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This video captures a trip the Yoshida
Brothers took to the United States. Durring
this trip - the Yoshida Brothers visited with
many musicians to collaborate.
This was one of those collaborations!
CYRO BAPTISTA
Born December 23, 1950 in São Paulo, Brazil,
Cyro Baptista arrived in the U.S. in 1980
with a scholarship to the Woodstock-based
Creative Music Studio, and has since emerged
as one of the premier percussionists in the
country. Coinciding with the rise in the
public's interest of world music, Cyro has
managed to record and tour with some of
music's most popular names. His mastery of
Brazilian percussion and the many instruments
he creates himself, have catapulted him into
world renown.
Recordings with Other Artists
Recently recording with pianist Herbie
Hancock on his 2005 release, Possibilites,
Cyro's credits read like a 'Who's Who' of
modern music. In 2002 Cyro toured with Yo-Yo
Ma's Brazil Project (as well as appeared on
the Obrigado Brazil album - winner of two
Grammy awards), Trey Anastasio (of Phish),
and John Zorn. He recorded and performed
worldwide with Herbie Hancock's Grammy award
winning Gershwin's World. Cyro collaborated
with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center
Jazz Orchestra for a Brazilian Carnival
modern jazz concert. For over two years, he
toured with Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints
tour and appears on his Concert in Central
Park release. In addition, Cyro toured the
globe with Sting in 2001.
Performing his unique blend of percussion
with some of music's most popular artists has
given Cyro remarkable credibility within the
industry. The wide range of artists Cyro
Baptista has performed and recorded with
include: David Byrne, Derek Bailey, Kathleen
Battle, Gato Barbieri, Dr. John, Brian Eno,
Robert Palmer, Melissa Etheridge, Laurie
Anderson,James Taylor, Michael Tilson Thomas,
Daniel Barenboim, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton
Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma, Medeski Martin & Wood,
Spyro Gyra, Trey Anastasio, Carlos Santana,
Tim Sparks, Sting, Stephen Kent and John
Zorn, yet the list goes on. He has also
played with many respected Brazilian artists
such as Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso,
Ivan Lins, Marisa Monte, Badi Assad, and Nana
Vasconcelos.
Cyro has performed on five Grammy award
winning albums: Yo-Yo Ma's Obrigado Brazil,
Cassandra Wilson's Blue Light 'Til Dawn, The
Chieftains' Santiago, Ivan Lins' A Love
Affair, and Herbie Hancock's highly-acclaimed
Gershwin's World. He has also recently played
on Tony Bennet s Grammy Nominated album
entitled Duets - an Amercian Classic. A
documentary on Cyro's main project, Beat the
Donkey, was recorded for the prestigious
WGBH-TV Boston program 'La Plaza' won 3 New
England EMMY Awards in 2002, and continues to
air on PBS stations nationwide.
Cyro appeared in Nicolas Humbert and Werner
Penzel's 1990 documentary film on Fred Frith,
Step Across the Border. He has also been
composing music for programs on the
children's television network Nickelodeon.
Beat the Donkey
Continuing the momentum, he created his own
project: the percussion and dance ensemble
known as Beat the Donkey. The group recently
released its second CD, Love the Donkey,
independently on John Zorn 's Tzadik record
label, featuring the percussion-heavy beats
and Brazilian rhythms. Beat the Donkey now
tours the U.S., expanding into new markets
taking the stage at performing arts centers,
festivals, and conferences.
Cyro's debut self-titled CD with Beat the
Donkey, (Tzadik) was picked by The New York
Times as one of the ten best alternative
albums of 2002. Readers of JAZZIZ and DRUM
magazine voted it as "Best Brazilian CD of
the Year" and named Cyro "Best Percussionist
of 2002." Downbeat Magazine's 51st annual
critics' poll selected Cyro as 'Rising Star'
in percussion.
Other Solo Releases
Cyro's first solo recording, Villa Lobos/Vira
Loucos, a heady mix of his own compositions
with the work of the brilliant Brazilian
composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, has been
acclaimed as "the most courageous, bright,
funny, dramatic, and imaginative work in
recent memory."
Tags : Cyro Baptista Billy Martin MMW Medeski Trey anastasio percussion zorn drums workshop Paul Simon Herbie Hancock Yoshida |
