Milton Nascimento, Brazilian Great, At Lincoln

Milton Nascimento has been a major star in Brazil and Latin America for forty years and has commanded sold-out performances in major cities in the United States.

[Entertainment: Music]

Jazz Forum Arts Executive Director Mark Morganelli is proud to present the exclusive New York appearance by four-time GRAMMY-winning Brazilian singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento, presenting new songs as well as his greatest hits, with one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music.

The famous Brazilian singer Elis Regina said, “If God sang, it would be with Milton’s voice.”  As a songwriter, he blends Brazilian and African folk, European classical music, Brazilian bossa nova and the rock sound of the Beatles.

The concert takes place Friday, June 24, 2011 at 7 pm at Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street, New York, NY.  The event is co-sponsored by The Stahl Organization.

Milton Nascimento has been a major star in Brazil and Latin America for forty years and has commanded sold-out performances in major cities in the United States.  With 37 solo albums and numerous collaborations to his credit,
he has won the admiration of a diverse group of artists, including jazzmen Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny, and rock stars Paul Simon and Sting.  Born in Rio and raised by adoptive white parents in the small town of Tres Pontas in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, he began singing with the group Luar de Prata while still a child.  He travelled to Sao Paulo in 1965 and, as an unknown bass player, struggled to find work in a saturated club scene.

His compositions began to gain recognition, and Brazilian singer Elis Regina, who recorded several of his songs, secured him a performance on the national television music program “Fino da Bossa.”  His big break came in 1967, when three of his songs were showcased at the prestigious First International Pop Song Festival in Rio de Janeiro, and he became highly sought
after by recording companies in Rio.  His first two albums, Travessia (1967) and Milton Nascimento (1969), established him as a major new talent in Brazil, and with 1969’s A&M album Courage, he was touted to American audiences as the successor to bossa nova stars Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Influencing generations of musicians around the world, he created a new category of music: World Music.  Jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter met Nascimento in 1974, and the following year they released their collaboration Native Dancer, one of the most influential jazz recordings of the 1970s.

Several of Nascimento’s songs, including “San Vicente,” “Maria, Maria” and “Canção da América,” have become anthems not only in Brazil, but throughout Latin America.  His song “Coracao de Estudante” became a rallying cry for many Brazilians who took to the streets in 1984 demanding free elections and an end to military rule.  His 1991 album Txai incorporated the haunting folk music of several jungle tribes to focus on the plight of indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin and the destruction of the rain forest.

Nascimento won a GRAMMY for Best World Music Album in 1997 for Nascimento and a Latin GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Pop Album in 2000 for Crooner at the first annual Latin GRAMMY Awards.  He also won consecutive Latin GRAMMYs in 2003 and 2004 for Best Brazilian Song (Portuguese Language) as songwriter for “Tristesse” and “A Festa” respectively.

After dedicating himself to the tour for his album Novas Bossas, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the bossa nova with the Jobim Trio, and the release of an album recorded in Paris with the Belmondo Brothers and the Ille de France National Orchestra, Milton Nascimento returns to the stage with Banda 4 which includes Lincoln Continentino (keyboards), Gastão Villeroy (bass), Lincoln Cheib (drums) and Wilson Lopes (guitars).

Tickets for Milton Nascimento, presented by Jazz Forum Arts with support from The Stahl Organization, on Friday, June 24, 2011 at 7pm at Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, are $30 – $120 and can be purchased at the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office (Broadway at 60th Street, Ground Floor) Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12pm-6pm, or through CenterCharge, 212.721.6500, or at www.jalc.orgFor information about Jazz Forum Arts, call 888.99.BEBOP, or visit www.jazzforumarts.org

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