Andre Mehmari is considered one of the most talented young musicians of his native Brazil. His activities as pianist, composer, arranger and instrumentalist are highly regarded both in popular and classical music. As his compositions and arrangements have been performed by important Brazilian orchestras (OSESP) and chamber ensembles (São Paulo String Quartet), his career in jazz and Brazilian popular music has also attained wide attention as he has gained wide recognition for his music in jazz festivals and concerts.
He has an active performing schedule with his two trios, solo piano and in duet with singers Monica Salmaso and Ná Ozzetti. With the later, he recorded the acclaimed “Piano e Voz”, considered a true Brazilian masterpiece of recent MPB. Mehmari reguraly write compositions and arrangements for Brazilian leading orchestras (OESP) and chamber ensembles (Quinteto Villa-Lobos, Sao Paulo String Quartet). Recent compositions includes the “Angelus Piano Quintet” and “Dance Suite”, commissioned by São Paulo State Symphony and ‘Viagem de Verão’, commissioned by Portuguese piansit Maria João Pires, for her Spanish Schubertíade.
Played under direction of Maria Schneider at the Ouro Preto Jazz Festival in Minas Gerais. Released the ‘Continuous Friendship’ album (Adventure Music) , in duet with mandolin-virtuoso Hamilton de Holanda. In 2008 released a CD entirely dedicated to his own compositions: ‘About waltzes and trees’ and (aged 30) toured the northeast of Brazil with Ivan Lins, playing both Ivan’s and his own compositions at the traditional Pixinguinha Project, 30th aniversary special edition. For Ivan Lins and the Metropole Orkest Amsterdam, wrote an arrangement, played under direction of Vince Mendoza.
A piano solo album entirely dedicated to the music of the Clube da Esquina was recently released. With the quintet album Nonada, Mehmari was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards. Also he wrote a double concerto for jazz piano, clarinet and winds, performed with clarinet master Gabriele Mirabassi and Sao Paulo State Wind Band.
Composed and performed a Concert for Jazz Piano Trio and Strings, commissioned by the São Paulo State Orchestra. For the São Paulo Dance Company composed a full scale ballet, premiered this April.
A Mehmari-Mirabassi duet CD called MIRAMARI, is now released, both in Brazil and abroad. In 2010, signed with the main contemporary Italian label, EGEA . After receiving a commission from the German TV Deutsche Welle, Mehmari wrote “The City of Sun”, for the Heliopolis Symphony. The work was successfuly premiered in Germany, at the Beethovenfest, both in Bonn and Berlin. Recently toured solo piano in Japan and played with Hamilton de Holanda the new release Gismontipascoal in several European countries.
http://www.andremehmari.com.br/new/paginas/frameset%20Photos%20Eng.html
http://www.andremehmari.com.br/new/paginas/frameset%20Photos%20Eng.html
Some videos !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUkEFTWkAf8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl8TwGuVGGQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsIuzmCXM04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqkl1wmg9Xg !!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECedgZ85mfc
with Na Ozetti
André Mehmari quotes
-Pianist Andre Mehmari shifts the boundaries of Brazilian music. (…)
Mehmari bears a traditional knowledge as deep as his skeleton but isn’t afraid to embrace any idiom he sees fit.
The prodigy becomes the teacher. Piano virtuoso Andre Mehmari possesses a musical consciousness far older than his 20-odd years, and the nerve to match. (…)
Mehmari isn’t simply prolific. His work has floored writers and fellow musicians around the globe. Each piece seems to channel volumes of musical history and understanding. He deftly integrates whatever interests him at the moment, but nothing about his work sounds calculated. Into every project, he injects a mesmerizing passion. (…)
He keeps his ear to tracks that crisscross the world and contributes as much to MPB as he takes from it.
Emerson Dameron – Charleston City Paper
– One of Brazil’s best kept secrets. (…)
John Stevenson – Ejazz news
Nobody plays like him in Brazil and only few outside (…)
– André Mehmari is the pianist of pianists (…)
– What is most impressive in Mehmari’s playing is not the technical fluency but his musical inteligence
Arthur Nestrovski – Folha de São Paulo
– Andre Mehmari has become a reference for the new pianists causing amazement among the veterans by the harmonic intelligence, the capability of improvisation, the quality of composition, the deep knowledge of the Brazilian music. … He is already among our greatest jazz instrumentalists of all times. (…)
