Norah Jones. Madeleine Perreault. Melody Gardeau. They are three of the greatest "jazzy and adult" American female singers who debuted in the first decade of the 2000s. Norah Jones, who was the first to emerge and lead the way, is exceptional. But there is no doubt that Perreault and Gerdot, who followed her, also broke new ground in emotionally rich, adult-oriented pop music with their nourishing expressions.
The last of the three to debut, Gardeau, born in New Jersey in 1985, excels as a songwriter. He is a songwriter by far and away the best of the other two, who also wrote many covers of their songs. Her songs are unique in that she captures the subtleties of everyday life and sublimates them into a bluesy world. In fact, Gardeau began playing the guitar when she was 19 years old after a car accident. She was hospitalized for a year and picked up the guitar to rehabilitate herself. The strength of her appeal is probably not unrelated to this fact.
With her second album, "My One And Only Thrill," released in 2009, she has taken on an even more seductive allure. The main reason for this was that she began to weave in elements of bossa nova, a genre created by Brazilian hobbyists as a cross between their own country's inimitable creativity and their fascination with American jazz. From then on, Gardeau's music exuded a new kind of stylishness and sophistication.
Gardeau, who once performed on the main stage of the "Tokyo Jazz" festival, is coming to Japan for the first time in many years, and her performance will bring to light another side of her that is triggered by her interest in Brazilian music. She will be performing opposite Pierre Adelni, a Brazilian singer/songwriter in the vein of Caetano Veloso (his song was used in a UNIQLO TV commercial starring Meisa Kuroki). What a surprise, it was Jesse Harris, also the author of Norah Jones' hit song "Don't Know Why," who brought the two together. Since then, the two have co-written songs together, and Gardeau has participated in Adelni's albums.
And it is a pleasure to see that the twin performances by Gardeau and Adelni will be supported by Brazilian virtuosos. Bass player Daji is the country's No. 1 bass player, supporting the expression of Jorge Benziole and Marisa Monchi, and pianist Filipe Baden-Powell is the son of Baden-Powell, a famous guitarist/composer in the country. Mitchell Long, who will join the band as a guitarist, is an American who is currently a member of Gardeau's band.
As it turns out, Gardeau is based in Paris (which explains why his live DVD, which came out this year, was recorded in Paris), and Adelni lives in Lisbon, Portugal. And, of course, the two mentioned above are cariocas. In other words, these talented musicians, who share the same chic and singing spirit, gathered in Japan to share it with each other. They are considering making an album based on this spontaneous live performance, which is a premiere.
Text_Eisuke Sato
Edit_Jun Nakada
Melody Gardeau & Pierre Adelni
featuring Mitchell Long, Filippe Baden-Powell & Daji
Venue: Billboard Live Tokyo
Date and Time: Friday, October 14, 2016, 1st stage doors open 17:30 Concert begins 19:00, 2nd stage doors open 20:45 Concert begins 21:30
Saturday, October 15, 2016, 1st stage doors open 17:00 Concert begins 18:00, 2nd stage doors open 20:00 Concert begins 21:00
Tokyo Performance｜Details
Venue: Billboard Live Osaka
Date and Time: Monday, October 17, 2016, 1st stage doors open 17:30 Concert begins 18:30, 2nd stage doors open 20:30 Concert begins 21:30
Osaka Concert｜Details
