When musicians Margret Grebowicz and Stan Killian moved from Baltimore to New York, they didn’t expect to make progress so quickly.
“But that’s the beauty of jazz,” Grebowicz said. “All this kind of magic can happen that you didn’t anticipate.”
The duo is the heart and soul of Com Voce, a Brazilian jazz group that debuted in 2003. The couple, who were based out of Baltimore until this past summer, moved to New York to kick their musical careers into high gear.
» Where: An Die Musik, 409 N. Charles St., Baltimore
» When: 8 and 9:30 tonight
» Tickets: $15
» Info: 410-385-2638; www.andiemusiklive.comwww.comvocemusic.com
Since their move, the couple has welcomed guitarist Mike Moreno, bassist Joshua Davis and percussionist/drummer Rogerio Boccato to Com Voce. “The move to New York was motivated by our desire to find the players who would be on the next album, who would be the new sounds of the band. What we didn’t expect was how much that would decide the new material for us. It has happened very quickly,” Grebowicz said.
Although they are waiting until summer to start studio work on their second album, Grebowicz said they have a pretty solid idea of what they want to record. Brazilian composers and artists such as Lo Borges, Airto Moreira, Leo Minax and Arto Lindsay will all have influence. “It’s a little bit different. We’re working with music that is later in the Brazilian tradition. Our first album was all bossa nova stuff from the ’60s. Now we’re doing music mostly from the ’70s, and we’re also working with a couple of contemporary composers.”
The new album will showcase the unique collaboration between Grebowicz, Killian and the musicians they have been playing with in New York. “We chose these particular songs because they sounded really good when we played them, in response to what these musicians do together, how they collaborate, the chemistry that they have,” Grebowicz said.
Both Grebowicz and Killian have been pursuing ventures outside of Com Voce: Killian has been showcasing his solo work while Grebowicz has traveled to Massachusetts to collaborate with a pianist/composer friend. “It makes the core project stronger. It makes you feel vulnerable, giving time to other things than your main project,” Grebowicz said. “But in the end, I think it’s a good idea, it gives you more experience and stretches you out a bit, for sure.”
Grebowicz and Killian will return to Baltimore with their new collaborators tonight to perform at An die Musik Live. “For anyone that enjoys of both jazz and Brazilian music, Com Voce brings something fresh that deserves a hearing,” said Henry Wong, owner of An die Musik.
