Born in São Paulo - Brazil and currently living in New York, Vinicius is a guitarist and composer that explores the dialogue between modern jazz and Brazilian music, as registered on his debut album, Resiliência (2017). His second album, "Changes", in collaboration with spanish saxophonist Santi De la Rubia, featuring drummer Jorge Rossy and bassist Doug Weiss was recently released in 2021.
His career includes collaborations with saxophonist Seamus Blake (with whom he toured south America in 2019),, grammy Award winner drummer Edu Ribeiro’s trio, accordionist Toninho Ferragutti (recording two albums including the Brazilian Music award winner “A Gata Café”), mexican singer Magos Herrera, Zizi Possi (as a guitarist and musical director), Thiago Espirito Santo and many others.
Vinicius was part of the Focus Year Program in Basel- Switzerland, where he had the opportunity to collaborate with artists such as Ambrose Akinmusire, Billy Childs, Dave Liebman, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Guillermo Klein, Mark Turner, Julian Lage, Norma Winstone, John Hollenbeck, Jim Black and others. With the Focus Year Band Vinicius won the 2019 Keep An Eye Award in Amsterdam.
He has been performing extensively in Europe, Latin America and the U.S. in festivals such as Vienna Jazz (Austria), Offbeat (Switzerland), Riviera Maya Jazz (Caribe - Mexico) Portón del Jazz (Spain), Savassi Jazz (Brazil), Festival de Jazz de Buenos Aires (Argentina), Capão Jazz (Brazil), Jazz a la Calle (Uruguay). Vinicius has performed with his own project and as a collaborator in important venues such as Bimhuis (Amsterdam), Smalls (NY), National Sawdust (NY), Blue Note (NY), JazzForum (NY), Duc Des Lombards (Paris), Sunset Sunside (Paris), Hot Club de Lyon, B-Flat (Berlin), Zigzag(Berlin) Bird’s Eye (Basel), Porgy And Bess (Vienna), Washington D.C, San Francisco, Budapest Jazz Club, Lisboa, Zurich, Luzern, Kohln, London, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Colombia, Paraguay and Chile.
Jon Cowherd, Piano
The Kentucky-raised, New Orleans-schooled, New York-based Cowherd is best known for his long- running partnership with drummer/bandleader Brian Blade, with whom he co-founded the Grammy nominated Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band, whose acclaimed, influential albums showcase Cowherd's stellar keyboard work and singular compositional skills. When not recording and touring with the Fellowship, Cowherd has worked extensively with a broad array of players and singers from the jazz, pop and rock worlds including Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, Brandi Carlile, KD Lang, Rosanne Cash, Iggy Pop, Glen Hansard, Cassandra Wilson, John Scofield and Lizz Wright.
In 2013, ArtistShare and Blue Note records released Cowherd’s first album as a leader “Mercy” which features Bill Frisell, John Patitucci and Brian Blade. Cowherd and Blade also directed the all star Joni Mitchell tribute “Joni 75” along with such artists as Brandi Carlile, Glen Hansard, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Diana Krall, Kris Kristofferson, Los Lobos with Marisoul, Graham Nash, Seal, James Taylor and Rufus Wainwright.
In 2017 Cowherd released a new recording on the exclusive “vinyl only” Newvelle record label. “Gateway” consists of 7 compositions by Cowherd and one from Brian Blade and features Steve Cardenas and Tony Scherr.
As an arranger, Cowherd has scored for big band, strings and symphony orchestra for Brandi Carlile, Cassandra Wilson, Lizz Wright, the Fellowship Band and the Shreveport Symphony and the Loyola University Symphony Orchestra.
Other current touring projects include Alicia Olatuja, Nate Smith and Kinfolk, Tom Guarna’s Wishing Stones project and a new project with John Scofield touring in the Spring & Summer 2022 called “Yankee Go Home”.