Jefferson Gançalves, native of Rio de Janeiro, began his musical career in the 1990 ́s, following a common road for many harmonica players: the blues. He right away changed his profession from a banker to a musician, began a band called Based in Blues and an acoustic trio called Blues, Etc., and recording with musicians of different musical genres became known as a consegrated name among Brazilian harmonica players- as well as a Brazilian representative in international harmonica events,like the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of Harmonicas (enconter in Detroit, Michigan in 1998)
However, Jefferson did not limit his musical horizons with American blues. He identified similarities between black american music and Northeastern Brazilian forró music based on rhythms such as baião, xaxada and xote. This perception enlarged his muisical horizons.
He then began a serious study of the representative artists of Northeastern brazilian music. He discovered maracatu and rural samba and incorporated these elements in his first solo CD, “Greia” (2004). This musical mixture was well received by critics and public. “Greia” incorporates in the same “basket” the creativity of Bob Dylan and Luis Gonzagas, and the swing of Jackson do Pandeiro and Ray Charles. It ́s all music, all in all, and of extreme quality. Parallel to this, Jefferson improved his work in art education, centered on the blues, which he has been developing in Rio de Janeiro since 1996. He has released DVD ́s showing the fundamentals of the diatonic harmonica and has established himself as a reference of harmonica instruction in Brazil.
He has taken his playing to diverse audiences, as well as diversifying his area of presentations, broadening his musical and educational horizons. In 2002, 2003, he toured Argentina, performing in some of the best locations in Argentina, like the San Martin Theatre. Also in 2003, he administered the first harmonica workshop in Nova Olinda, located in the Cariri region of the state of Ceara.
For this project, put together in colaboration with an NGO, Fundação Casa Grande- Memorial do Homem Kariri (Main House Foundation- Kariri people memorial), Jefferson used a conceptual basis of his musical mixture. He left a recording also a studio tool, which is a video classroom produced by the very students of the institute.The resutls were extremely positive. Upon returning to Nova Olinda in 2005, one could see the progress of the young ONG musicians, considering the rich possibilities the harmonica offers, a versatil instrument, applicable to different rhythms, of unquestionable portability, and above all, of low cost. Not only this: a support band was created in the city, with which presentations were made in the Cariri region.
Since 2004, in association with SESC- Ce,(social business service), SEBRAE,( Brazilian service support for small business) and the Via de Comunication production group, Jefferson gave many harmonica workshops and formed musical groups, he travelled to the Ceara cities of Sobral,Juazeiro do Norte, Crato, Iguatu, Fortaleza, Guaiuba, Maranguape, Guaramiranga, Piacatuba, Caucáia, São Gonçalo do Amarante, among others. In these cities he chose non-professional musicians and formed a band in every city. He taught musical theory and chose the repetoire of each band, organized the musical arrangements and travelled with these “new” musicians to Guaramiranga, where the bands played during the Jazz and Blues Festival, and today many of these musicians are professionals playing in their respective cities.
In 2005 he challenged himself for his second CD, “Northeast Connection – Greia Live”, recorded July 19, 2005, at the Theatre II of the Central Bank Cultural Center, Rio de Janeiro during the It ́s Bues Time project. Still in 2005, he participated in the first edition of the Brazil Harmonica Forum in Fortaleza, the only Brazilian event focusing on the harmonica which combines musical presentations with workshops, reaching all social classes, giving classes to children and teens of the Raimundo Fagner Foundation.
This same year, he returned to the United States for another series of shows, this time along side the guitarrist Big Gilson and the english singer The Wolf. The musicians performed in musical clubs considered essential for the blues and or jazz, like the Blue Note (New York), Deep Ellum Blues (Texas) and the Bamboo Room (Florida), among others. In 2007, he made his first european tour, sponsered by Hering Harmonicas. His first stop was Frankfurt Germany, at the largest musical instrument convention, the Musikmesse, where he officially released a line Hering Harmonicas with his signature and afterward, continued on to Spain where he performed along side guitarrist Big Gilson, in Madrid and Toledo.
In 2008 the musician performed with his band at the 9th edition of the Jazz and Blues Festival of Guarmiranga- Ceara, in march released his third solo CD: Pure Air (Blues Time Records) and in June he performed together with guitarrist Kleber Diaz at the Senegal Folk Festival, taking place in Dakar at the Verdure Theatre of the Leopold Sedar French Institute, an invitation made by the Brazilian Embassy in Senegal and the Senagal musical group, Les Freres Guisse; besides performing with the group, the duo presented to the Senagal public a mixture of blues and Brazilian northeast rhythms and songs from his Pure Air CD. The great sucess enabled the group to return to Senegal in 2009 and 2010, this time accompanied by the dancer, Juliana Longuinho with the Roots project, and besides the shows in the Hann park and Hann beach, Jefferson gave harmonica workshops for needy children in Dakar.
With all this experience obtained in hundreds of shows, recordings and workshops, Jefferson Gonçalves has been a reference for harmonica playing in Brazil.
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