Witkowski's playing is consistently thrilling, and her musical imagination....

São Paulo-based guitarist/vocalist Filó Machado joins NYC pianist/vocalist

Deanna Witkowski in US tour from Oct 10-21

Witkowski's playing is consistently thrilling, and her musical imagination
seems boundless. - All Music Guide

Deanna plays as if she were writing a letter to someone who does not exist. Her piano announces all the autumns yet to come. 
- Guinga, Rio-based guitarist/composer/vocalist

Machado’s ideas reach beyond one continent…he has cited Joyce and Flora Purim as influences, but he also has listened to Jon Hendricks and his giddy torrent of syllables derive from jazz. –Downbeat

Deanna Witkowski with João Paulo Barbosa, tenor and soprano sax
Sidiel Vieira, bass
Fabio Faustino, drums
and special Filó Machado, guitarra e voice.

São Paulo-based guitarist/composer/vocalist Filó Machado and New York-based pianist/composer/vocalist Deanna Witkowski join forces from October 10-21 with appearances in Syracuse, Rochester, Cleveland, Boston, and New York. Ranging from Machado’s MPB (Brazilian popular music) compositions to Witkowski’s fusions of Latin, Brazilian, jazz, and sacred music, this rare stateside tour provides an opportunity to witness the chemistry of this cross-cultural duo in an intimate setting.

Two acclaimed composer/performer/bandleaders from different continents, Witkowski and Machado originally met in 2006, when Witkowski visited Brazil for the first time. A longtime fan of Machado’s work, Witkowski heard Machado perform on her first night in São Paulo. A love of dense harmonies, unrelenting rhythmic grooves, and the use of the voice as an instrument led the two to begin playing together last November, when Machado was in New York to perform at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Both musicians have performed with each other’s respective bands: in June, Witkowski performed in São Paulo in Machado’s quartet; in March, Machado performed in New York in Witkowski’s quartet. Videos of their recent collaborations are available at http://deannajazz.com/.

Filó Machado
One of the great voices of Brazilian MPB (Brazilian popular music) today, vocalist/composer/guitarist/arranger/producer FIló Machado is known internationally for his infectious blend of virtuosity, soulfulness, and groove. Throughout his forty-year career, Machado has worked with many illustrious musicians, including Michel Legrand, Leny Andrade, and  Ivan Lins. His 2009 release, Ubida, was produced by Nilson Matta and includes appearances by Kenny Barron, César Camargo Mariano, Romero Lubambo, and Paulo Braga. In November 2009, Machado shared a double-bill with Brazilian vocalist Gal Costa at Toronto’s Massey Hall. In 2001 he made his Carnegie Hall debut in the program, “40 Years of Bossa Nova,” with Costa, Dori Caymmi, Toots Thielemans, Jane Monheit, and others. A well-known composer, Machado composed and recorded the MPB hit “Jogral” with Djavan. http://filomachado.com.br

Deanna Witkowski
Winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 2002 and a former guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, pianist/composer/vocalist Deanna Witkowski has been heralded for her genre-defying work which melds the diverse worlds of jazz, Latin, Brazilian, and sacred music. Her 2009 recording, From This Place, marries ancient and modern sacred texts with the richness of jazz and features Donny McCaslin, John Patitucci, and Kate McGarry. An active member on the New York Brazilian jazz scene, Witkowski is a member of Vanderlei Pereira’s Blindfold Test and has performed with Hendrik Meurkens and Fabiana Masili. Fluent in Portuguese, she has toured three times in Brazil, most recently appearing at Modern Sound in Rio and at the Recife Jazz Festival. Since 2005, she has been the pianist in the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra and also appears on recent releases with the Schumacher/Sanford Sound Assembly and Joseph C. Phillips’ large ensemble, Numinous. http://deannajazz.com

October itinerary:

Oct 10: New York, NY: All Nite Soul at Saint Peter’s Church
Oct 14: Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University (daytime clinic)
Oct 14: Syracuse, NY: First Presbyterian Church United (evening concert)
Oct 15: Rochester, NY: Tapas 177 Lounge
Oct 17: Cleveland, OH: Nighttown
Oct 19: Boston, MA: Boston Arts Academy (daytime clinic)
Oct 20: Boston, MA: Berklee School of Music (daytime clinic)
Oct 20: Boston, MA: Ryles Jazz Club (w/guests Felipe Salles and Oscar Stagnaro)
Oct 21: New York, NY: The Bar Next Door.

Additional solo dates for Deanna Witkowski:
Oct 15: Rochester, NY: Roberts Wesleyan College (improvisations on Chopin)
Oct 17: Cleveland, OH: Forest Hill Presbyterian Church (sacred jazz in worship service)
Oct 19: Boston, MA: Boston College (solo sacred jazz concert)

Venue details are available at http://deannajazz.com/calendar.php

Hi-res press photos of Ms. Witkowski are available at deannajazz.com/quotes.shtml

For hi-res photos of Mr. Machado, contact deannawit@earthlink.net).

Review copies of CDs are available on request.

Deanna Witkowski....

Continuing in a tradition while pioneering new ways of viewing the world around them has always been the daily work of artists, whether they be jazz musicians or religious mystics. In the case of pianist/composer/vocalist Deanna Witkowski, the paths of practicing the disciplines of living as a jazz musician and as a person of faith have converged in her beautiful, genre-defying fourth recording, From This Place. Marrying ancient and modern sacred texts with the richness of jazz, Ms. Witkowski has saved her most honest and soulful music for this new release.

From This Place finds Ms. Witkowski leading a core quartet, with Donny McCaslin on saxophones, John Patitucci on acoustic and electric bass, and Scott Latzky on drums. Her previously documented wide-ranging stylistic and emotional palette is broadened by the addition of guest vocalists Laila Biali, Peter Eldridge (of the New York Voices), and 2009 Grammy-nominated Kate McGarry. With its emphasis on breathing new life into texts from nineteenth century poets, the Mass, scriptures, and her own pen, Ms. Witkowski shows another side of her considerable talent: a stunning gift to find the essence of a text and to translate that essence into sound along with a contemplative spirit as an original lyricist.

Ms. Witkowski’s previous three releases, Length of Days (2005), Wide Open Window (2003), and Having to Ask (2000) clearly demonstrated her prowess as “one of the best of the new generation of jazz pianists” (Jazz Journal International) and showcased her rich fusions of jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban music. Her “consistently thrilling playing” (All Music Guide) was publicly confirmed in 2002 when she won the Great American Jazz Piano Competition. Subsequent invitations to appear on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Sunday and Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz followed in 2003.

Ms. Witkowski’s 2009 itinerary includes a return appearance on Weekend Edition Sunday on Easter Sunday (April 12th) and a May appearance at the Kennedy Center with her project, Moving with the Spirit: The Sacred Jazz of Mary Lou Williams. Moving with the Spirit is the official educational component of the annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, and has also been presented at Duke University and at the International Association for Jazz Education conference.

Ms. Witkowski also embodies a love of Brazilian culture. Fluent in Portuguese, she has toured twice in Brazil, most recently appearing at the Recife Jazz Festival. Her travels have also led to performances at the Tel Aviv Opera House and Espaço Bis in Rio de Janeiro. She spent the summer of 2004 touring internationally as the pianist for vocalist Lizz Wright, and since 2006 has been the pianist in the BMI/New York Jazz Composers Orchestra, led by Jim McNeely. She holds a M.A. in jazz piano performance from the City College of New York and a B.M. in classical piano performance from Wheaton College (IL).

Witkowski's voice and McCaslin's soprano saxophone sound as if they were created to play together, a magical blend in harmony. -Don McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Witkowski is not far from jazz stardom with her keyboard techniques, her imaginative composing and arranging, and her wordless vocalizing. Remember her name. - Harvey Siders, JazzTimes

rating [for Length of Days]...Witkowski's sheer musicality is abundantly evident, from a well-developed sense of line and harmony in composition, to the airily individual takes on standards like "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo," "In the Still of the Night" and "I'm Beginning to See the Light." - Ray Comiskey, Irish Times
Calendar >
Saturday 21 November
Solo house concert
Point Pleasant, NJ
Email Deanna for details and/or to RSVP.

Sunday 22 November
Jazz worship services 9 and 11 am
Point Presbyterian Church 701 Forman Ave Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
732.899.0587
Deanna will be a solo guest musician in worship.

Deanna Witkowski Trio- Let My Prayer Rise (Psalm 141)

From "Moving With the Spirit: The Sacred Jazz of Mary Lou Williams" at the Kennedy Center as part of the 2009 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival.
Deanna Witkowski, piano, vocal, composition; Dave Ambrosio, bass; Scott Latzky, drums. deannajazz.com