Natalie Cressman

Natalie Cressman, Ian Faquini – GUINGA (2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Born as Carlos Althier de Souza Lemos Escobar, Guinga grew up in Rio de Janeiro absorbing Brazilian contemporary and folkloric music as well as classical, rock, pop and Jazz. Having shaped a creative identity that embraces the signature energy of Brazil’s diverse artistic enterprise, Guinga’s legacy lives within the spirit of crafting a voice that’s essentially Brazilian while cultivating a vivacious universal appeal. A spirit lovingly captured by trombonist Natalie Cressman and guitarist Ian Faquini within their new GroundUP album GUINGA, releasing on April 12, 2024.

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Natalie Cressman and Mike Bono – Etchings In Amber (2016/2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · July 14, 2023 · Comments off

With its mix of jazz with folk and indie rock, the genre-bending music on this album is complex yet very approachable. Fellow red-head and sometimes boss, Trey Anastasio has said of Natalie, “I first met Natalie when she was 18, and I was instantly floored by how melodically and naturally she played and sang. Natalie is the rarest of musicians. Born into a musical family and raised in a home filled with the sounds of Brazilian music, jazz, and Afro-Cuban rhythms, she is seeping with innate musicality. Musicality is in her DNA.” On ETCHINGS IN AMBER, Cressman’s voice has an alluring smoky quality, and her singing style comes out of the tradition of vocal jazz but with a distinctly contemporary feel. Bono is an accomplished arranger and improviser. Several of the tunes on this CD were originally written as solo guitar pieces. “I usually start writing music by following a melody that I’m hearing and then search for interesting chords that reflect the meaning of the song and support and enhance the melody,” says Bono. He wrote “Dusk,” the opening song, for solo acoustic guitar tuned down a whole step to get a rich and lush timber. Cressman’s sensitive lyrics capture the poignancy of a deep and long-term relationship.

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Natalie Cressman, Ian Faquini – Auburn Whisper (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · July 12, 2023 · Comments off

Natalie Cressman, Ian Faquini - Auburn Whisper (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

This duo of trombonist, singer, and songwriter Natalie Cressman and guitarist, composer, and vocalist Ian Faquini is relatively rare in terms of instrumental pairings, but Auburn Whisper is their second, following 2019’s successful Setting Rays of Summer. This project, recorded during the pandemic months, gave them plenty of time to develop more expansive arrangements that blend traditional Brazilian rhythms. Oh, and they had the luxury of using the studio of Cressman’s dad, the renowned trombonist Jeff Cressman, who together with the duo, serves as co-producer.
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