In 1996, Bruce Ewan played top clubs and
concert halls in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and
Salvador Bahia. His Brazilian appearances were the subject of a feature on
Globo TV network news. He capped his Brazilian experience by recording a CD
"Mississippi Saxophone" on which he is backed by noted Brazilian guitarist
Andre Christovam and his trio.
"Brasil has become one of the hottest markets in the world for blues music,
I had been hearing how good the scene was for the past couple of years from
other musicians who had performed in events such as the Nescafe and Blues
Festival and about how friendly the brasileiros are and receptive,
enthusiastic audiences, I wanted to come to this interesting country myself
due to my interest in South America and the blues. I had been hearing about
this great blues guitarist in Brasil, André Christovam from Marty Saltzman,
who is Junior Wells and Magic Slim's manager
and also from the president of Alligator Records, Bruce Iglauer. Finnaly,
with the help of Priscilla Pfromm, host of Cultura FM "Midnight Blues" radio
program, I was able to contact André. André was immediately helpfull and
enthusiastic about playing togheter and arranging some shows at the top
clubs in Brasil such as Bourbon Street in São Paulo and the Aeroanta in
Curitiba. I knew André was going to be good, because he had played with many
top blues performers such as Junior Wells,
Buddy Guy, Sugar
Blue and others and he had performed in Chicago at
Buddy Guys showcase nightclub Legends. I found
his playing to be very Unique and very powerful. I played André's music on
the radio in my home town of Washington, D.C. and it really impressed the
listeners. André has his own sound and that is what blues is all about.
The biggest surprise of all was the opportunity to record together on the
release for Movieplay. André's regular group comprised of master
percussionist, Athos Costa and the steady bass of Fabio Zaganin made for a
great session and with a nice combination of American and Brazilian musical
feelings. For example the first song that we played together when I arrived
in Brasil was "Chitlin' Con Carne". The band provided a solid backing on
every out and we recorded all songs live, mostly in only one take with only
a minimum of overdubbing. Plus, this was recorded in its entirely in only 4
nights! This is a tribute to the high level of musicianship involved in this
project. The title of release is "Mississippi Saxophone" which is a blues
harmonica. This is what I have dedicated the past 25 years
of my life." ~ Bruce Ewan
