Guzzi Woolley

• country:Brazil
• style(s):Bossa Nova, Brazilian
• label:Maritaca
• artist posted by:Maritaca Producoes Artisticas ltd

Links

• Guzzi Woolley Website

The musical history of the singer and composer Guzzi started when her father, the counterbass player Pete Woolley, offered her as a gift a “radiola” and the disc Wave from Tom Jobim when she completed 7 years old. However, even growing in an artist family (the mother was a dancer and the grandmother was a plastic artist), she just decided to sing professionally at the age of 29, even so, in a timid way, integrating chorales or participating as crooner of her father's band.
Born in São Paulo, Elizabeth Benita Woolley has German and English descent and started studying music at the age of 4. Later, by influence of her father, she perfected the pleasure for jazz classic authors, with a special preference for Bill Evans. Among other singers, she has Ella Fitzgerald and Donna Summer as divas. She studied flute with João Dias Carrasqueira, Mané Silveira and had song classes with Jane Duboc, her main influence among the Brazilian interpreters. The album Guzzi, replete of singer’s compositions (Primeiro Amor, Mãos de um Artista, Jobim, Aos Anjos), has the musical direction of Mané Silveira and the own artist production. The repertory also includes Alegre Menina (Dori Caymmi/Jorge Amado), Outra Vez (Tom Jobim) and You do Something to Me (Cole Porter).
Now, she is launching her first album, “Guzzi”, acting as singer, composer and flautist. Guzzi privileges the styles that mark her musical formation – the jazz and “bossa nova”. Besides introducing a sensible and tuned interpreter, the disc reveals a sophisticated saxophonist. Guzzi signs five of the eleven songs of the disc and invited the saxophonist Mané Silveira to take care of the musical production, to elaborate arrangements and to play sax and flute. Both have as attendances some of the best musicians playing in São Paulo scenery, as the percussionist Guello, the drums player Sérgio Reze, Tiago Costa (piano), Sylvio Mazzucca Jr. (bass), André Magalhães and Roberto Peres (percussion). Guzzi surprises in the CD opening with the delicate interpretation of “Alegre Menina” of Dori Caymmi and Jorge Amado. The same music closes the disc with another arrangement, including the percussion work of three "experts": Guello, Magrão and André Magalhães. Jobim is also present in the disc, not only as homaged in the track “Jobim”, but with the music “Outra Vez”, where Guzzi makes a voice and piano duet with Tiago Costa. The CD was launched in May 2004 by Maritaca label.