INTERVIEW: Leo Gandelman
- Posted on November 22, 2007 1:11 PM
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Getting jazzy with Leo Gandelman
London, October 2007
Interview by Katie Spain
I grew up listening to the sounds of Jazz. My grandfather is obsessed by it and after years of Thursday night Jazz club jaunts, some of it rubbed off. The saxophone players always intrigued me... just where did they find all that wind? How did they serve up such a feast for the ears with such ease?
One of the great masters of the sax is Leo Gandelman. Well, if you want to get specific, the Brazilian is a master of most things musical. The Saxophonist, producer, composer and arranger has released nine solo albums, seven compilations and has already sold more than 500,000 records. We chatted to the talkative star about life in the 'music-lane' and his new album 'Bossa Rara'. With the London Jazz Festival in full swing, this is just the thing to get you in the mood. Then again, it's also enough to make you pack your bags and head for Brazil. Now there's an idea...
What do you think of London? Have you managed to see much this time?
Well, you know what? I have family here; my family is very small though. I have an uncle and Aunt who live here and have lived here for forty years. They are Brazilian but moved here forty years ago. When I was fifteen-years-old I spent time with them. That was a long time ago; I am sixty one now. Since then, I haven’t been back to London so I am very happy to be back here.
You must travel a lot with your music; I know you have been in the US for about ten years, is that where you call home or will Brazil always be your home?
Brazil is home but I have been in America for eight years. I was in ’95 to 2002 on was on Verve records and so I decided to increase my career so I moved with my family to the States from’95 to 2002. But, during this time I was commuting a lot to Brazil to keep my career going. In the beginning of 2002 I went back to Brazil and that’s it, home now. I haven’t been travelling that much lately.
What do you miss most about Brazil when you are not there?
I miss everything. I am a person with strong roots you know? When I left Brazil to live in the States, I didn’t really leave Brazil. I was going to Brazil about eight times a year because that is my home base where I have my established life and my roots.
When did you realize that you wanted to get into music then? I know your parents were both musicians, but when did you realize that it was what you wanted to do?
I was raised on Classical music. My first study of music was in the Classical School. When I was fifteen I was already a soloist. Looking at my parent’s life in the Classical sense, I realized that was not what I wanted for my life. So, at that time, I decided to try and work for a photographer. I worked for magazines for six years. On my website there is a photo gallery where you can see my work. I was doing well as a photographer; for me it was my first professional experience and, believe me or not, in the camera I saw my future as a musician. It is a little hard to explain. I discovered that I wanted to create my own music style. When I discovered the saxophone, I was around nineteen or twenty. Through Jazz and the saxophone, I discovered I could make my own music. That is what led me back to music.
You must be a very busy man; you are a saxophonist, a producer, a composer and you have done TV presenting. What brings you the most joy?
I think that music is like a tree. To diversify is very important. I feel very happy to be doing Jazz, Brazilian music and Classical.
You have released nine solo albums. How many more do you think you have in you?
Well, I have more than nine actually because I have some compilations out too. I have nine originals but sixteen compilations.
You have managed to play on over six hundred albums haven’t you in the last ten years? How on earth did that come about?
Well, I was part of a band in the 80s and we were backing a lot of Brazilian singers. After that, I stated being asked to do producing and then that was pretty much the way.
You have had six sold out seasons in New York, it is hard to keep up. You joined the band Masters of Groove, played in a Brazilian symphony orchestra and have worked with some amazing people along the way. What has been the highlight for you?
To keep up my studies and progress in music; that is what I like best to do, to have a routine.
You have won prizes for producing sound tracks for film. Have you got any film sound tracks coming up?
Recently I have done some films but I don’t think that they are going to reach here as they are documentaries. I love doing music for images because - as I told you – I was a photographer. I also work as a photographer for movies. Putting images with sounds is really my cup of tea, as you say!
How did your new album come about?
The releases before that were visions of a Brazilian music and I was not writing that much. When I did that album in 2005 I decided to come back and write music. The necessity of writing led me to this album.
What was it like working with friend Seu Jorge. Had that been planned for a long time?
He was my neighbour so I invited him to do a song. It was pretty much improvised at the studio. It just happened. He asked me what we were going to talk about and I said lets talk about musicians and a band.
Tell me about the rest of the band...
It is pretty much the guys that usually play with me. They are going to be here with me in London; the piano player and the bass player who is my nephew. The drummer is twenty two-years-old so it is a very young band. They are working with a lot of famous artists at the moment.
What can we expect from those performances?
It is going to be some tracks from the new album and also some old material. I am trying to mix Brazilian standards with my new tracks.
For more information, check out Leo Gandelman's official site.
Bossa Rara released November 5th 2007.
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