Music
Press
Paulo's Trying To Fool Destiny CD is a welcome addition to the music world. This 10-track CD has good music with that smooth special sound that draws you in right from the start! - Jackie Anderson - WJAB 90.9 FM
Jazzy Brazilian grooves, sung in English -- all with a warm and breezy feel that almost takes us back to some of the best sessions of this nature from the 70s! Paulo's style is never too smooth nor too derivative -- and the album's got an easygoing sense of grace that reminds us of some of the best west coast fusions of jazz and Brazilian rhythms that were coming out of California a few decade's back. The vocals have a lightly crackling feel that's great -- honest, human, but never in a way that's too forced or overly-emotive -- and backings mix Paulo's acoustic guitar with light percussion, piano, and some very well placed work on tenor, flute, and harmonica. Titles are all originals -- further enforcing the unique spirit of the set, and pushing the record way past overdone bossa tributes or remakes of American standards. Tracks include "Trying To Fool Destiny", "Smile At Me", "Nothing Else To Say", "Defeated Guy", "More Than You Will Know", "Feeling Guilty", and "Easy Target". Japanese version features the bonus tracks "Sorri Pra Mim", "Perdao", and "Acorda Amor". - Dusty Groove America
Breezy guitar, and breezy vocals to match -- a wonderful album from Paulo Muniz, done in a real 70s style overall! The sound here takes us back to that great point when American jazz vocalists were really experimenting with Brazilian styles in the 70s -- not just aping older bossa modes, but coming up with a fresh new blend of rhythms and instrumentation, topped with well-penned lyrics in English. But at other points, there's a straighter bossa approach too -- thanks to jazzy instrumentation on the piano and saxophones in the mix -- and Paulo brings a warm sincerity to his songwriting that's really great. A few tracks are in Portuguese, and titles include "Even Better Somehow", "Last Try", "Sweet Delusion", "Perdi", "Sine Qua Non", "Perdao", "Any Further", and "Esqueca". - Dusty Groove America
Discography
Trying to fool destiny (independent 2006)
Sine qua non (Production Dessinee - Japan, 2007)
Photos
Bio
Paulo Muniz is an independent artist from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He sings mainly original brazilian music (bossa nova, samba) and has got as far as Japan with his albums. This kind of music have been well-represented worldwide through out the years by names like A.C. Jobim, Ivan Lins and Sérgio Mendes and has now this new representative. If you are interested in latin music or jazz, you will certainly feel captivated by his songs.
He was born in february 27th, 1976 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he lived all his life. By the age of twelve he began studying music and performing when he was fifteen. But something would delay his musical career: Medical School. In 1995, he entered the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) to be a doctor (psychiatrist) but quit three years later. He got back then into the music field, where he is right now.
In 1999, his career as a music producer began when he had the oportunity to compose a soundtrack for a theatre play. After that, he composed lots of jingles and soundtracks for a TV channel (Canal Futura) as well as other theatre play and producing became one of his main activities. That was when he studied arranging and orchestration during those years, which helped him to increase his musicality.
2002 was an year dedicated mainly to performings at music festivals in Brazil. He was present in more than fifteen through out that year. Also, in this year he first experimented with home recording, when he recorded his twenty-six-song first album called Compositor, but never released. Two years later, he decided to record Eu comigo, a twelve-song album, composed, played and produced by him still in his homestudio. However, this one was also never officially released.
During the following years, he worked as assistant musical producer for several TV shows in Brazil. Those jobs were mainly inside the studio and brought to him most of his experience as a sound engineer. During one of those TV productions, by the end of 2005, started to produce what would be his first released album.
Dated 2006, Trying to fool destiny was his first released album, with ten original songs, produced and played by a few brazilian top musicians and him. It was, by far, his biggest challenge. Soon, this album began to be sold in Japan and in 2007 was given a special japanese edition, with diferent cover and bonus tracks.
Still in 2007, he finished his second album called Sine qua non, released only in Japan through label Production Dessinee. He is currently preparing the recordings for his third album, to be released in early spring 2009.
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