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My Sunday feeling is one of my favorite Jethro Tull songs. The live version at the Isle Of Wight Festival, in 1970 has such an energy and expresses such a potency of what art has the power to do, that no matter how many times I watch it, it always impresses me tremendously. Same goes for ther virtuosity of Ian Anderson.

At first, it seemed curious to me that such a vibrant music would evoke a “Sunday feeling”, since that day is associated with the idea of rest. However, for several categories, including those working in entertainment, Sunday is one of the busiest days.

I believe that the lyrics of the song connect with this, say, “other side” of Sunday, with the idea of a perfect day to get out of the routine and do something really special. My last Sunday, for example, was quite lively. The chat about Jazz and Literature that I led in a traditional bookstore in the city was a success!

It is indeed a great to realize that there is a representative amount of people interested in leaving home on a Sunday afternoon to exchange ideas and talk about music and books. Who are those people?

Well, the audience was as varied as possible. It included, fo instance, a three-year-old girl who behaved exceptionally well and a white-haired gentleman who did not know how to turn off his cell phone, which, of course, kept on ringing, not only disturbing the audience, but also providing a very welcome comic relief.

What a lovely feeling to be there, joining in with the numerous events in 195 (hurray!) countries in order to celebrate International Jazz Day. And what a beautiful congregation!

Jazz is freedom, jazz is inclusion and a lot of other great things worth living for, like a lovely Sunday afternoon with friends.

Be seeing you!

G. F.

Some of my guests

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Since 2017 (with the exception of the years 2020 and 2021) I have been a partner of the International Jazz Day, which means that I create local events around the jazz theme on April 30th and they are included on the official page of IJD. Local events are not necessarily music events. Last year, for example, the event was a masterclass on the links between jazz and comics, interspersed with live performed songs.

This year the concept is similar. I will talk about Jazz & Literature. The lecture format (well, I might sing some parts of mentioned tunes a cappella, to better illustrate a passage, but nothing more than that) made me think that, compared to the hybrid version of words and music, the event this year would be less attractive to the general public. And I was totally wrong.

In fact, the event this year has gained much more attention and momentum, so to speak, and I not only talking about “likes” and “shares” in socials. This time, for the first time, the official social media profiles is co-hosting my event on Facebook! Okay, I know that a year ago people were a lot less open to face-to-face events than they are now. Even so, something tells me that the fundamental difference is in the exchange of the word “comics” for “literature”.

I have been researching graphic art (including comics, editorial cartoons and graphic novels) since 2012 and, from my point of view, this field of knowledge had already overcome the prejudice of being considered a “minor art”, “children’s thing” (in the bad sense of the expression) and other absurdities. When, however, I mentioned my suspicions to a researcher friend, he was adamant: “Comics are still considered a sub-form of literature, while jazz is supposed to be a appreciated by the elite”.

Funny, because prejudice and snobism are actually on the opposite side of what jazz represents. If you listen to jazz because you think it makes you look sophisticated and intellectual, then you have probably not aquired the most basic information about the genre. Jazz has nothing to do with being part of “a select few”, whatever that publicity line may be able to sell. Jazz is not about pretending. It is about being and feeling.

And you know what is even funnier? Record covers are among the first representations of jazz and guess who were the pioneering creators of covers for jazz records? Illustrators, posters, graphic artists. Which means that jazz is, in a way, as far as chronology is concerned, more connected to the despised comics than its rich cousin, literature.

Perhaps this information will surprise the audience and help them form a more enlightened opinion of the greatness of jazz. If that is the case, I will consider my mission accomplished and my event a resounding success.

Anyway, I just wanted to invite you who might be in Rio by the 30th, or who migh know people around to my event. You can check out the poster here, as well as my past events. Celebrate the date!

Be seeing you!

G. F.

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“Why do you celebrate International Jazz Day?”

The question is the first one on the International Jazz Day Partner Interview form. It is the first time I answer the questionnaire and, honestly, I believe it is the first time I have been asked this question in such a direct way. Though one!

It is always difficult to explain the things that really matter, the deep truths we carry within us, but, ok, I shall face the challenge. Why do I celebrate International Jazz Day? Because I feel part of the jazz community (so far, so good).

And why do I feel part of this community? Now comes the hard-to-explain part… Ok, Geisa, do not overthink, just write what comes in your mind when you think about jazz.

Jazz gave me a formal freedom that was immensely important for my artistic development. Sometimes I feel that jazz is a code, a key, that opens many doors. Thelonious. Monk put it well when he said that “Jazz is freedom”.

Freedom that opposes any form of segregation, censorship or prejudice. Freedom that unites and builds dialogues. That is it! I got my answer!

I celebrate International Jazz Day because I celebrate freedom. As Ella sings in the George Gershin song: who could ask for anything more?

Be seeing you!

G.F.

p.s. next week I´ll tell you HOW I will celebrate it this year

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Hello, there! How are things going? First of all, I would like to apologize for the long time since my last post. I´ve been quite busy, since the announcement of the semifinalists of the Rádio MEC Music Festival. One of the reasons is that the organizers asked for a promo video. A super complex production, aiming for the Oscar? No, not at all. Actually, they only asked for an innocent one minute mobile phone video, no post production elements needed. Something you would do in five, ten minutes max, right? For me, it takes the whole day and the final result hardly pleases me, so I repeat and repeat…

Call me perfectionist, call me unskilled, but the fact is that I hate to make videos of myself and I often decline such invitations, but this time I had to face the challenge. I know how important it is to have a real person talking to you, when we you are asking people to vote for your song.

In this short video, I introduce myself and explain that I´m honored to be a semifinalist on the festival and that my song, Depois do Verão, is an ode to better days, that shall come to all of us. Oh, and in the background you can see a collage with the many versions of the art for the cover of my first album. Still didn´t vote for Depois do Verão? Click here and vote for me, dear citizen! 🙂

And last but not least, I would like to tell you that earlier this month, I got my International Jazz Day 2021 participation certificate. I must confess that I was a tiny little bit sad because my poster was not on the global artwork page (it is silly, I know, very silly), but it´s all gone now. Signed by the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, Mr. Herbie Hancock, that certificate made my day. Thank you very much and until next year, Herbie!

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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Hey, there! Good to see you again. That means you stick with me despite my random posting days. Thank you very much for that! Maybe you are also like me: sometimes a step ahead, but mostly a few steps behind the schedule. If so (and even more if not), thank you for the company! It really means a lot me.

As you know, March was hard, but I cannot complain about April. I was interviewed for the Ilustre Podcast, a small jewel made by an illustrator, my dear friend E., and could talk about my musical and research projects (to be aired on April 28th, stay tuned!). There is also another comic art related event coming by the end of the month, but I will not tell about it now. Oh, the mystery …

A busy month, as you see. Well, maybe not so busy for you, but quite so for me, since I had to add to the current month´s agenda all the remaining activities from last month. Procrastinators have the toughest life, trust me. To confirm my theory that procrastination can hit us all and nobody is really safe, I got an e-mail from one of my favourite newsletters and, guess what? It was about procrastination! And coming from one of the most productive professionals I know. Earthshaking!

My secret to keep a positive attitude about procrastination is cheating on it. How I do it? I fill my procrastination time with things that I can use later: from cooking to doing the laundry, any mildly challenging household activity will usually do. But some days require major measures, like watching a movie. Following the suggestion of my cinephile sister, I saw the 1969 classic They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

Set in 1932, during the great Depression, the plot brings light to a lesser known moment in the USA history, the dance marathon contests. It is impossible not to be amazed by the accurate way it shows the origin and the essence of today’s reality television shows. Scary! A masterpiece, no doubt, but what really caught my attention was that the only tender element in the bitterly sad story was the music.

The beautiful jazz ballads from the 1930´s bring rare moments of relief to the tense narrative, and the black musicians playing it are portrayed as having way more dignity and class than the pitiful, starving bunch of white marathon dancers. A new approach made possible by the late 1960´s social movements maybe, but certainly something to think about today.

See how far procrastination can take you?

Be seeing you!

G.F.