 |
This video captures a trip the Yoshida Brothers
took to the United States. Durring this trip -
the Yoshida Brothers visited with many musicians
to collaborate.
This was one of those collaborations!
CYRO BAPTISTA
Born December 23, 1950 in São Paulo, Brazil, Cyro
Baptista arrived in the U.S. in 1980 with a
scholarship to the Woodstock-based Creative Music
Studio, and has since emerged as one of the
premier percussionists in the country. Coinciding
with the rise in the public's interest of world
music, Cyro has managed to record and tour with
some of music's most popular names. His mastery of
Brazilian percussion and the many instruments he
creates himself, have catapulted him into world
renown.
Recordings with Other Artists
Recently recording with pianist Herbie Hancock on
his 2005 release, Possibilites, Cyro's credits
read like a 'Who's Who' of modern music. In 2002
Cyro toured with Yo-Yo Ma's Brazil Project (as
well as appeared on the Obrigado Brazil album -
winner of two Grammy awards), Trey Anastasio (of
Phish), and John Zorn. He recorded and performed
worldwide with Herbie Hancock's Grammy award
winning Gershwin's World. Cyro collaborated with
Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz
Orchestra for a Brazilian Carnival modern jazz
concert. For over two years, he toured with Paul
Simon's Rhythm of the Saints tour and appears on
his Concert in Central Park release. In addition,
Cyro toured the globe with Sting in 2001.
Performing his unique blend of percussion with
some of music's most popular artists has given
Cyro remarkable credibility within the industry.
The wide range of artists Cyro Baptista has
performed and recorded with include: David Byrne,
Derek Bailey, Kathleen Battle, Gato Barbieri, Dr.
John, Brian Eno, Robert Palmer, Melissa Etheridge,
Laurie Anderson,James Taylor, Michael Tilson
Thomas, Daniel Barenboim, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton
Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma, Medeski Martin & Wood, Spyro
Gyra, Trey Anastasio, Carlos Santana, Tim Sparks,
Sting, Stephen Kent and John Zorn, yet the list
goes on. He has also played with many respected
Brazilian artists such as Milton Nascimento,
Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, Marisa Monte, Badi
Assad, and Nana Vasconcelos.
Cyro has performed on five Grammy award winning
albums: Yo-Yo Ma's Obrigado Brazil, Cassandra
Wilson's Blue Light 'Til Dawn, The Chieftains'
Santiago, Ivan Lins' A Love Affair, and Herbie
Hancock's highly-acclaimed Gershwin's World. He
has also recently played on Tony Bennet s Grammy
Nominated album entitled Duets - an Amercian
Classic. A documentary on Cyro's main project,
Beat the Donkey, was recorded for the prestigious
WGBH-TV Boston program 'La Plaza' won 3 New
England EMMY Awards in 2002, and continues to air
on PBS stations nationwide.
Cyro appeared in Nicolas Humbert and Werner
Penzel's 1990 documentary film on Fred Frith, Step
Across the Border. He has also been composing
music for programs on the children's television
network Nickelodeon.
Beat the Donkey
Continuing the momentum, he created his own
project: the percussion and dance ensemble known
as Beat the Donkey. The group recently released
its second CD, Love the Donkey, independently on
John Zorn 's Tzadik record label, featuring the
percussion-heavy beats and Brazilian rhythms. Beat
the Donkey now tours the U.S., expanding into new
markets taking the stage at performing arts
centers, festivals, and conferences.
Cyro's debut self-titled CD with Beat the Donkey,
(Tzadik) was picked by The New York Times as one
of the ten best alternative albums of 2002.
Readers of JAZZIZ and DRUM magazine voted it as
"Best Brazilian CD of the Year" and named Cyro
"Best Percussionist of 2002." Downbeat Magazine's
51st annual critics' poll selected Cyro as 'Rising
Star' in percussion.
Other Solo Releases
Cyro's first solo recording, Villa Lobos/Vira
Loucos, a heady mix of his own compositions with
the work of the brilliant Brazilian composer
Heitor Villa-Lobos, has been acclaimed as "the
most courageous, bright, funny, dramatic, and
imaginative work in recent memory."
Tags : Cyro Baptista Billy Martin MMW Medeski Trey anastasio percussion zorn drums workshop Paul Simon Herbie Hancock Yoshida |
