More on Ricardo: He has more than 20 releases and a Grammy Awards nomination. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo Silveira studied classical guitar, music theory and attended the National School of Music in Rio de Janeiro. After a year at Berklee, he returned to Brazil, where he spent two months doing shows with Márcio Montarroyos. Back in Boston, on the recommendation of guitarist Bill Frisell, he started working with a salsa band, Latin Stars, one of his first professional jobs in the United States.On weekends, Ricardo left Boston on his way to New York, where he played with the Brazilian group Astra Carnival. Recommended by trumpeter Claudio Roditi, Silveira was invited to join the group of flutist Herbie Mann, with whom he toured the United States for two years. At that time, living in New York, he also started working in studios participating in recordings alongside great musicians such as Steve Gadd, Richard Tee, Marcus Miller, Michael Brecker, Jason Miles, Nana Vasconcelos, L. Shankar.
Despite four years working abroad, Ricardo maintained contact with Brazilian music. In fact, most of the invitations to play abroad came also because he is a Brazilian musician and is fluent in different languages and musical styles. At the recommendation of producer and musician Liminha, when they met in the United States, he was invited to tour the album "Aquela Mulher" with the renowned singer Elis Regina. In the same period he began to work intensively on recordings of jingles and records by various artists. After touring with Elis Regina, Ricardo started playing with other big names in MPB such as Hermeto Pascoal, Maria Bethânia, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, João Bosco, Ivan Lins, Nana Caymmi and Ney Matogrosso, with whom he also made arrangements and musical direction .
Between shows and recordings of great names in Brazilian music, Ricardo began to develop his solo project. His first album was "Bom de Tocar" ("Good to Play" Polygram), released in 1984. The song was so successful that it became a theme for Rádio Globo FM, remaining on the air for 10 years, and immortalizing his guitar solos in the title song.
Due to the impact, the guitarist was invited to play at the first Free Jazz Festival in 1985. For the show, he invited talented friends: bassist Nico Assumpção, pianist Luiz Avellar, drummer Carlos Bala and New York saxophonist Steve Slagle.The result was so good on stage that the quartet promoted the recording of the album "High Life", released in 1986 by the Elektra Musician label. The second solo album, "Ricardo Silveira" came in 1987. In the United States, it was named "Long Distance" by the Verve Forecast label, which launched in addition to this, the titles "Sky Light", "Amazon Secrets" and "Small World" which featured Gregg Karukas on keys. All were among the top five American jazz artists played on the radio, with Sky Light and Amazon Secrets hitting #1.
In the United States, in addition to touring with Herbie Mann, he played with names such as Sergio Mendes, Don Grusin, Dave Grusin, Oscar Castro Neves, Dori Caymmi, Nathan East, Vanessa Williams, El Debarge, Diana Ross, Brenda Russel, Justo Almario, Toots Tiellemans , Baby Face, John Pisano, Kevin Lethau, Ronnie Foster, Harvey Mason, Paty Austin, David Sanborn, Pat Metheny, Phil Perry, Ernie Watts, Gregg Karukas and Abe Laboriel. With Matt Bianco, Silveira was in Europe and Japan twice, where he also made eight trips with Sadao Watanabe and Don Grusin.
In 1995 he recorded “Storyteller” for the Kokopelli label, which was also among the top five most played.
In 2001, the CD "Noite Clara" was released in Brazil by MPB and in 2003 in the USA by Adventure Music. This work was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2004 in the Best Instrumental CD category.
In 2003, in partnership with pianist Luiz Avellar, both with experience touring alongside Milton Nascimento, they recorded the CD "Ricardo Silveira and Luiz Avelar live playing Milton Nascimento".
From 2006 to 2009, he was host of the TV show "Studio 66" at Canal Brasil, in more than 70 programs that received several artists for a chat and musical improvisations. Several names went through the program, such as Egberto Gismonti, João Donato, Paulo Moura, Carlos Malta, João Bosco, Yamandú Costa, Chico Pinheiro, Hélio Delmiro and Guinga.
In July 2007, “Outro Rio”, his tenth work, was released in the United States, and in February 2008 in Brazil, respectively, on the labels Adventure Music and MPB. In 2008 he produced the CD “In a different way” by singer Emilio Santiago who won TIM as "Best album of the year MPB". Ricardo participated in the CD "Randy in Brasil" by trumpeter Randy Brecker, who won a Grammy in 2009 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
Still in 2009, he signed the musical direction for the work of singer and composer João Bosco "I am not going to heaven, but I no longer live on the ground", which in 2010 was nominated for the Brazilian Music Award and the Latin Grammy for Best MPB Album. In 2010, he released the CD “até Amanhã”. In this album, Ricardo gathers his best known songs with new arrangements signed by Ricardo himself, Vittor Santos, Jessé Sadoc and Marcelo Martins.
2013 was a year of intense musical production. In addition to concerts and recordings, Ricardo released two works, for the time being only in the USA: “RSVC”, a double album with Vinicius Cantuária and “Atlânticos”, duo with guitarist Roberto Tauffic. Not to mention the relaunch of “Storyteller” by Adventure Music in the North American market. With this same fast pace, in 2014 it was the turn of the double CD “Ricardo Silveira Organ Trio”, released in the USA, an old dream of Ricardo's to explore the sounds of a jazz trio based on the sound of a Hammond B3 Organ.
In 2016, two works were released: Cd “Cosmos” Ricardo Silveira & John Leftwich, inviting Hubert Laws and Kiko Freitas and the CD / DVD Ricardo Silveira Quartet “Live in Jericoacoara”, recorded during the Choro Jazz Festival. In 2017, he launched the trio work on digital platforms: “Simbora”.The years of 2018 and 2019 were permeated by international shows and tours alongside João Bosco, Banda Zil, concerts of his authorial work and didactic events such as seminars and workshops in Brazil and abroad.In 2020 he produced a solo guitar work that will be released in 2021, as well as 2 online courses.
"Talking about Ricardo Silveira is a very easy thing for me, because in addition to being a great friend for many years, he plays extremely well, always has a special sensitivity in arrangements, execution, improvisations and accompaniment. After I came to the United States, we met many times and did some shows with two guitars and it was always great to be with him, with great joy!" Romero Lubambo
“When I was at Polygram, I met Ricardinho and I realized that he was a guitarist who did something easy to hear, with higher quality. We weren't doing things like that, instrumental, but it made me want to have it in the cast right away. The recordings of Bom de Tocar went easily, Ricardo with darn good taste and this record was very remarkable. I feel happy to have participated in this kickoff and then to see it playing all over the world!" Roberto Menescal
GREGG KARUKAS:
Grammy winning keyboardist Gregg Karukas adds another ultra-cool Live Performance project to his melodic, piano centered career as he tames the vintage "beast", the Hammond B3, playing Soul/Jazz and Brazilian for the 21st century with a rotating cast of all-stars. Fans of all things groovy will love The GK Soul Jazz Party as Gregg invites listeners to recall classic songs - tributes to the masters, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Charles Earland, Lou Donaldson and some of our recently departed favorite contemporary artists.
"Trying new things is what it's all about..", says Gregg. "Most all of my recordings have featured grand piano or Fender Rhodes; but recently, I have had so much fun jamming on my vintage Hammond organ, and have made it a personal challenge to develop my own sound on this beast while holding down the bass parts with my left hand and pedals."
Organic, funky, and melodic: the essential qualities that have defined Grammy winning keyboardist/composer/producer Gregg Karukas’ 13 solo CD's over a three decade career, with many #1 radio hits, both sophisticated and accessible. A prolific, genre-crossing veteran of the Contemporary Jazz scene, Gregg was a founding member of The Rippingtons in 1986 and has toured with Boney James, Dave Koz, Larry Carlton, Sergio Mendes, Dori Caymmi, Ricardo Silveira, Peter White, Rick Braun, Shelby Flint, Melissa Manchester, Alphonse Mouzon, Brenda Russell and Jeffrey Osborne.
Gregg recently released his 1st ever solo piano project, "Serenata - Piano Impressions of Milton Nascimento, Clube da Esquina and Dori Caymmi".
"With his first solo piano album, Grammy winner Gregg Karukas dazzles, not with piano pyrotechnics, but with subtle nuance and a deep love for this music. A mix of original compositions along with piano impressions of Brazilian artists Milton Nascimento, Clube da Esquina and Dori Caymmi, Karukas clearly demonstrates that, in the right hands, great music (and great musicianship!) defies genres and categories to enrich the ears and hearts of anyone willing to take some time to listen. Serenata is sure to be one of the best and most honored albums of 2021 !" Kathy Parsons - MainlyPiano.com
“Serenata” is the definition of solo piano heaven. It is easy to tell that this is an artist on the very top of his game. The music goes straight to the heart - and stays there. It has moved me deeply, and several of the pieces here will be included in our permanent playlist, to play for years and years. Fantastic work." BT Fasmer New Age Music Guide
"People say my music sounds romantic and uplifting - and I look so happy on stage,” Gregg says. “It's totally true. For me, the best music comes out of an inner feeling of either intense happiness or sadness. I always try to stay faithful to that original inspiration, because that is where the true ‘sound of emotion’ comes from.” That uplifting attitude shows in his concerts, as Karukas has emerged over the years as one of the genre's most dynamic and inspiring live performers. We can expect to hear a little of everything from this ultra-melodic keyboard artist and his all-star band.
Gregg honed his multi-keyboard, synth programming, songwriting and album production skills in the studios and clubs of Washington, DC, paying dues thru the early '80's with Jazz/Fusion groups Tim Eyermann and East Coast Offering and Natural Bridge. Since moving to Los Angeles in late 1982, his first major sessions were playing synthesizers and bass lines for Rockwell's Motown Gold Album "Somebody's Watching Me", then arranging and playing the theme songs to Disney's Ducktales and Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers. While doing lots of TV/Film music sessions, (Cheers, Stand and Deliver, Life Goes On, Mr. Wrong) Gregg kept developing his own original contemporary jazz catalog on the LA club scene and The Gregg Karukas Group became the house band for It's Garry Shandling's Show on Showtime.
- Gregg just headlined the Berks Jazz Festival in April 2022, and Algarve Portugal Smooth Jazz Fest. May 2022; Catalina Island Jazztrax Festival Oct 16, 2021 (co / bill with Jeffrey Osborne).
- Gregg charted 2 - #1 hits from his recent CD: "Soul Secrets". "Rio Drive" was the #1 song of 2015.
- Gregg won the Grammy in 2013 for producing, composing, playing all keyboards, arranging the Best New Age Album ("Echoes of Love").
- Gregg helped launch Dave Koz Music Cruises in 2011-2013 as Musical Director.
- Gregg co-wrote Jessy J.'s smash hit "Tropical Rain". 12+ weeks at #1.
- Gregg's group was the house band for It's Garry Shandling's Show on Showtime.
- Gregg arranged and played the theme songs to Disney's Ducktales and Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers; played keys on Rockwell's Gold Album "Somebody's Watching Me".
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