Garry Hagberg and
Tom Bergeron give us a significant update on touchstone
pieces by Antonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim - born Jan 25, 1927 in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil - died Dec 8, 1994 in New York, NY.
He was sometimes referred to as the George Gershwin of Brazil, as both contributed a large
number of songs to the jazz repertoire, many of which found their way into the concert hall.
As well, both were symbolic of their respective cultures as seen by the world, with their
rich urbane melodies and up-to-date harmonies.
Jobim's influences include Mulligan, Baker, Kessel and other West Coast jazz musicians as
well as Debussy. Some have compared his piano playing to Claude Thornhill. A gentle strumming
of simple chords in syncopated rhythms was his common guitar accompaniment to his slightly
hoarse and emotional singing.
He made his first record in 1954 backing singer Bill Farr, leader of "Tom and His Band"
(Tom was Jobim's lifelong nickname). In 1956 he teamed up with poet Vinicius de Moraes
on the score for the play Orfeo do Carnaval (later filmed as Black Orpheus). In 1958,
Joao Gilberto recorded Jobim's songs, launching Bossa Nova. In 1962 the Stan Getz and
Charlie Byrd hit recording of "Desafinado" brought Jobim to full international recognition.
On this album, guitarist Garry Hagberg and saxophonist Tom Bergeron lead a stellar quartet
through eleven compositions by Brazil's most illustrious composer, Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim.
The set includes many of Jobim's most well-known and loved pieces, as well as several
lesser-known gems.
Hagberg is heard on acoustic, electric, and baritone guitars, providing a rich melodic,
harmonic and rhythmic texture. Bergeron's stating of Jobim's timeless melodies is reminiscent
of the playing of Paul Desmond and Stan Getz; yet he demonstrates a 21st-Century aesthetic
that truly speaks of
Jobim Now.
Garry Hagberg - guitar
Active in music as a performer since the mid-1970s, Garry Hagberg started his career as
a jazz guitarist in Eugene, Oregon, USA. While studying music (both classical and jazz)
and philosophy, he toured the West Coast of the US with various jazz ensembles from duos
to big bands, for years working in jazz clubs and concerts with his own quartet as well
as with many others, during which time he appeared as a featured guitarist on a number
of albums with other artists.
A long-time collaboration with legendary guitarist Howard Roberts led to
The Guitar Compendium,
a major three-volume guitar method covering improvisation, technique, musicianship, and theory
- the most comprehensive work of its kind. Hagberg has taught guitar in colleges and music schools
for many years, and is also a professor of philosophy; he teaches theory of the arts and history of
philosophy at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
Tom Bergeron - alto sax & percussion
With a doctoral degree in saxophone, Tom Bergeron is a musician with a broad musical palette. He has
performed throughout the United States, and in Europe and Central America; and has appeared with
internationally-renowned artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Anthony Braxton, Robert Cray, Natalie Cole,
Glen Moore, Bobby Shew, Mason Williams, Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadiens, The Temptations, and Marin Alsop's
String Fever.
In addition, he has played saxophone with the Eugene (OR) Symphony, Newport (OR) Symphony,
Grande Ronde Symphony, Eugene (OR) Bach Festival, Oregon Festival of American Music, Oregon
Coast Music Festival, Cascade Festival of Music, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music,
and Third Angle New Music Ensemble; and has premiered dozens of new concert works for the
saxophone. A professor of music at Western Oregon University, Tom lives on Teal Creek in
the foothills of Oregon's Coast Range
