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Paulinho Garcia

Born in Belo Horizonte (capital of Minas Gerais, Brazil) Paulinho began his musical career at the age of nine as a singer in a Sunday children's program in his city's principal radio station, Radio Inconfidencia. In his teens, he performed as a house musician in all musical programs of the Radio network, Guarany—TV Itacolomy. He led his own band, Os Agitadores, and with them recorded his first two albums. Until his arrival in the U.S. in 1979, Paulinho composed, arranged, produced, and performed jingles for HP Studios. Four of his commercials received national awards. Having moved to Chicago, he performed and recorded two albums with the band Made in Brazil. In 1991 he founded his own band, Jazzmineiro, whose eponymous 1996 CD received excellent reviews in the Chicago Tribune, Jazziz magazine, the Brazilian Music Review, and The Brazilians. Paulinho was the recipient of the "Best jazz entertainer" award for the year 2001 by the Chicago Music Awards. His new recording "Homage", released in Tokyo on September 2002, was chosen as the best vocal CD in Japan for 2002 and was among the best 20 overall. Paulinho has performed in many cities throughout the U.S. and abroad, touring Japan for six months with Made in Brazil. In 2000 and 2001 he toured Poland, Prague and Bratislava with singer Grazyna Auguscik. Paulinho also performed with saxophonist Greg Fishman (his partner in Two for Brazil). In 2001 they performed at the North Sea jazz festival in the Netherlands, the Singapore jazz festival and at the Holland American jazz cruise. In 2002 they performed in Hong Kong and Bangkok and most recently at the Fujitsu Concord jazz festival throughout various cities in Japan. It was then that Paulinho added Polish singer Grazyna Auguscik and named his new trio Three for Brazil. In 2003 Two for Brazil played Joe Siegel's jazz cruise "jazz party at sea" (October 26 thru November 2). His line up for 2004 included a tour of Poland in March, Bahamas in May, as well as performing at one of Japan's largest jazz festivals, Jazz Elite, with Three for Brazil (June 8th thru 21st), a second "jazz party at sea" cruise (October 23 thru 30th) and two TV concerts in the Netherlands in November. In 2005, In addition to many festivals throughout the USA, Paulinho performed in various cities in Poland, The Ukraine and Prague in April, The Singapore jazz festival in July, Joe Siegel’s jazz cruise to Alaska in September, the Jazz cruise of the Bahamas in October, and the Bangkok jazz festival in early February 2006. Paulinho released two CDs in 2006: a new solo CD (Tempo Feliz) and a CD of well known movie songs (Two for Brazil goes to the movies) in an inviting Brazilian style with his duo Two for Brazil, and 4 more CDs after that. His all original songs CD "My very life" is receiving world wide praises from critics and audience, was nominated among the 25 best for the best latin jazz CD by the Grammy and is nominated for the Brazilian International Press Award.

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8
Album Review

Paulinho Garcia: Beautiful Love

Read "Beautiful Love" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Brazilian son Paulinho Garcia may not be an immediately recognizable figure in the jazz world today and that is largely by design as he eschews the limelight in favor of being behind the scenes producing concerts, working with other artists and serving as a clinician. A fine vocalist and guitarist, Garcia is no novice with several albums to his credit but Beautiful Love, is a special solo album and vehicle defining a humbling artist as he emerges from the shadows ...

279
Album Review

Paulinho Garcia: My Very Life

Read "My Very Life" reviewed by Javier AQ Ortiz


My Very Life, by Paulinho Garcia, is a release from Chicago Sessions--a subscription label service “featuring the best Chicago jazz artists." Many years ago Garcia realized that it pays to be a toucan in a land of penguins and he has been leaving his mark in the Windy City--and beyond--ever since.

This recording finds Garcia under a somewhat different spotlight. For example, although his recent solo work and his recordings with Two for Brazil do not feature much of his ...

403
Album Review

Paulinho Garcia: Portrait in Black and White

Read "Portrait in Black and White" reviewed by Javier AQ Ortiz


Paulinho Garcia milks much from sheer simplicity. The liner notes state that he recorded Portrait in Black and White “as if I was in my own living room." Garcia succeeded. Accompanied by his Spanish guitar, this release is characterized by its overall openheartedness and cool intimacy.

His cozy voice travels through a well-trodden repertoire of Brazilian and jazz compositions singing in English and Portuguese with “Adiós mi Sueño" being the sole exception in Spanish. His slightly accented English ...

246
Album Review

Paulinho Garcia: My Very Life

Read "My Very Life" reviewed by Matthew Warnock


My Very Life is a collection of original compositions by Brazilian native Paulinho Garcia which reflect the wide-range of musical styles found in Brazil. While many people may be familiar with the Bossa Nova, especially the work of master composer/performer Antonio Carlos Jobim, Garcia draws from the lesser known baião, chorinho, choro and marcha rancho grooves to produce an album that is as enjoyable to listen to as it is to get up and dance to. My Very Life is ...

229
Album Review

Paulinho Garcia: Tempo Feliz

Read "Tempo Feliz" reviewed by Dr. Judith Schlesinger


In Chicago and Japan, among other exotic places, guitarist/vocalist Paulinho Garcia is well-known and beloved as one half of the multi-recorded group “Two for Brazil" (with tenor saxophonist Greg Fishman). He's also a third of “Three for Brazil" (with Fishman and celestial Polish jazz vocalist Grazyna Auguscik) as well as the leader of his own band, Jazzmineiro.

A resident of Chicago for over two decades, the Brazilian-born Garcia brings the same distinctive sound to all of his musical configurations: his ...

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Recording

Dr. Judith Schlesinger Co-Produces "Beautiful Love" With Paulinho Garcia

Dr. Judith Schlesinger Co-Produces "Beautiful Love" With Paulinho Garcia

Source: Dr. Judith Schlesinger

After a dozen years of commenting on other people's music, and the executive producing of the acclaimed 2011 Trust by the Sean Smith Quartet, All About Jazz columnist and reviewer Dr. Judith Schlesinger is once again putting her money where her mouth is. On Valentine's Day, her Shrinktunes Media, together with Paulinho Garcia's Jazzmin Records, is releasing Beautiful Love with a dinner concert at Chicago's International Theater. The CD, which is receiving uniformly glowing reviews in the United States as ...

Primary Instrument

Guitar and vocals

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, Il 773-728-6000 Tuesdays, 5:00 and 6:30 PM Brazilian guitar 1 and 2 Brazilian combo coach for Roosevelt University in Chicago

Clinic/Workshop Information

University of Wisconsin @ Milwaukee (Oct 2007) Hope College, Michigan (Apr 2006) Cornell University, NY (Feb 2009) Moscow College of Improvised Music, Russia (Jul and Dec 2009) Institute of Contemporary Art, Moscow (Dec 2009) International University in Moscow (Dec 2009) Class-Center by Kazarnovsky, Moscow (Dec 2009) Learn Music TV master class, Moscow (Dec 2009) Music college Mussorgsky, Saint Petersburg (Dec 2009)

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Beautiful Love

Self Produced
2014

buy

Portrait in Black and...

Jazzmin Records
2010

buy

My Very Life

Jazzmin Records
2010

buy

My Very Life

Chicago Sessions
2009

buy

Tempo Feliz

Jazzmin Records
2007

buy

Unspoken Desire

Groove Art Records
2007

buy

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