It was a great pleasure and an honor, working with so many good and talented people: the musicians, the sound engineers and the designer. I hope you enjoy this work that has so much good energy on it!
Each composition had its beginning in 2012, when I came from Brazil to make a European Tour with my trio for the first time. At that moment, I had no time to compose complete pieces, so I wrote many short ideas in a notebook during the trip, like a “composition diary”. For each of them I wrote the city where I was at the time.
After moving to Graz and releasing my first CD in Europe with the nonet Mereneu Project, I formed this Big Band that was always a dream for me. I invited the nonet players and other great musicians and friends to join this big ensemble.
When I started writing new pieces for this album and I looked at my old sketches, I saw all these cities names written in my papers and it seemed to me, that all this experience had an important role in my life. I also realized that most of the players in the Mega Mereneu Project are also “tourists” in Graz and come from other countries or cities from Austria, and I think this music brings also this emotion of being far away from home for many of them.
The "Käsekrainer Blues" is an homage to the city where I live: Graz. The Käsekrainer, for the people who do not know, is a sausage with cheese inside. It sounds a bit simple, but it had a really strong first impression and it has been an important part of my diet. Even more interesting is the fact that the Austrians and Slovenians fight for the rights of the origin of this food until today!
"Brno" is the second largest city in the Czech Republic. I travelled by train during the winter to visit my girlfriend for the first time after moving to Graz and I think the love and the landscapes I saw from the train are all there in the music.
"Jazz Mayday" is my present to São Paulo, where I lived for 27 years. It is a very different piece in the album and I think it tells a lot about the spirit of this huge metropolis.
I could write many stories about all the compositions, but then it would be better to have written a book and not recorded a CD! So, if you are curious about the other compositions you can write me and tell your impressions!