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Latina 2017 12 (Translate to English)
Yuko Ito [Esperança] Her dynamic singing voice is shown on the basis of recording with trio led by the great pianist Helio Alvis.
TEXT by Jin Nakahara
Yuko Ito who has been to the United States in 1994 and has been active as a jazz singer based in New York. After that, she woke up to Brazilian music and released two Brazilian jazz-oriented leader albums since 2009 and has been actively performing live activities.
Latest third album "Esperança" led by the Helio Alves trio, who is In the band of Joyce Moreno, also this year,he came to Japan at the live of Sadao Watanabe and Monica Salmaso. Co-star with jazz pianist Michika Fukumori, Also duo with Romero Lubambo. There are many New York's first call musicians.
The most impressive was the dynamic singing voice of Yuko Ito, whose axis is not blurred. She has the improvisational spirit of jazz and the singing of Brazilian heart and has her own unwavering voice. I interviewed her by email about her career and new releases.
Jin:I saw the official site and found that you have a wide range of music backgrounds such as rock, jazz and gospel. "I've been attracted to Brazilian jazz since 2004 and have been trained," but what triggered you?
Yuko: My roommate at the time loved Brazilian music and was always listening to Daniela Mercury full volume. There are a lot of Brazilian music lovers around me, and They often said that I should switch from jazz to Brazilian music, it would perfect for me. Back then, there were a lot of Brazilian musicians playing at Cafe Wha, Coffe Shop, SOB's ZINC bar, and in particular, Coffe Shop is a 10-minute walk from my apartment in the neighborhood of Mauch Adanet was playing with Romero Lubambo, Helio Alves, Nelson Matta they were doing a branch live there so I went to see it a lot.
I became interested in Brazilian music in the meantime, and I thought that I would do my best to sing, I took lessons little by little from around 2004, and took lessons every week for five years from 2006.
Sometimes, three times a week, I listened to Brazilian live music ask them the title of the song they were playing, searched for a CD and did myself singing.
I often listened to Djavan, Gilbert Gil, Elis Regina, Joao Bosco. When I came to New York, I used to live in the room directly opposite, Vanessa Falabella, who is still checking to my pronunciation before recording and working on new songs.
Jin: How did you meet Helio Alvis, the core performer of Esperança? Please include his impressions of music.
Yuko: I think that meeting with Helio is Coffe Shop. Many years ago. It was about 2 years ago that I started playing together. In my leader's live, I often ask him to play.He has a good sense of song accompaniment. In particular, I think that the two duo songs are really easy to sing and have brought out my good point.
Helio's trio played really tight.
Jin: Is the creative arrangement of "Ponta De Areia" your idea?
Yuko: Yes.I came up this idea. I did rehearsals with a feeling close to the original, but I said that I didn't like it the same as everyone else, and this time I decided to change the rhythm because there were a lot of songs by Baiaoin this album, so I made it Afoxé. In order to arrange, while listening to various people's performances at Youtubu, I found a video that Milton sings with many children, and I thought that it was so good nostalgic, I wanted to put out such a feeling, so I came up this introduction.
Jin: Your original song "Owari No Nai Kisetsu" and "Vivencia / Obessesion" by Dori Caymi recorded with Ms. Mika Fukumori are arrangements based on the rhythm of northeastern Brazil. Do you like northeastern music?
Jin: Also, I think that the rhythm in the northeastern zone is well-matched with jazzy expressions, what do you think?
Yuko: I love it. The rhythm of both songs is my idea. Is it only me who feels nostalgic or feels familiar with Japanese people in the northeastern rhythm?
I am rather a senseist and I don't think much about theory and I am not good at explaining. When I arrange jazz 6/8 songs like Brazilian music, I often use the rhythm of Afoxé, baião. Baiao's rhythm is 2 beats, and jazz is 4 beats, but solo and so on often use the blues scale, so Ms. Michika Fukumori says that they can find common points in jazz.I feel that the rhythm is the opposite of jazz and brazilian music. Jazz swings feel good with raidback, Brazilian music feels good with syncopation. The dance of samba is also quite different in Rio and Bahia. The Carioca style has a center of gravity on the toes and is a front rider, but the Bahia style has a center of gravity on the heel and I think it feels like a little raid back. Somewhat Raid back may be good with the expression of jazz.
Jin: I think Só Danço Samba, recorded as a duo with Romero Lubambo, is of comparable quality to the duo of Leny Andrade and Romero. What is your impression of Romero?
Yuko:Wow!! I am so happy. Romero is wonderful. I could sing freely as well.
I decided to be a duo to record with him. Both songs were finished in about 2 takes. A really great musician does not play any take. I have been to Romero live dozens of times already. I always feel happy and return home. That's because he's just having fun playing the guitar. The audience feels it.
It was the same at the time of recording, and we were smiling all the time.
Jin: What do you think are most important in establishing and rooting in New York for many years?
Yuko: Keep playing live. Build up your skills. There are so many great musicians, so survival competition is tough. In order not to lose, it is important to continue to sing live, and go to see live performances too.
As you can see from the answer, Yuko Ito has a self-producing ability that sings in anticipation of the entire image, such as arranging its own rhythm. Brazilian jazz has a strong image of jazz samba, but by actively incorporating the rhythms of the northeast from now on, it is possible to demonstrate its unique presence as a Japanese who sings Brazilian music in New York, a multi-ethnic city. I felt such a response. By the way, She went to Rio twice and sang at a club in Lapa, "I want to go to Bahia this time." She concluded.
Yuko Ito "Esperança" 2017 FUNNY BABY RECORD
MORE INFO DISC UNION RELEASE NOVEMBER 22ND
1.VeraCruz 2.Moon River 3.Só Danço Samba 4. Manhã De Carnaval 5. Owari No Nai Kisetsu 6.Madalena 7.Começa De Novo 8.Ponta De Areia 9.Stolen Water 10.Vivência/Obsession 11.Tusbasa Wo Kudasai 12. What A Wonderful World 13. Esperança
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