Guida De Palma

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Guida De Palma

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Jazzinho
Ecco Chamber Records

GUIDA DE PALMA
Virtuoso singer and songwriter, Guida De Palma is founder of the London based outfit, Jazzinho, which is manned with "La creme de la creme" of London's Latin Fusion, with musicians coming as far as Uruguay and Mozambique. After working with the likes of Da Lata DJ Dorfmeister, Dzihan & Kamien, Kyoto Jazz Massive, and others, Guida has evolved from a live performance mindset to one of club culture. Digging into her own experience and ethnic origin, she now offers a more mature and subtle blend of influences reminiscent of her native Lisbon. I was lucky enough to catch up with this sweet, glowing woman (what else would you expect behind that voice?) in a Manhattan coffee shop to chat about some of her projects.

BBR: What types of music did you listen to growing up in Lisbon?
GUIDA: Actually it wasn't far from Lisbon... it's Setubal, it's in a bay, it's a fishtown. My father used to listen to old school RnB and Brazillian music... Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso. But also soul, North American music... Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Sam and Dave, The Four Tops... stuff like that. Me myself, obviously, i listened to what they listened to, and my mom used to listen to Portuguese music, Jose Cid, Zeca Afonso and Fado, a more traditional music.

BBR: Is there a crossover for you between Fado and Brazilian music?
GUIDA: Fado is what you call Portuguese blues, so it's a music about fate, about destiny. But some instruments that are used in Fado, are used in Brazil, such as the mandolin and the guitar, and a certain style of music in Brazil called Choro, which is very Portuguese. Where i come from in Portugal we have an influence of Northern Africa and southern Spain. A bit Andaluzian. But basically the Brazillian music came into myself, came through myself... through all the media in Portugal.. television, radio.

BBR: Have you spent a lot of time in Brazil?
GUIDA: Not at all, but i have spent a lot of time with Brazillians in London, because the Portuguese scene in London is more Brazillian music.... so there is quite a large community over there. I must say that Brazillian music and Brazillian culture have been part of my life since childhood, because people from Brazil come to Portugal... its sort of their door to Europe.

BBR: Has travelling influenced your music? What are some of the places that excite you?
GUIDA: I suppose that everything influences you. There are influences that aren't musical, but they will become incorporated in your music. A certain type of landscape... some people you meet... so things you see will become also, part of your music. We went to St. Petersburgh recently, and that was really different and very refreshing. Beautiful town, amazing people, heavy history. So these cultures that we don't have much information about, that are just opening themselves up... have somehow retained, i wouldn't say a purity, but a concentration of national identity. You get that when you go there and its quite refreshing.

BBR: So did your parents play?
GUIDA: They listened to a lot of music, they didn't play. My brother who is older than me, listened to jazz, so all of that came into my life, and i started singing in the local choir.. i was a suprano... so that came in too. And then at some point i went to study in Paris and decided that i really liked music, so i frequented the CIM which is the jazz school.

BBR: Are you primarily a singer or do you play and instrument?
GUIDA: I play a little bit... just enough to write my own songs and program my own music.

BBR: Tell us about some of the musical influences which led to your sound today?
GUIDA: In brazilian music i would say, Chico Buarque, Fatima Guedes, Ed Motta. Then from jazz i would say anything from Miles, Thelonous Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan. Chaka Kahn, Tower of Power...

BBR: What was one of the most amazing experiences that you've had while performing?
GUIDA: A show with Jaco Pastorius. It was my first gig ever in Paris, in a club that still exists called Sunset... and when i was playing Jaco Pastorius came down... and i couldn't believe it! He took the bass from my bass player and just played. He came like 3 days in a row.. it was amazing. I also worked with an American artist called Ronnie Laws that i really like too. He did quite a bit of touring in Europe. A few other people that stick out in my mind... I have done this sound engineering course in London and i met up with Junie Morrison who was a member from the former Ohio Players and Funkadelic so i used to assist for him. One night George Clinton came down and all throughout the night, the most amazing stuff happened.. just creating, just improvising.. amazing.

BBR: What made you form Jazzinho?
GUIDA: Hmmm... i just felt a need really. I have a child, she's 8 now. When she was 5 i felt i needed to create something new. Just putting her in this world made me think.. who was she?... being this mix, having a French father, and me being a mix. So i said to myself what am i? She made me ask questions, and see things with different eyes. I had done all of these different styles and thought about a way of synthesizing everything... a fusion. Somehow she was the catalyst to it.

BBR: A lot of musicians have contributed to the album. Is there a core group of members, or it always fluctuating?
GUIDA: Well the core group is: on drums usually Nick France or Helder Pack who is from Mozambique, on bass its Michele Chiavarini who is from San Salvador, Marcello Andrade is on violin, on flute... he's from Rio de Janeiro. Then i've got some english musicians as well, like John Crawford on Piano or Roland Perrin. So i wanted to incorporate lots of live musicians because i felt that that was lacking in the scene.

BBR: Do you go out to the clubs in London?
GUIDA: I love dancing. I like to go to Patrick Forge's night at Nottinghill Arts Club...

BBR: How are your nights down at the 606?
GUIDA: Yeah! That place is sort of your typical jazz club. It's great! Steve, who owns it, really has a love for music... because he musn't make much money. He's got like two bands every night (laughs), some big bands on the weekends. Its not a huge club... you really have to love it. But yes i love the club scene... Nottinghill Arts Club, Cargo, Woody's, Neighborhood... There's quite a few.

BBR: What was it like working with KJM? Could you speak for a bit on the differences between working with live musicians and working with producers/djs?
GUIDA: Well with KJM it was Chris Franck from Da Lata, Hajime Yoshizawa on keys and myself. They totally took on board the live musician element, then they fused it and defined it as far as creative process is concerned...that's one way for me to work. I'm asked to go in, work on a project, or find a melody, or do some lyrics, or both, or add on a part that is missing. With musicians i can just start jamming and then a melody will come up...

BBR: How far back does your relationship go with Chris Franck and Da Lata. When did you start getting involved with djs and producers in the London scene?
GUIDA: I've always loved the club scene. With Chris it was 2 1/2 years ago. The first project was a project with Patrick Forge for a Japanese label called On Rotation, and we did a cover of a Kitty Winters tune. After that, Chris invited me to work with Kyoto Jazz Massive, then on the Da Lata tune "Golden". Then i invited him to write some tunes with me on my album.

BBR: I noticed that Alan Brown is one of the djs who pioneered your tracks in the dj world. Any other djs who helped put you on the map?
GUIDA: Well we've been charted by many... Nicola Conte, Rainer Truby, Michael Reinboth, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Nik Weston... The response has been great, in Japan we've sold over 12,000... which is great, and here in the states we've just signed with the distributor Caroline!

BBR: Do you have a favorite song on your album or is there one that has a particular importance to you personally?
GUIDA: Well they are all special to me so that would be hard. I really like the spontenaiety of Yambou. I did that with Niel Angilley, a great English pianist. It actually came from a jam we were having at the 606. It's quite a sophisticated song harmonically and came together very quickly. The other reason i like that one is because it doesn't have true lyrics.

BBR: How do you mean? Like a scat?
GUIDA: Exactly, it's all sounds... some words mean something but together they don't mean anything. I wanted it that way. But i like Velejou, i like Constelacao, Malmequer, Vertigo... i really like Vertigo.

BBR: I drop that all the time...
GUIDA: Yea.. i really like the live feel on that tune, and it works really well with the drum programming, so i plan on re-doing that one.

BBR: What artists are you feeling at the moment?
GUIDA: I like Ed Motta a lot. I've been listening to Swell Session, Sleepwalker, Nathan Haines... They all have a new approach to jazz... incorporating club beats but they are all wonderful musicians so the musical quality is there too.

BBR: So whats in store for Jazzinho?
GUIDA: I've just done a tune with Dj Lava from Japan. He was recording here in New York a few weeks ago. His album is going to be quite interesting since he incorporates many live musicians from different parts of the world. Also a tune with Gerd 4Lux called "Broken".... you'll hear it live tonight.

BBR: Can't wait!