Music
Press
"Germany‘s number one bossa nova singer."
Welt am Sonntag
BEIRA "sounds even more relaxed than its predecessor and holds the charm of lastingly unnerving melancholia. Sophie relates to jazz in a remarkably flexible manner, lending many of her songs not only a lyrical, but also a lasciviously intellectual note." Süddeutsche Zeitung
"The sun, finally! With these great songs - who needs to travel to Rio de Janeiro?" Petra
BEIRA is an "enchanting journey to Rio‘s sugarloaf mountain, where even Françoise Hardy and the Beatles meet. The band‘s whole trip into Brazilian music is wonderful and really worth listening to. With her sweetly sensuous and relaxed voice Sophie Wegener knowingly seduces in English, French and particularly in Portuguese." Jazzthing - Various
Discography
CDs:
// Pure Love - um amor tao puro (2003)
// Beira (2006)
On the compilation: "The finest in female vocal jazz" (2003)
Label: Nagel Heyer Records
Airplay: "Klassik Radio" with the title "Dans mon ile"
Photos
Bio
Founded in 1999 by vocalist Sophie Wegener, ZONA SUL is a band dedicated to playing bossa nova, the music "invented" in the late 1950s by Brazilians João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. It has its roots in Brazilian samba and jazz, the lyrics and melodies are often quite melancholy while the rhythms are lively and joyful. "Samba é chorar de alegria - samba is crying for joy". Inspired by the legendary Zimbo Trio and singer Elis Regina, the band ZONA SUL remains authentic and true to the Brazilian tradition, while having developed an original style. Like the music, its band members have been influenced by jazz and Brazilian music.
In 2003 the band recorded their critically acclaimed first CD: "PURE LOVE - um amor tão puro". With the title "Dans mon île" by Henri Salvador they made it onto the compilation "The finest in female vocal jazz" alongside Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson and Sade. The same title was also played nationwide in Germany on "Klassik Radio".
While most compositions on PURE LOVE were by Tom Jobim, the origin of the titles on ZONA SUL's second album BEIRA (2006) is more diverse, taking the idea of playing bossa nova one step further and turning pop songs into bossa novas. On BEIRA, you can find classics by Jobim, Baden Powell and Milton Nascimento and contemporary compositions by Bebel Gilberto as well as new arrangements of songs by Françoise Hardy or The Beatles. Furthermore there are two original compositions on BEIRA - "Vai e vem" by Brazilian singer Giana Viscardi and "Mães e filhas" by Pedro Tagliani, the band's guitarist. With BEIRA the band ZONA SUL succeeds in becoming more unique, creating an even more distinctive style. Sophie Wegeners naturally beautiful voice, the virtuosity of her band members, the selection of songs and the outstanding quality of the recording make BEIRA an album that is one-of-a-kind. Upon its release in Germany in May 2006, BEIRA made it to the top 20 in the German jazz charts.
A third album is currently in the works.
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