Marcos Ariel and Justo Almario duo

Vera’s Heartbeat and Sam First present the reencounter of renowned Brazilian pianist, singer and composer, Marcos Ariel and Colombian reedman, clinician, composer and arranger, Justo Almario for a sweet night of Latin, Afro-Cuban, South American, funk and jazz music at Sam First.

Since the '70s, Marcos Ariel has dedicated himself to Brazilian instrumental music and jazz with the genuine warmth and zest for life of those born in Rio. Ariel has written over 200 pieces since he started composing, at age 16, and his unique musical phrasing combines classical techniques and popular Brazilian rhythms. A multi-instrumentalist of the highest caliber, Almario has mastered the soprano and tenor saxophones, clarinet and flute and thoroughly engages his listeners with rhythmic, call-and-response interludes. John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Bach, Bartok and Debussy are among Justo’s primary influences. Ariel met Almario at the Baked Potato in 1989 and invited him to be part of his album “Hand Dance”, the first of many recordings they did together. “He plays my music as if he wrote it, with exactly the feeling that I had thought about,” says Ariel, “When we play together, it’s like one instrument.”