Katia Moraes

Brazilian Carnival
Party On the Queen Mary
BY: ZACHARY GALE
New University UC Irvine
March 2006

As the first drops of water flowed down my dry throat, Katia Moraes and Pure Samba took the stage. As my thirst was quenched, I felt the musically equivalent sensation.

Moraes, typically an electrifyingly engaging performer, proved to exceed audience expectations as she succeeded the other acts. An infectious energy emanated from Moraes’ lithe frame and gentle smile. Fitting with the extravagant theme of the night, her elaborate headdress gave the impression that she was growing different sized silver tubes out of her head.

The classic Brazilian songs, infused by Moraes’ distinctive sound, got the dance floor grooving a little more at 1 a.m. than it had at any point during the night.

In an apparent recognition that the party had only now really started, confetti was shot into the air, followed by a lowering of Brazil-themed green and yellow balloons onto the dance floor. As if the night needed more percussive punctuation, balloons were popped to the music.

A seasoned performer, Moraes’ samba songs soared to a point that the dancers, foot-tappers and even the subtle head-nodders surely enjoyed. Her act ended with a flourish of color as all the Oyá Brazil joined Moraes in their original costumes
- Zachary Gale

A Planet's Worth of Sounds from Playboy
By Don Heckman
For LOS ANGELES TIMES
June 22, 2004

"Variety, in other words, was the theme of the day at the Hollywood Bowl. Variety embracing Brazilian music and funk, African rhythms and songs from the Great American Songbook, cutting edge contemporary jazz and simmering Latin rhythms. After a spirited opening by the Hamilton High School Academy of Music Jazz Ensemble "A", for example, Sunday’s program immediately dipped into Brazilian sounds with singer Katia Moraes & Sambaguru. Delivering a program that ranged exuberantly across Brazil’s multiplicity of rhythms, Moraes was a bindle of galvanized energy, her quick-paced singing empowered by Sambaguru’s driving rhythm section and the well-crafted arrangements of Bill Brendle. The only problem with the set, in fact, was its scheduling; music with so many engaging elements should have been programmed later in the day, after most of the seats were filled."

- June 2004

"You´re incredible...not everybody can perform with so much energy. You make part of the great singers and entertainers club. Congratulations!"
Sergio Mielniczenko from Global Village at KPFK (90.7 FM/Los Angeles)

- Sergio Mielniczenko/ KPFK 90.7FM

By Richard S. Ginell
For VARIETY

"While the first day of the 2004 Playboy Jazz Festival stayed generally within the galaxy of music that can be called jazz, Sunday's edition sometimes careened off the chart in the inimitable Playboy way. The day started off on a good omen with the long-overdue Playboy debut of the energetic Los Angeles-based Brazilian singer Katia Moraes -- a born afternoon sunshine performer -- and Sambaguru, which stirred up an unpredictable stew of ingredients rooted in the samba."

- Variety

LA OPINION
By Willie Campins
June 22, 2004

"Luego de la apertura el domingo con el ensamble de jazz de la academia musical de la secundaria Hamilton, el maestro de ceremonias Kevin Eubanks diu turno a la brasilena radicada en Los Angeles Katia Moraes y su banda Sambaguru.

El grupo multietnico, que hizo su debut en el festival, conjuga las musicas del tecladista Bill Brendle y las letras de Moraes con otros temas de autores brasilenos. Con una voz luminosa y unna belleza muy carioca, Katia es el centro de atencion de un conjunto muy ajustado y digno de seguir en su evolucion." - LA Opinion

Latin Project/CD Review
The Hoya.com
November 2003
The generous use of guests is really what propels most of The Latin Project. Aside from the sensuous vocals of Freddie Crespo, the album boasts the Brazilian Katia Moraes on four tracks. Moraes effortlessly adds her vocals as another rhythmic line woven together with a pumping bass beat, powerhouse horns and complex percussion. Her funky and casual delivery feels fresh and at home in the midst of all the electronic madness surrounding her.
- thehoya.com

"Brazilian Summer Festival 2006 had plenty of familiar sights and sounds from (...) to the rhythmically diverse singing of Katia Moraes & pure Samba.
But Moraes' eclectic presentation was the first indication that something more unusual was on the way. Garbed in a surprisingly rural-looking outfit, accessorized with a hat, glasses, white socks and tennis shoes, she darted across a wide spectrum of styles, from familiar samba and bossa nova to less often heard forró, frevo and pagode. Propelling every number with her nonstop dynamism, she roved the wide Ford stage, calling out the audience, encouraging people to dance, setting the stage for what felt more like a party than a concert."

World Music Review
Taking Brazilian Music far Beyond just Samba
By Don Heckman
June 06, 2006

"(...) That thought kept persisting during the performance Wednesday by Ted Falcon and the Los Angeles Choro Ensemble at the Vic in Santa Monica. One of the first presentations in the venue's dedication to unusual programming in the new "Fission Wednesdays" series, the Choro Ensemble's performance was enhanced by guest singer Katia Moraes, ukulele player Marvin Falcon and flutist Rebecca Kleinmann. (...)
The guest performers added more spice to the proceedings. Marvin Falcon (Ted's jazz musician father) called for a musical shift of gears with a Hot Club of France-inspired jazz take on "Lady Be Good." Kleinmann's warm toned, lyrical flute offered a colorful contrast to the fast-paced clarinet work of Andy Connell. And Moraes' singing, as always, was a virtual definition of the passion that is an implicit part of Brazilian music".

Sounds of Brazil, via Southland
By Don Heckmam
Los Angeles Times
June 2006
- Don Heckman

"(...) But not so fast, because there's still katia moraes and Sambaguru to deal with. Their double live has a few things in common with the Cantuaria album--great sound, tight rhythms,etc.--but it's got more of a flat-out party feel. And that ain't a bad thing, since this band has the chops to lay down sambas, bossa novas, songs flavored with salsa, reggae and funk, forro (a rootsy style from the north of Brazil) and more. They cool down the pace here and there, though for the most part the heat stays on. It's pure bliss from the beginning of disc one to the end of disc two, all brought home with the fiery \"Mae Africa\" capping things off (...)" - World Music Central/Jan 2004