of Caym that makes it a fine introduction to Baptista's way of performing. The session ends with a number called "Phaleg," featuring Marsella wailing on the pump-organ in a workout that's both witty and eerie, a sort of Phantom of the International Opera.
The strong group unity and interaction helps Caym avoid the typical downfalls of eclectic world-music albums — fancy, empty playing and superficial dabs of exotic styles. Instead, you feel like you're listening to a captivating travelogue, as told by a group of nomads who are at home everywhere. - NPR Music - Fresh Air
Discography
Caym Tzadik Records 2011
Infinito Tzadik Records 2009
Banquet of the Spirits Tzadik Records 2008
::: Recordings As Guest Performer (by Artist) :::
Sort by YEAR
GERI ALLEN
Eyes in the Back of your Head
Blue Note
GERI ALLEN
Eyes in the Back of your Head
Blue Note 1997
TREY ANASTASIO
The Horseshoe Curve
Rubber Jungle Records 2007
TREY ANASTASIO
Bar 17
Rubber Jungle Records 2006
TREY ANASTASIO
Shine
Elektra 2005
TREY ANASTASIO
Plasma
Elektra 2003
TREY ANASTASIO
Alive Again
Electra 2002
GABRIELA ANDERS
Wanting
Warner Brothers 1998
LAURIE ANDERSON
Strange Angels
Warner 1994
LAURIE ANDERSON
Bright Red
Warner 1994
PETER APFELBAUM and THE NEW YORK HIEROGLYPHICS
It Is Written
The ACT Company 2005
WILSON ASFORA
Journey To The Badlands
WTA 1996
BADI ASSAD
Rhythms
Chesky 1995
JAY AZZOLINA
Local Dialect
Garagista
SUSANA BACA
Eco de Sombras
Luaka Bop 2000
SPYRO GYRA
Dreams Beyond Crontrol
GRP 1996
DEREK BAILEY/ CYRO BAPTISTA
Cyro
Incus 1987
CYRO BAPTISTA
Banquet of the Spirits
Tzadik 2008
DEREK BAILEY & CYRO BAPTISTA
Derek
Amulet 2006
GATO BARBIERI
Que Pasa
Sony 1997
DANIEL BARENBOIM
Brazilian Rhapsody
Teldec 2000
KATHLEEN BATTLE
So Many Stars
Sony 1995
TONY BENNETT
Duets
RPM Records/Columbia 2006
RONNIE BIRD
One World
PEM 1992
CHRIS BOTTI
First Wish
Verve 1995
EDDIE BRICKEL
Picture Perfect Morning
Geffen 1994
DAVID BYRNE
Rei Momo
Warner Bros. 1989
JAMES CARTER
Chasin? the Gypsy
Atlantic 2000
TOMMY CECIL
Samba For Felix
Slider 1999
TONI CEDRAS
Vision Over People
Gorilla 1994
THE CHIEFTAINS
Santiago - Grammy Winner
BMG Classics 1996
HOLLY COLE
Temptations
Metro Blue 1995
RICHARD CRANDELL
Spring Steel
Tzadik 2008
CRIARA
Behind The Sky
EMI 1997
CORIN CURSCHELLAS
Voices Of Romantsch
MGB 1997/1996
DOMINIQUE DALCAN
Ostinato
Island 1998
DIP IN THE POOL
The Sea Of Serenity
Epic/Sony 1993
ELECTRIC MASADA
At the Mountains of Madness
Tzadik 2005
ELECTRIC MASADA
4
Tzadik 2004
MANFRED FEST
Oferenda
Concord 1993
FOBIA
Leche
BMG Mexico 1993
SERGE GAINSBOURG
GREAT JEWISH MUSIC
Tzadik 1998
GIBRAN
Dialogos Intestinales
Urukungolo 2001
JANET GRICE
The Muse
Optimism 1989
ANDY HAAS
Arnhem Land
Avant 1997
HERBIE HANCOCK
Possibilities - GRAMMY NOMINATED
Starbucks 2005
HERBIE HANCOCK
Gershwin's World - Grammy Winner
Verve 1998
HERBIE HANCOCK
Gershwin's World - grammy winner -
Verve
JANIS IAN
Hunger
Windham Hill 1997
JANIS IAN
Revenge
Boomerang 1995
JAVON JACKSON
Good People
Blue Note 1997
JAVON JACKSON
For One Who Knows
Blue Note 1995
BOB JAMES
Playin? Hooky
Warner 1998
DR. JOHN
Duke Elegant
Blue Note 2000
RICHARD LEO JOHNSON
Language
Blue Note 2000
GEOFF KEEZER
Turn Up the Quiet
Sony 1997
BAR KOKHBA
Bar Kokhba Sextet
Tzadik 2005
KEIKO LEE
In Essence
Sony/BMG 2007
ARTO LINDSAY
Mundo Civilizado
Bar/None 1996
IVAN LINS
A Love Affair - Grammy Winner
Telarc 2000
FRANK LONDON
Science at Work
Tzadik 2002
LIONEL LOUEKE
Virgin Forest
ObliqSound 2007
ROMERO LUBAMBO
Brazilian Nights
Q Records 2001
YO-YO MA
Obrigado Brazil Live in Concert - GRAMMY WINNER
Sony 2004
YO YO MA
Obrigado Brasil
Sony Classical 2003
MAUREEN MAC GOVERN
Out Of This World
Sterling 1996
CHIUCK MANGIONE
The Hat?s Back
Gates Music 1994
HERBIE MANN
Opalescence
Kokopelli 1994
BILLY MARTIN
Socket
Amulet 2005
BILLY MARTIN
Drop the Needle/ Illy B Eats
Amulet 2002
NILSON MATTA
Walking with my Bass
Blue Toucan Music 2006
BOBBY MCFERRIN
Beyond Words
Blue Note 2002
HENDRIK MEURKENS
In a Sentimental Mood
A Records 1999
PAUL MIDON
State of Mind
Manhattan
GLOBAL NOIZE
Global Noize
Shanachie Records 2008
JASON MILES
Miles to Miles
Narada 2005
JASON MILES
Music Of Weather Report
Telarc 2000
MARISA MONTE
Mais
EMI 1994
JEAN-LOUIS MURAT
Mustang
Virgin/France 1999
NEW YORK VOICES
NYV Sings Paul Simon
BMG 1997
OJOYO
Ojoyo Plays SafroJazz
Ojoyo 2002
OJOYO
Forwar Motion
Ojoyo 1996
R
Photos
Bio
" The man the stars call when they want that otherworldly flavor in the mix " - Time Out New York
Since arriving in the U.S. in 1980 from his native country Brazil, Cyro Baptista has emerged as one of the premier percussionists in the country. Coinciding with the rise in the publics interest of world music, Cyro has managed to record and tour with some of musics most popular names. His mastery of Brazilian percussion and the many instruments he creates himself, have catapulted him into world renown.
With his own project, the percussion and dance ensemble known as 'Beat the Donkey' Cyro gives free reign to his imagination, mixing his tremendous musical skills, his natural humor and theatrical ways with instruments from Brazil, Middle East, Indonesia, Africa and US.
Cyro's credits read like a "Whos Who" of modern music. He toured extensively with Yo-Yo Ma's Brazil Project, Trey Anastasio's Band (of Phish), John Zorn's Electric Masada, Herbie Hancock's Grammy award winning "Gershwins World" , Sting and Paul Simon's "Rhythm of the Saints".
The wide range of artists Cyro Baptista has performed and recorded with include: David Byrne, Kathleen Battle, Gato Barbieri, Dr. John, Brian Eno, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Palmer, Melissa Etheridge, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Michael Tilson Thomas, Daniel Barenboin, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo-Ma, Medeski Martin & Wood, Spyro Gyra, Trey Anastasio from Phish, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Santana and Sting. He has also played with many respected Brazilian artists such as Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, Marisa Monte, and Nana Vasconcelos.
Downbeat Magazine - Aug. 2003
Cyro Baptista
"RISING STAR PERCUSSIONIST"
New York Times
Cyro Baptista's Beat The Donkey
Top 10 Alternative CD of 2002
Wire Magazine
Cyro Baptista's Beat The Donkey
Top 10 Global Music CD of 2002
PBS-WGBH Boston
Beat The Donkey
Emmy Award Winning Special
JamBase.com
Cyro Baptista
Top 10 instrumentalists
Drum Magazine
Cyro Baptista
Best Jazz Percussionist (2002)
Best World Beat Percussionist (2003)
Cyro has performed on five Grammy award winning albums: Yo-Yo-Mas "Obrigado Brasil", Cassandra Wilson's "Blue Light 'Til Dawn", The Chieftains' "Santiago", Ivan Lins' "A Love Affair", and Herbie Hancockæs highly-acclaimed "Gershwin's World". A documentary on Cyro's main project, Beat the Donkey, was recorded for the prestigious WGBH-TV Boston program 'La Plaza' won 3 New England EMMY Awards in 2002, and continues to air on PBS stations nationwide. Cyro collaborated with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for a Brazilian Carnaval modern jazz concert.
The first Beat the Donkey album, (TZADIK) was picked by The New York Times as one of the ten best alternative albums of 2002. Readers of JAZZIZ and DRUM magazine voted it as "Best Brazilian CD of the Year" and named Cyro "Best Percussionist of 2002." Downbeat Magazine's 51st annual critics' poll selected Cyro as "Rising Star" in percussion.
Cyro' first solo recording, Villa Lobos/Vira Loucos, a heady mix of his own compositions with the work of the brilliant Brazilian composer Heitor Villa Lobos, has been acclaimed as "the most courageous, bright, funny, dramatic, and imaginative work in recent memory."
Blue Note Records released Supergenerous, a duo CD recorded with guitarist Kevin Breit (KD Lang, Cassandra Wilson). Billboard called Supergenerous "pure aural pleasure" and the Washington Post noted it "a marvelous debut that manages to feel outside and intimate at the same time."
Cyro has also been composing music for the children's television Nickelodeon.
Links