Saturday, December 13, 2014

Glasses, No Glasses review on Modern Drummer Magazine - Brazil

Dear friends,

It's always an honor to be featured on this great drum magazine, Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil. Here's a review of my album with Amanda Ruzza, Glasses, No Glasses which was published in November 2014. Below are the portuguese and english versions. Thanks for reading and for the constant support!


English:

"I recently had the pleasure of attending a workshop from the incredible musician Mauricio Zottarelli. I saw some friends there, I met other musicians, it was total interaction. I left the class with an immense desire to study, listen and make music. Mauricio is undoubtedly one of the most amazing drummers I've seen and heard playing. He's in my top ten list. Come on, everyone has a list like this, why can't I? And as a gift, besides the class that he taught us, he kindly gave me a copy of his latest disc, an instrumental project done in collaboration with bassist Amanda Ruzza and featuring the amazing Leo Genovese. Glasses, Glasses is a fantastic work with lots of interaction and freedom. Music without borders or limits, in every way.

Mauricio presents us with some great and tricky drumming passages, sometimes accompanying, or sometimes phrasing wonderfully. But these passages never cease to be musical, showing the drummer's seriousness and commitment. His grooves and licks are full of swing, power and precision. At times, the message that prevails on this record is "more is more". Haven't we all heard about the concept of "less is more"? Well, the opposite is also true. And there's no way be minimalist in a project like this, with so much creative freedom and expression.

It begins with Soundcheck, with touches of funk and drum 'n' bass filling the music with a lot of class. Pay close attention to how he rides on the hi hat, and how he uses the higher pitched snare. Electronic and acoustic both merging in the best way. Glasses shows tons of swing, with each player being very free but also connected simultaneously. When the bass solo begins, the music takes a more relaxed turn, with lower dynamics, but the three musicians are still tearing it up, and soon after the track gets powerful again. Big Foot has a second-line groove that is very swinging, and a wonderful drum solo, with very interesting ideas and phrases. Fuego is one of the densest songs I've ever heard. It features several effect pedals and also a Cajon, over a base made mainly by Amanda's bass. Classic Golden blends maracatu, jazz, funk and rock with well-built nuances. The bass solo is from another world. Very impressive arrangement!

Fantastic work!”
Fábio Marrone - Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil

-----------------------------------


Português:

"Recentemente tive o prazer de assistir a um workshop do incrível músico Mauricio Zottarelli. Encontrei alguns amigos, conheci outros músicos, interação total. Saí da classe com uma imensa vontade de estudar, ouvir e fazer música. O Mauricio é sem dúvida um dos bateristas mais incríveis que já vi e ouvi tocar. Está na minha lista dos dez mais. Vai, todo mundo faz essa lista, por que eu não posso? E como presente, além da aula ministrada, ele gentilmente me deu um disco de seu mais recente trabalho, um instrumental feito em parceria com a contrabaixista Amanda Ruzza e participação do incrível Leo Genovese. Glasses, No Glasses é um trabalho fantástico, com muita interação e liberdade. Música sem fronteiras, em todos os sentidos.

Mauricio nos presenteia com algumas "encrencas baterísticas", ora acompanhando, ora fraseando de forma maravilhosa. Essas encrencas, em momento algum, deixam de ser musicais, mostrando seriedade e comprometimento do baterista. Seus grooves e licks vêm cheio de "sangue nos olhos" e muito suingue. Em alguns momentos nesse disco o que manda é o "mais é mais". Não existe o "menos é mais"? Pois é, o contrário também vale. Não tem como ser minimalista em um trabalho como esse, com tanta liberdade de criação e expressão.

Começo com Soundcheck, pitadas de funk e drum 'n'bass preenchem a música com muita classe. Preste bastante atenção nas conduções feitas no chimbal e nos toques da caixa mais aguda. Eletrônico e acústico se fundem da melhor forma. Glasses mostra suingue de sobra, em que cada músico aparece livre, mas ligado ao mesmo tempo. Quando o baixo começa o solo, a música toma um rumo mais relax, digo, com a dinâmica mais baixa, mas com os músicos quebrando tudo, e em seguida temos de volta o peso. Em Big Foot há uma levada muito suingada, mencionando o groove de second line, além de um maravilhoso solo de bateria, com ideias e citações muito interessantes. Fuego é uma das músicas mais densas que já ouvi. Nela temos alguns passeios de pedais de efeito e de Cajon por cima de uma base feita, principalmente pelo baixo de Amanda. Classic Golden mistura maracatu, jazz, funk e rock com algumas nuances bem construídas. O solo de baixo é de outro mundo. Arranjo impressionante!

Trabalho fantástico!
Fábio Marrone - Modern Drummer Magazine Brazil

Sunday, November 16, 2014

MOZIK dates in November 2014!

I will be playing some very cool shows with MOZIK coming up.... I hope some of you can make it out!! 
http://www.mozikmusic.com

Nov 20 – 12:30pm
Clinic/Concert
Cambridge School of Weston, MA – website
Nov 21 – 12pm
Penn State Erie, PA – link/info
Nov 21& 22 – 8:30pm
Nighttown – Cleveland, OH
info/tickets


MOZIK is:
Gilson Schachnik - piano, keys
Yulia Musayelyan - flute
Gustavo Assis Brasil - guitars
Fernando Huergo - bass
Mauricio Zottarelli - drums, percussion



Tuesday, September 9, 2014

New Reviews for the CD, "Glasses, No Glasses"!

Gearing up to our "official" CD Release date, here are some really cool new reviews for my most recent CD, a collaboration with bassist Amanda Ruzza called "Glasses, No Glasses".  You can find it on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and pretty much everywhere on-line! Check it out!

Jazz Inside Magazine, September 2014 
(just open the image and zoom in to read it)



Raul da Gama - "Jazz da Gama" - August, 2014

"(...) So what on earth is Glasses, No Glasses? It is a stripping away of the façade of comfort zones; it is viewing the world without the proverbial tints; it is a celebration of the beautiful madness of music, whether it comes from Brasil, or America, or Mali, or for that matter, the real Timbuktu.
And from the perspective of Mauricio Zottarelli, whose drums thunder and roar; whose cymbals pirouette in the smash and shattering of percussion colouration and from the growling of Amanda Ruzza’s bass and the mad rush to the head of Leo Genovese’s acrobatic playing, this is a first rate set from a crew that is deceptively loose… This is a group of musicians who is taking much of its music to the next level. For this is where the energy and all the talk of seeing the musical world as it is… That is where the musicians are really at." 
Read the full review at Raul da Gama's website (which has an extensive list of writings, materials and reviews from Raul)



From UOL Portal in Brazil - Ziriguidum - by Beto Feitosa 




Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Masterclass em São Paulo no dia 26 de Agosto!


Olá amigos!
Se estiverem em São Paulo, Brazil, ou conhecem alguém que está lá e gostaria de participar desse evento, por favor compartilhem a informação! ;-)

Estarei fazendo uma masterclass de bateria em São Paulo no dia 26 de Agosto as 18hs, no IP&T (Instituto de Percussão e Tecnologia).
O assunto será "conceitos de fraseado, coordenação e vocabulário na bateria".

Reservas no telefone: +55 11 5021.2777
o investimento é de $50 Reais, inclui Certificado de Participação. 


Masterclass in São Paulo on August 26th!

Hello friends!
If you happen to be in São Paulo, Brazil, or know somebody there, please share this with them! ;-)

I'll be doing a masterclass at IP&T in São Paulo on August 26th, at 6pm.
The topic is "Concepts of phrasing, coordination and vocabulary on the drumset".

Reservations on the phone: +55 11 5021.2777
tickets are $50 Reais, including a certificate of participation.



Thursday, August 7, 2014

Glasses, No Glasses on the G1 blog from Brazil's Rede Globo

My record with bassist Amanda Ruzza, "Glasses, No Glasses" made it to G1/Antonio Carlos Miguel's blog on Brazil's Rede Globo site - he called it "creative and pulsating". Thank you Antonio! 
This is for our Portuguese speaking friends and fans ;-)

See his whole blog entry HERE (Veja o blog todo AQUI)



Tuesday, August 5, 2014

First reviews of new CD "Glasses, No Glasses"

Here are the first couple of reviews/features about my new album "Glasses, No Glasses", a collaboration with bassist Amanda Ruzza, featuring special guest Leo Genovese. 
These come from two very well-know and respected publications for bassists, "No Treble" and "Bass Musician Magazine". Enjoy!
...And, do check the album out - it's available digitally on iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby. The album come out physically and will be officially released in September, but you can download it digitally now! 








Monday, July 21, 2014

MZ Quintet Live at Blue Note NYC july 25th

Mauricio Zottarelli Quintet Live at Blue Note NYC
FRIDAY - JULY 25th 2014 - 11:45pm (doors open)

Part of Brasil Summer Fest 2014

Mauricio Zottarelli Quintet returns to the historic Blue Note NYC stage on Friday, July 25th, for their Late Night Series.

The night will be filled with the sounds of Brazilian Music and Jazz, through original songs by the group, a few Brazilian standards and some brand new music!

We are extremely honored to present this show as part of the awesome Brasil Summerfest 2014. Don't Miss it!!

The band:
Mauricio Zottarelli - drums
Oriente Lopez - flute
Itaiguara Brandão - bass
Gustavo Assis-Brasil - guitar
Klaus Mueller - piano


For tickets/reservations, click here




Monday, June 16, 2014

5 anos de "7 Vidas"!

5 anos de "7 Vidas"! (7 Lives)
Algumas notas e histórias da produção........ por MZ

 As primeiras ideias do que viria a ser o disco "7 Vidas" começaram a aparecer por volta de 2006. Eu estava estudando composição com Charlie Banacos, um dos maiores professores e mentores que já tive. Apesar de ter trabalhado com ele por pouco tempo (3 meses) seus ensinamentos e entusiasmo me marcaram muito, e ainda são fundamentais em tudo que faço musicalmente.

5 years of "7 Lives"!

5 Years of "7 Lives"!
Here are a few notes on the album, and its production........ by MZ

The first ideas for what would become the album "7 Lives" started coming to me around 2006. I was studying composition with Charlie Banacos, one of the most amazing teachers and mentors I ever had. Although I worked with him for a short period of time (3 months), his teachings and words of encouragement stayed with me and still play a major role on everything I do musically.

5 Years of "7 Lives" - CD/Download Promo Sale!


Dear friends!!
I am so happy to report to all of you that this month of June we are celebrating 5 years of the release of my first solo album "7 Lives"!

 It was one of the most important moments of my career, and something I am so grateful and proud of!

To celebrate this very special moment with all of you, we have a very special promotion, but it's only happening THIS WEEK!! (June 16th to June 22nd, 2014)


You can download the 7 Lives record this week for $5 !!!
Individual track downloads are $0.50
If you want to get a physical copy of 7 Lives, that is also specially priced at $9.

These discounts are ONLY happening on the CDBaby Website
Just click HERE to go to CDBaby where you can listen and purchase the record.

Thank you for your support,  hope you enjoy the music!
All the best,
mz  


Saturday, May 31, 2014

NÓS SOMOS O QUE OUVIMOS! (E COMO OUVIMOS...)

NÓS SOMOS O QUE OUVIMOS! (E COMO OUVIMOS...)
Por Mauricio Zottarelli

(texto originalmente publicado na Revista Modern Drummer Brasil, Maio/2014)
Olá, amigo! Nesta postagem eu gostaria de falar sobre algumas ideias que vêm me intrigando. Explico melhor. Algumas situações recentes me fizeram pensar em como nós todos (incluindo a nova geração de músicos e artistas que surge agora) escutamos música. Como, onde, de que forma, com qual frequência e, obviamente, como isso influencia nossa maneira de tocar e expressar nossa arte e nossa voz.
Portanto, vamos deixar um pouco de lado os exercícios técnicos, as partituras, nossa bateria e a sala de estudo. Vamos analisar um pouco como estamos ouvindo e assimilando a música atualmente. Em primeiro lugar, eis algumas dessas situações a que me refiro acima:

WE ARE WHAT WE LISTEN TO... ( AND HOW WE LISTEN ... )


WE ARE WHAT WE LISTEN TO... ( AND HOW WE LISTEN ... ) 
By Mauricio Zottarelli 


(text originally published on the magazine Modern Drummer Brazil- May 2014)

Hello, my dear friends! On this post I would like to talk about some ideas that have been intriguing me for a while. Let me explain…. Some recent situations made ​​me think about how we all (including the new generation of musicians and artists coming up now) listen to music. How, where, in which way, how often, and obviously how all that influences our way of playing and expressing our art and our voice. 
So let's leave aside the technical exercises, musical scores, our instruments and practice rooms. Let's analyze for a bit how we are hearing and assimilating the music today. Firstly, here are some of the situations to which I refer above: 

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

CD Release concerts with Mike Pope and House of Cardinals band!


I am so looking forward to these upcoming dates with the amazing bassist/composer Mike Pope and his band, the House of Cardinals -  featuring Joe Locke, Eldar Djangirov, Bob Franceschini and Mauricio Zottarelli. 

June 4 - Blues Alley
- Washington DC -  buy tickets: 8pm and 10pm
June 6 - An Die Musik - Baltimore, MD - buy tickets: 8pm and 9:30pm
June 10 - Regattabar - Cambridge MA - buy tickets 7:30pm

Friday, May 9, 2014

2 Cool Moments!

Here are two very cool musical moments from recent days….
First, a recording session on which I am playing percussion for my dear friend, the bassist Itaiguara Brandão. He's producing his debut recording as a leader, watch out of that album coming out later this year!
photo by Yotam Silberstein  (who played amazing guitar on the session too!!)

The next is a fantastic photo by my friend and super talented photographer Nelson Onofre, who attended my show last sunday. Check him out at http://electriceyesphotography.blogspot.com
by Nelson Onofre - Iridium NYC May 4th 2014




Prasanna and the Indian Classical Saints - NYC may 3 & 4th 2014

This past weekend (may 3 & 4) I played again with a dear friend, and somebody I know for many years, the guitarist/composer Prasanna. I also took lessons from him, and did several performances and recordings over the years. So it was very exciting to be on stage with him again, this time in NYC at Iridium.
The band was really fun, its always great to play with such talented musicians!!
Nitin Mitta on tabla
Matt Geraghty on bass
Shalini on vocals
Prasanna on guitar
and,
myself on drums.
 *** our friend Thomaz de Castro guested on percussion on sunday may 4th.

Ritenour/Grusin April 2014 tour dates

I was so incredibly fortunate to be playing drums on a few dates in April with some of my all time heroes, and it was so much fun! 
The Brazil project featured Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin leading the band, with Abraham Laboriel and myself on the rhythm section. 
The special guests: Daniel Jobim did a beautiful job singing and playing some of his grandfather's greatest songs, and we had two great singers joining the band - Lisa Ono for the Japan dates, and Céu for the show in Miami. In the Miami date, the great Paulinho da Costa joined the band also. 

Friday, April 4, 2014

Carmen Souza - USA dates March 2014

I played 4 shows with the great Carmen Souza in USA, as part of their North America tour 2014. 
Had a great time with the band on the road: Theo Pascal on bass, Matt King on piano, and Carmen on guitar, keys and vocals. 
I played a hybrid set that is always a lot of fun to explore. No tons, just floor tom, snare and bongos,  a cajon as a seat, and a bell/woodblock. Always inspiring to play it, and it generates many new ideas for grooves and fills too. 
As always, thanks to Soultone Cymbals, Vic Firth,  GruvGear,  FSA cajons,  LP Percussion, Powerclick in-ear monitors and Lexicon Pro Audio. 

The Falcon, Marlboro NY - march 28th
Regattabar, Boston MA - march 29th
Joe's Pub, NYC - march 30th
Elmira College, Elmira, NY - march 31st. 

@ Joe's Pub - NYC - (c) Joe's Pub - by Akinfe Fatou
Is this fun or what??

Hybrid Drumkit/Percussion 


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Fun Videos #2!

And, here are a few more recent videos, hope you all enjoy them!!

First of all, my first-ever video lesson on drumset! On it I am talking a bit about my concept and ideas for playing the Ijexá groove, a Afro-Brazilian rhythm which you may also have heard being called Afoxé. Some coordination is addressed, as well as ways to orchestrate around the kit and create original grooves and solos based on this rhythm. Check it out, share it, enjoy it! Many thanks to Soultone Cymbals for their support and their A-M-A-Z-I-N-G instruments!!!




This next one is a groove solo, based on the Ijexá / Afoxé groove. Check out the lesson above first for the basic idea, and then see the solo for some applications!



Lastly, this is from Sergio Galvão's show at the Blue Note NYC in early March 2014.... we are playing the classic Brazilian song "Vou Deitar e Rolar...".

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Fun videos

Here are a couple of fun videos from this past January....

with Leni Stern, Amanda Ruzza, Sérgio Galvão at Silvana's NYC - I got to play with these great musicians, and we had a lot of fun.
Here is a little bit from the show.... I'm playing the FSA Cajon Standard model, and Soultone Cymbals.



with Amanda Ruzza and Alex Nolan at the Soultone Cymbals booth - NAMM show 2014.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Mauricio Zottarelli Quartet Live in NYC on January 29th 2014

I will be playing with my quartet at the super cool venue Cornelia Street Café, in the village in NYC.
If you are in the area, please come by to check out the music and support the group!
We will be playing original music from my "7 Lives" album, and cool arrangements of  a couple of cover tunes we like to play. Info below:

The band is-

Oriente Lopez - flute
Alex Brown - piano
Itaiguara Brandão - bass

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014
8:30pm
1 set only
at: Cornelia Street Café - 29 Cornelia Street NYC
phone: (212) 989-9319
reservations recommended
for website click here



Thursday, January 16, 2014

NAMM 2014 Appearances & Sérgio Galvão group

Hello everybody!
Thanks again for visiting the blog. I want to keep you updated on my next live appearances:
At the NAMM show 2014 in Anaheim, CA, as well as dates with the Sérgio Galvão group in the US.
Hope to see some of you on these!  (for more info and more dates check out my website here)

JAN 20 - Amanda Ruzza & Sergio Galvão group - The Shrine - NYC - 8pm  - more info

JAN 22 - Leni Stern, featuring Amanda Ruzza and Sérgio Galvão - Silvana's NYC - 8pm

JAN 23 - Amanda Ruzza/Sérgio Galvão group at BASS BASH - NAMM show - JT Schimid's 2610 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA 8pm - more info

JAN 24  - MZ, Amanda Ruzza, Alex Nolan NAMM Show - GruvGear booth 2pm

JAN 24 & 25 -  MZ, Amanda Ruzza, Alex Nolan NAMM Show - Soultone Cymbals booth 3pm

JAN 26 -  Sérgio Galvão group Duende - Oakland, CA 9pm - more info

FEB 11 -  Sérgio Galvão - CD Release Show Cornelia Street Café - NYC 8:30pm - more info

MAR 7 - Sérgio Galvão at the Blue Note NYC - 11:30pm - more info 

MAR 19 - Sérgio Galvão - at Silvana's - NYC 


Friday, January 3, 2014

Made it to "Best Jazz of 2013" list from the Jazz Station Blog!

I am extremely honored to be featured once again on the prestigious Jazz Station Blog's BEST JAZZ OF 2013, written by producer/journalist Arnaldo DeSouteiro.  It's my third time in a row!

This year I am listed as #5 best drummer of the year, alongside some of my all-time favorite musicians. The blog referenced my work on Amanda Ruzza's "This is What Happened" album, which I produced with her and played drums on. Amanda (bass), Mamiko Watanabe (keys) and Alex Nolan (guitar) also made it to Jazz Station's  top-10 based on their playing on this album.

Another recording that I am proud to have participated on, Sérgio Galvão's "Phantom Fish", also appeared on the list - Sérgio was #8 best sax soprano.
Congrats to these wonderful musicians above, and many thanks to everybody involved on both recordings. It's been a blast working with all of you! Thanks to so much Arnaldo and the Jazz Station blog! Happy 2014!

Check out the complete list of winners on this link:
http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com.br/2013/12/the-best-jazz-of-2013.html

here is a snapshot of the best of the year drummers list -



Thursday, January 2, 2014

Cool interview (in portuguese)

Dear friends! HAPPY 2014!! 
May this be a very healthy and blessed year for all of us!
To start this new year, here is a cool interview I did for the JC Magazine - from my hometown of Rio Claro, SP. Thanks to Vivian Guilherme and all my friends at Jornal Cidade for the constant support and friendship. 
It's in portuguese, guys, so I hope some of you can read and enjoy it. Cheers! 




I am a drummer - percussionist - composer - artist based in New York City, NY. Please visit my website: http://www.mzdrums.com