WSU School of Music hosts first Brazilian jazz festival on the Palouse

The Washington State University School of Music will host the first multinational Brazilian Jazz Festival on the Palouse Sept. 28 - Oct. 2 in Pullman. Led by Professor César Haas, the festival will feature internationally acclaimed Brazilian and American jazz artists, Três Mais and Nelson Faria.

The week-long festival includes performances, clinics, rehearsals, and talks that promote dissemination, teaching, and learning of Brazilian music at WSU and local schools. The internationally acclaimed guest artists will be working closely with WSU students and faculty on performances and clinics that involve several areas and ensembles from the School of Music, including the WSU Jazz Big Band and the WSU Symphony Orchestra.

Check out the festival schedule for more information. All events are free of charge and open to the community.

"The festival will promote a richer understanding of Brazilian music and provide culturally informed study and interpretation of the music to help students develop musical skills and concepts they would not necessarily develop studying straight-ahead jazz," Haas said. "It will also enrich their cultural awareness and knowledge of a musical culture that is integral to the jazz idiom."

César HaasNelson FariaThe Brazilian Jazz Festival will feature César Haas (left) and Nelson Faria.

Três Mais, a new collaboration between American and Brazilian rhythm section musicians and educators, marries Brazilian music styles with American Jazz. The core rhythm section of Três Mais consists of three musicians and educators: WSU Professor and Brazilian guitarist César Haas, Brazilian drummer Graciliano Zambonim, and American jazz bassist Wayne Moose. While the trio is the heart of the group, for each performanceTrês Maisinvites featured artists that share the same passion for diversity and collaboration.

For the inaugural year of the festival, the featured artist will be Brazilian guitarist, arranger, and educator Nelson Faria. One of the most important musicians in Brazil, he has released 12 solo CDs, six books (two in the U.S., Japan, Brazil, and Italy), and he has also recorded as guitar player and/or arranger or producer over 200 CDs by Brazilian and international artists. Faria and other guest artists will perform concerts at WSU, teach clinics, and record a live video performance at WSU Recording Studios to be released on YouTube and other streaming platforms.

Aside from the concerts, clinics, and open rehearsals, Haas will be featured on Faria's podcast on YouTube Um Café Lá em Casa (Coffee at my Place), where guests talk about their musical careers in an informal setting and jam with the host. The show is popular both in Brazil and internationally and has videos with more than 700 thousand views, featuring artists of high caliber such as Mike Stern, João Bosco, and Yamandú Costa.

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