Mario Bakuna and Roberto Manzin present: Tribute to Stan Getz and João Gilberto

Mario Bakuna on acoustic guitar and vocals
Roberto Manzin on saxophone

Mario Bakuna and Roberto Manzin invite the audience to celebrate two of the most important artists of all time: the American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto in a tribute to the iconic album Getz/Gilberto. Getz/Gilberto was recorded in 1963 and is considered the album that popularised bossa nova worldwide and is one of the best-selling jazz records of all time, selling over one million copies. It was widely acclaimed by music critics, received the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and also became the first non-American album to win Album of the Year, in 1965.

In an evening full of harmonic richness, this virtuoso duo will transport the audience on an incredible journey through one of our most treasured musical pieces.

“Mario Bakuna, a sparkling guitarist, plays with palpable feeling – his virtuosic fluency on the fretboard is controlled and flourishes are perfectly placed. His voice has a texture like heavy cloth” – Songlines

“Mario Bakuna, a man who exudes music. (…) ‘vocals’ doesn’t begin to do him justice: his expressive range and the precision with which he was able to deploy it was truly the band’s fifth instrument.  (…) And he did this while playing guitar with precision and finesse. (…) his solos were a further source of amazement, his technique somewhere between finger-picking style and classical. His solo introduction to a Baden Powell number made a hash of any attempt at a definition.” – The Whitman Review, Wakefield Jazz

“…Roberto Manzin has to be heard to be believed!” – Jon Newey, Jazzwise

“Sax-player Roberto Manzin’s solos have something of the chromatic excitement of Brecker and the soulfulness of Sanborn.” – Alison Bentley, LondonJazz

“Woodwind virtuoso Roberto Manzin, one of the finest and most versatile saxophonists on the British scene” – Rainlore’s World of Music

Mario Bakuna is a London-based Brazilian composer, singer and guitar player, with twenty years of professional experience. His study focuses on Afro-Brazilian music, Samba, Jazz and Bossa Nova. Since settling in London Mario has become one the most prominent names and a reference in Brazilian Music in England. Mario widely performs in Europe at distinguished stages together with artists such as Jean Toussaint, Liam Noble, Ricardo dos Santos, Edmundo Carneiro, Cacau Queiroz, Alain Jean Marie, Dudu Penz, and Filó Machado. With sold-out shows and great feedback, his previous album “Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia” and his new album “Brazilian Landscapes” toured 16 countries in Europe, Brazil, and Madagascar. (www.mariobakuna.com)

Roberto Manzin was born in Rome, Italy, in a family of musicians. During the 1980s Manzin began playing in several music clubs in Milan, and during the 1990s was part of the Tony Scott Jazz Quintet (Scott being an American bebop clarinet player who performed with Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday). Manzin became a successful session player, contributing to eight albums in 1992 alone, with leading Italian artists as well as working extensively in TV where he played with, among others, James Brown, Zucchero Fornaciari and Manu Katché. In the late 1990s Manzin migrated to London, and over the years Manzin has performed and/or recorded with Martha Reeves and the Vandelas, Donna Summer, Dave Weckl, Jim Mullen, Harvie S, Pino Palladino, Trilok Gurtu, Kai Eckhardt, Dennis Rollins, Roberto Pla, Roland Perrin, Richard Bailey, Ernesto Simpson, Nicolas Meier, Jason Rebello, Ska Cubano, Manolín “El Médico de la salsa”, Jesus Cutiño, Omar Puente, Alejandro Sanz, Rumer, Ismael Rivera Jr, Max Carletti, Carmel, Mario Biondi, Space UK, Dave Land, Adrian Reid; Maysa Leak, Francesco Lo Castro, Sid Gauld and Francesco Mendolia (from Incognito) and many others. Manzin continues to be a popular session player performing in music festivals and prestigious venues throughout Europe. (www.robertomanzin.com)