Pianist, composer-arranger, educator and Grammy nominee Marcos Silva will present a set of original, invigorating Brazilian music in celebration of our 25th Anniversary. As CJC's Brazilian Jazz Department Chair, Marcos has introduced hundreds of students to the brilliance of Brazilian music!
Band Members & Instrumentation
Marcos Silva - piano, synthesizer
Scott Thompson - bass
Mauricio Zottarelli - drums
Gary Meek - saxophone
Artist Bios
Pianist, composer, arranger, producer and educator Marcos Silva performs worldwide. Nominated for two Grammys, he toured with many artists, including Paquito D’Rivera, Bud Shank, Claudio Roditi, Raul de Souza, Toninho Horta, Leny Andrade, Edu Lobo, Emilio Santiago, Dori Caymmi and many more. Marcos was musical director for Flora Purim and Airto Moreira for 24 years. He wrote arrangements for Dizzy Gillespie’s band and replaced Gil Evans as composer-arranger of Airto’s Spiritual Mass with a 63 piece orchestra in Germany. He is sought after as a producer of CDs, including two of his own. Marcos heads the Brazilian Music Department at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley.
Scott Thompson grew up in a family of celebrated musicians and musical educators. He has a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, CA. An educator himself, Scott teaches ensembles, bass master classes, and workshops worldwide. He is much sought after as a studio musician. Scott tours and performs globally with Chico Pinheiro, Marcos Silva, Dick Hindman, Helio Alves, Tiago Costa, Rafael Vernet, Toninho Horta, Dani and Deborah Gurgel, Jovino Santos Neto, Thiago Rabello, Kiko Freitas, Rafael Barata, Leny Andrade, Vitor Gonçalves, Marcio Bahia, Edu Ribeiro, Celso Alberti, and Terrence Kelly.
Brazilian-born and New York City–based drummer and composer Mauricio Zottarelli is a Berklee College of Music graduate credited in more than 80 albums thus far in his career. He has worked with dozens of the most notable artists of today including Hiromi, Eliane Elias, Prasanna, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Esperanza Spalding, Keiko Matsui, Richard Bona, Paquito D’Rivera, Richard Galliano, Chuck Loeb, Chico Pinheiro, Cláudio Roditi, Joe Locke, Geoffrey Keezer, Mike Pope, Eldar, Ivan Lins, Carmen Souza, Rosa Passos, Dom Salvador, Jovino Santos Neto, Nilson Matta, Toninho Horta, Filó Machado and Marcos Silva.
Celebrated saxophonist Gary Meek hails from Encino and currently lives and teaches in Monterey, California. Early in his career, he toured and played keyboards with Dionne Warwick. A talented composer, arranger and studio musician, Gary has worked worldwide with Herb Alpert, Al Jarreau, Jeff Lorber, Brian Bromberg, Oscar Castro-Neves, Green Day, Jay Oliver, Makoto Ozone, Tom Kennedy and many others. He toured and recorded for 20 years with Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Gary has collaborated with Dave Weckl since 2002. He has appeared on over 200 records, worked as traveling clinician with the Monterey Jazz Festival, and teaches privately in Monterey.