Welcome to Philadelphia Jazz Project
Raimundo Santos At Venice Island
Jul 2, 2015
The 7 x 7 Venice Island Concert Series takes place at the new and beautiful performance facility: Venice Island Performing Arts & Recreation Center in Manayunk. This series introduces the artists and the audience to a must-see Philadelphia area venue. It is through these kinds of efforts that we support and enable the Philadelphia Jazz music scene to thrive into the future.
Raimondo Santos promises to excite and lift the audience while taking them on a musical journey with his trio composed of the bass, drums and piano. The trio of Adam Faulk (Piano), Kimpedro Rodriguez (Drums) and Raimundo Santos (Vocals) will perform standards, arrangements and originals as they play American, Latin and Afro-Latin compositions in English and Portuguese.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Santos always knew that he wanted to become a singer and composer. He earned a Bachelors degree of Music in Jazz Voice from Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music. Santos added to his musical repertoire by taking piano lessons with Mr. Bertram L. Miller while earning his degree. Studying with Miller, taught him to play and compose a wide range of music genres. It later landed Santos gigs in theaters and churches as a singer, as well as working as a music director.
The son of Angolan-American parents, Santos would spend time Angola, [southeastern Africa] connecting with his roots, as well as redefining and developing his music by adding an ethnic element to his soulful sound. As the director of the "Mestre Webba" school of music and voice teacher, in Angola, Africa, Santos wrote and co-produced the instrumental music that opened the "27th Africa Cup Of Nations" football championship in 2010. He also wrote the 1st and 3rd movement of the choreographed finale for the games. Santos produced two CDs, "Love's Calling" and "Coming Home" with Angola musicians and musicians from the states. Newly released CD entitled "Love's Calling"can be found on the www.cdbaby.com
Coming Friday, July 24th at 8pm
Raimundo Santos Quartet
Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center
7 Lock Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19127
Tickets: $15 in advance / More at the door
Philadelphia Jazz Project recently spoke with Raimondo Santos about his work.
PJP: Briefly describe your musical direction?
Santos: My musical direction has been molded through the combination living in two different cultural environments. These cultures have many musical and ethnical influence. Musically I've combined the differences and similarities that best represent me to express my story, my emotions and moods.
PJP: What and whom are pivotal musical influences on your creative approach?
Santos: Today I find it hard to point to any one source, as a composer I am drawn to the feel and the journey of a song and as a vocalist I'm drawn to the spirit of the performance. Performers like Sammy Davis Jr., Oscar Peterson, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Carmen Lundy and Bonga have inspired me.
PJP: How do you manage the task of creating and encouraging fresh, new, forward moving musical ideas, while simultaneously exploring, celebrating and documenting the past?
Santos: I believe there is only one Me and if share myself in the music, then I can share a new experience or a familiar experience from a different perspective. Respecting my musical history and understanding where I've come from celebrates the past.
PJP: When listening to your music, what advice would you give to audiences to aid with greater understanding and enjoyment?
Santos: There's nothing special to do. I guess, if I had to give an instruction it would be to just listen. I'm just expressing my story through sound and lyrics.
PJP: Why Jazz? When you could be doing anything else, why Jazz?
Santos: Jazz is a genre that allows people of different cultures musically or otherwise to connect and explore in a theme or progression of chords. I like jazz because I can express myself in my defined sound and not be confined to a particular style.
Coming Friday, July 24th at 8pm
Raimundo Santos Quartet
Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center
7 Lock Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19127
Tickets: $15 in advance / More at the door
