Bass player André Vasconcellos scores on his new Brazilian jazz album, 2, scheduled for May release. Adventure Music sent us an advance copy André Vasconcellos of the disc and gave us permission to give you a sneak preview of a sample track.

Members of the band are Allen Pontes on drums, Josue Lopez on tenor sax, Marco Vasconcellos on guitar, André Vasconcellos with the Hamilton de Holanda Quintet and David Feldman and Renato Fonseca on piano, with special guest Torcuato Mariano on guitar. André Vasconcellos composed seven of the eight songs on the album.

Adventure Music provided this background:

Bassist André Vasconcellos makes his auspicious US debut with 2, which – astoundingly – is only this prodigious musician's second release in his own right. Hermeto and André
A key member of mandolinist Hamilton de Holanda's band, Vasconcellos has lent his impressive talents in the studio and on the road to a lengthy list of Brazilian music luminaries including Hermeto Paschoal, Leo Gandelman, Toninho Horta, Gabriel Grossi, Ivan Lins, Seu Jorge, Daniel Santiago, André Vasconcellos' 2
and Torcuato Mariano, who returns that musical favor with a guest appearance on 2. Most recently, Vasconcellos completed a world tour with the internationally acclaimed vocalist Djavan.

On 2, the bassist, accompanied by a six-man band that supports his jazz-inflected groove with superb efficiency, offers up eight tracks that highlight his ability to transcend genre, effortlessly merging the jazz, hip-hop, chill and Brazilian influences that have shaped his unique talent.

From 2, here's a sneak preview of André Vasconcellos' tune entitled The Old City Ballad — Balada da Cidade Velha in Portuguese. (To hear it, your browser needs Apple's QuickTime plug-in – a free download.)


Photos courtesy of André Vasconcellos
Website: www.myspace.com/andrevasconcellos
Record label: Adventure Music