Gino Sitson duo featuring Helio Alves
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About
Award-winning, New York-based vocal virtuoso Gino Sitson is from the Bamileke region of Cameroon, Central Africa. He comes from a long line of musicians, known as Ntontas, ("players of horns") and his mother is a vocalist and choir director. He and his siblings were introduced to blues, jazz and African traditional music early in life.
Before embarking upon a professional career in music, Gino Sitson divided his time between music studies, the Sorbonne University and Paris 8 University in Paris, where he studied languages and ethnomusicology.He was gradually drawn into the multi-cultural Paris music scene, initially as a drummer, then as a singer.
Mr Sitson’s four-octave voice plus his skills as a composer and arranger put him in high demand for recording sessions and for commercials and radio / television jingles (Danone, Peugeot, Vahine, etc). The versatile young vocalist performed in a musical and co-composed part of the music (Jeanne et le Garçon Formidable). He has laid down tracks or shared the stage with Manu Dibango, Ron Carter, Papa Wemba, Wally Badarou, John Scofield, Geri Allen, David Gilmore, Haruko Nara, Bobby McFerrin, Frank Wess, Ray Lema, Craig Harris, Roy Ayers, James Hurt, Antoine Roney, Luisito Quintero, Jorge Ben, John William, Mario Canonge, Wallace Roney, Brice Wassy, Oliver NGoma, Exile One, Steve Potts, So Why? (featuring Youssou NDour, Papa Wemba, Wally Badarou, Jabu Khanyile & Bayete, Lourdes Van-Dunem, and Lucky Dube), La Compagnie Creole, among others.
"Alves’ work melds a percussive edge with a lively, fluent right hand." —John Ephland, Downbeat
Pianist and composer Helio Alves has received high praise as an in-demand sideman with Joe Henderson, Yo-Yo Ma, Claudio Roditi, Paquito D’Rivera, Gato Barbieri, Hendrik Meurkens,Dave Samuels, Airto Moreira & Flora Purim and Oscar Castro-Neves, to name but a few. And now, with more than 40 recordings as a sideman and two at the helm of his own ensembles, this incomparable musician is quite deservedly earning respect as a leader, too. Alves’ second recording as leader, Portrait in Black in White (Reservoir Music, 2004), once again displays his impressive mastery of both straight-ahead and Brazilian jazz styles. The release is highlighted by four Alves originals, "Frenzy," "Sambetinho," "Loose Samba" and "Song for Anna," and features his longtime musical friend Santi Debriano on bass and Matt Wilson on drums. Alves is from São Paulo, Brazil.
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Before embarking upon a professional career in music, Gino Sitson divided his time between music studies, the Sorbonne University and Paris 8 University in Paris, where he studied languages and ethnomusicology.He was gradually drawn into the multi-cultural Paris music scene, initially as a drummer, then as a singer.
Mr Sitson’s four-octave voice plus his skills as a composer and arranger put him in high demand for recording sessions and for commercials and radio / television jingles (Danone, Peugeot, Vahine, etc). The versatile young vocalist performed in a musical and co-composed part of the music (Jeanne et le Garçon Formidable). He has laid down tracks or shared the stage with Manu Dibango, Ron Carter, Papa Wemba, Wally Badarou, John Scofield, Geri Allen, David Gilmore, Haruko Nara, Bobby McFerrin, Frank Wess, Ray Lema, Craig Harris, Roy Ayers, James Hurt, Antoine Roney, Luisito Quintero, Jorge Ben, John William, Mario Canonge, Wallace Roney, Brice Wassy, Oliver NGoma, Exile One, Steve Potts, So Why? (featuring Youssou NDour, Papa Wemba, Wally Badarou, Jabu Khanyile & Bayete, Lourdes Van-Dunem, and Lucky Dube), La Compagnie Creole, among others.
"Alves’ work melds a percussive edge with a lively, fluent right hand." —John Ephland, Downbeat
Pianist and composer Helio Alves has received high praise as an in-demand sideman with Joe Henderson, Yo-Yo Ma, Claudio Roditi, Paquito D’Rivera, Gato Barbieri, Hendrik Meurkens,Dave Samuels, Airto Moreira & Flora Purim and Oscar Castro-Neves, to name but a few. And now, with more than 40 recordings as a sideman and two at the helm of his own ensembles, this incomparable musician is quite deservedly earning respect as a leader, too. Alves’ second recording as leader, Portrait in Black in White (Reservoir Music, 2004), once again displays his impressive mastery of both straight-ahead and Brazilian jazz styles. The release is highlighted by four Alves originals, "Frenzy," "Sambetinho," "Loose Samba" and "Song for Anna," and features his longtime musical friend Santi Debriano on bass and Matt Wilson on drums. Alves is from São Paulo, Brazil.