Mariza is in Brazil working on a new album to be produced by Jaques Morelenbaum. As yet untitled, this will be Mariza’s third album, following on the heels of the internationally acclaimed Fado Em Mim (2001) and Fado Curvo (2003).
Last year, Mariza released the DVD Mariza Live in London, which has already won a platinum award, building on the success of the CDs which have sold over 200,000 copies in Portugal and around half a million worldwide. The DVD records the singer’s performance at the Union Chapel in London in March 2003, on the eve of winning the BBC Awards for World Music, Best European Act.
The BBC award adds to the list of Mariza’s trophies, which include two Deutscheschalplatten Kritik (awarded by the German press), the First Award for Most Outstanding Performance (Canada) and the European Border Breakers Award (sponsored by the European Union).
Her career has been recognized by the foreign press in Portugal with the “Personality of the Year” award “for her contribution to promoting Portuguese Culture”.
Last year, Mariza joined Sting in a duet to record the song “A thousand years”, adding two verses in Portuguese. The track appears on the album “Unity”, issued to commemorate the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Jaques Morelenbaum is a byword in the world of music. He produced the albums Livro by Caetano Veloso, the winner of the 1999 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, and “António Brasileiro” by Tom Jobim, which won him a Grammy in 1995 for Best Latin Jazz Performance.
He has been Caetano’s musical director since 1991. Morelenbaum has also worked as a musician and producer with leading names in the world of music such as Egberto Gismonti, Gal Costa, Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento, Carlinhos Brown and Ryuichi Sakamoto, with whom he did a world tour.
A cellist trained at the New England Conservatory (USA), he has appeared on over 500 albums by top international musicians.
In 2001, at Sting’s invitation, he took part in the “All this Time” concert which the critics said brought together in Tuscany some of the best musicians in the world.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
