Orquestra Imperial

Originaly conceived from a meeting of some friends from different scenes of the Brazilian pop music environment, the “Orquestra Imperial” is the result of each member’s old dream: to be part of a typical Brazilian traditional music orchestra with a “something else”. The group congregates special names of the Carioca (from Rio de Janeiro) musical scene in their different styles: the singer-actress Thalma de Freitas and Nina Becker singing sambas, Moreno Veloso and Rodrigo Amarante (from the rock group Los Hermanos) singing boleros and salsas, besides great instrumentists, such as the pop music producers Berna (keyboards and samplers) & Kassin (bass), the guitar players Nelson Jacobina, Bartolo and Pedro Sá, percussionists Domenico, Stephan San Juan and one of the biggest Brazilian music masters, legendary singer and drummer Mr Wilson das Neves, from the old gard of Brazilian samba and soul, among others.Since its first appearance on summer 2002, the ORQUESTRA became more and more one of the biggest sensations of the recent Carioca cultural scene, attracting and livening up great public, with a growing up audience During the performances, everybody dance and have been gifted with special appearances of great Brazilian names, like Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, Jorge Mautner, Fernanda Abreu, Ed Motta, and international stars as all such as Chrissie Hynde and much more.In 2005 the group achieved a huge public success with it’s Pré-Carnaval Balls in Rio de Janeiro, briging a crowd over than 5,000 people in each performaance. The same projetc was made on 2006.The bigband hás been participating in important music festivals worldwide such as the huge Festival Sudoeste, in Portugal, and their first US Tour, with great concerts such as the one at the Chicago’s Millenium Park inside the World Music Festival (along with Seu Jorge, one of the band’s founders, being one of the biggest Brazilian music names nowadays). On 2006, the group performed at the Barbican Center Theatre (London) during the exhibition about the Tropicália Brazilian cultural movement achieving a big success of critics and public. In the same year, 5 years after its first appearence, the group is preparing the worldwide launch of it’s first CD, for release on 2007. Most recently, the group recorded at the next release, Momento, of the great Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto in the track ‘Tranqüilo’, composed by one of the bigband musicians, Kassin.Some names in the ORQUESTRA IMPERIAL:MORENO VELOSO - Son of the great singer and composer Caetano Veloso, he launched the album "Music for Typewriters", achieving excellent reception of public and critics all over the world;DOMENICO - Drummer and singer, he just launched his first album "Sincerely Hot" in Japan and in the US, in partership with Moreno Veloso and the bass player and producer Kassin;RODRIGO AMARANTE - Singer and guitar player of the band Los Hermanos, on of the biggest sensations of the Brazilian pop music scenario, Amarante sings the boleros and salsas;THALMA DE FREITAS - daughter of Laércio de Freitas, famous Afro-Brazilian pianist and producer of the 70's, she’s a great actress (she may be seen on the soap-operas ‘O Clone’, ‘Comecar de Novo’ and the movies ‘Xangô de Baker Street’ and ‘Filhas do Vento’ – feature film which she was awarded as ‘Best Support Actress’ in Gramado Film Festival, the biggest Brazilian movies award) and singer.NELSON JACOBINA - Partner of Jorge Mautner, he is one of the most important musicians of the MPB (Brazilian Popular Music), composer of hits such as " Maracatu Atomico ";BERNA CEPPAS & KASSIN - both producers and great musicians. Besides playing in the orchestra (that they founded together), they work with important names of the Brazilian musical scene like Fernanda Abreu, Caetano Veloso and Adriana Calcanhoto. In the ORQUESTRA Berna takes care of of the synthesizers and percussions and Kassin plays the bass.WILSON DAS NEVES – A Brazilian music legend, the greatest drummer with his unique style of singing sambas, he inspires the group with his funky-samba-style performing classical sambas and other Brazilian grooves.ORQUESTRA IMPERIAL:MORENO VELOSO - percussion and vocals RODRIGO AMARANTE - vocals NINA BECKER - vocals THALMA FREITAS - vocals NELSON JACOBINA - solo guitar BARTOLO - rhytmguitar PEDRO SA - eletric guitar RUBINHO JACOBINA - electric piano BERNA CEPPAS - keyboard and percussion KASSIN - eletric-bass MAX SETTE - trumpet BIDU - trombone MAURO ZACHARIAS - trombone FELIPE PINAUD - flute DOMENICO - drums LEO MONTEIRO - electronic percussion STEPHANE SAN JUAN - percussion BODÃO – percussion WILSON DAS NEVES – vocals and percussionCONTACT:DIVERSÃO E ARTE Geraldinho Magalhães Tels: +55 21 2266-3800 / 8177-9907 (mobile) gerald@diversaoearte www.diversaoearte.com