Trio Da Paz Comes to The Bickford Theatre, 3/1

Three superstars of Brazilian jazz bring their infectious, joyful music to the Bickford Theatre on Thursday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. Formed in 1990 by guitarist Romero Lubambo, bassist Nilson Matta, and drummer Duduka de Fonseca, Trio da Paz brings new life to native Brazilian jazz with irresistible rhythms and dazzling improvisations.

In the past 30 years, Trio da Paz has won fans around the whole world and the critics have raved. All About Jazz exclaimed that "this is a band that keeps getting better with age." Reviewer Howard Mandel wrote that "their music is cool and hot, rooted in Brazilian heritage but cosmopolitan, timely and timeless." And Downbeat Magazine called them a "Brazilian jazz supergroup." In addition to their recent Grammy nomination, the group won an "Indie" award for Best Album of the Year and received the Jazz Journalists Association Award for Best Brazilian Jazz Album of the Year.

The musicians owe the long-term success of Trio da Paz to the fact that they perform together only a few times a year. But they are close friends whose empathic interplay comes only with long time collaboration interspersed with independent projects to keep the music fresh.

Romero Lubambo is a master at the guitar who has worked with a long list of outstanding artists including Dianne Reeves, Yo-Yo Ma, Kathleen Battle, Herbie Mann, Larry Coryell, Pacquito D'Rivera, Dave Weckl, and most regularly Diana Krall.

Bassist Nilson Matta made his reputation as a top musician in Brazil, but when he moved to the United States in the mid-eighties he solidified it with his own groups. He has recorded and worked with leading jazz artists such as Don Pullen and Joe Henderson and often appears as a featured guest for the International Society of Bassists.

Drummer Duduka da Fonseca is one of the most recorded Brazilian jazz drummers of all time and has appeared on more than 200 albums with several Grammy nominations. Some of the jazz icons with whom he has worked include Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Eddie Gomez, Nancy Wilson and Bill Charlap. A master Brazilian and Samba drummer, he has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in South American jazz including Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Claudio Roditi, and Raul de Souza.

Tickets for Trio da Paz are $35 in advance and $40 at the door with Morris Museum members enjoying a discount. Student tickets are only $20. All tickets may be purchased online at morrismuseum.org, by phone at (973) 971-3706, or in person at the Bickford Theatre Box Office. The Morris Museum's Bickford Theatre is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, NJ, and offers free parking and full accessibility. Box office hours for phone sales are Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Walk-up hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.