Beat The Donkey

Location:
New York, New York, US
Type:
Artist / Band / Musician
Genre:
Jam Band / Jazz / Latin
Site(s):
Label:
Tzadik
Type:
Indie
PLEASE NOTE: WE LOVE MYSPACE AND WE ARE HAPPY TO ADD YOU AS OUR FRIEND. HOWEVER, PLEASE FORGIVE US FOR BEING SLOW TO RESPOND TO FRIEND REQUESTS OR MESSAGES. WE ARE VERY BUSY MAKING MUSIC!!! IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE BAND, BOOKING, OR OTHERWISE PLEASE CONTACT US THROUGH THE WEBSITE @ WWW.CYROBAPTISTA.COM



THANK YOU!!!



PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!!



One of the greatest Brazilian percussionists working today, Cyro Baptista has worked closely with Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, Trey Anastasio, Sting, Wynton Marsalis, Yo Yo Ma, Laurie Anderson and countless others. His newest band, Banquet of the Spirits is augmented here by an array of his most distinguished musical associates in a delightful program of experimental Brazilian pop songs. Another wonderful CD from the driving force of Beat The Donkey, Vira Loucos and so much more. - John Zorn



Special guests include:



* Kevin Breit (Casandra Wilson, Norah Jones, Supergenerous)

* Erik Friedlander (John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Courtney Love)

* Romero Lubambo (Gal Costa, Dianne Reeves, Trio da Paz)

* Ikue Mori (Fred Frith, John Zorn)

* Anat Cohen (Choro Ensemble)

* Zé Mauricio (Beat The Donkey)

* Chikako Iwahori (Beat The Donkey)

* Scott Kettner (Nation Beat)

* Peter Scherer (Laurie Anderson, Bill Frisell, Caetano Veloso)

* Pedro Ramos (Choro Ensemble)

* Maracatu New York



“Cyro follows an eclectic muse that helps him balance compositional

sophistication with bedrock propulsion.”

- New York Magazine



"wild, vivid entertainment.”

- The New York Times



"There’s nothing comfortably familiar here; Beat The Donkey’s highly

visual polyethnic (or perhaps omni-ethnic) high-voltage percussive

ensemble will push your mind to its limits. Don’t be scared, though;

Beat the Donkey puts on what just might be the most exciting live show

you’ll ever see. This is pure, addictive pleasure, fun and funny.

trust us, you’ve got to see it to believe it."

- Grassroots



"BEAT THE DONKEY is a life changing experience …a band that easily recalls the absolutely expert humor and musicianship of Frank Zappa"

- A.H., All About Jazz



“BEAT THE DONKEY BEAT is a product of unbridled imagination, intense musical knowledge, skill and a lust for sheer joy, fusing Brazilian styles with jazz, funk, rock and reggae to a point where unique, genre-less music is made”

-Benji Feldman, Relix Magazine



“This band has an entertainment jones, and the energy of their attack has a free-for-all physicality that keeps a smile on your face.”

-Jim Macnie, Village Voice, New York



"The man the stars call when they want that otherworldly flavor in the mix"

-Time Out New York



Since arriving in the U.S. in 1980 from his native country Brazil, Cyro Baptista has emerged as one of the premier percussionists in the country. Coinciding with the rise in the publics interest of world music, Cyro has managed to record and tour with some of musics most popular names. His mastery of Brazilian percussion and the many instruments he creates himself, have catapulted him into world renown.



With his own project, the percussion and dance ensemble known as 'Beat the Donkey' Cyro gives free reign to his imagination, mixing his tremendous musical skills, his natural humor and theatrical ways with instruments from Brazil, Middle East, Indonesia, Africa and US.



Cyro's credits read like a "Whos Who" of modern music. He toured extensively with Yo-Yo Ma's Brazil Project, Trey Anastasio's Band (of Phish), John Zorn's Electric Masada, Herbie Hancock's Grammy award winning "Gershwins World" , Sting and Paul Simon's "Rhythm of the Saints".



The wide range of artists Cyro Baptista has performed and recorded with include: David Byrne, Kathleen Battle, Gato Barbieri, Dr. John, Brian Eno, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Palmer, Melissa Etheridge, Laurie Anderson, John Zorn, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Michael Tilson Thomas, Daniel Barenboin, Bobby McFerrin, Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo-Ma, Medeski Martin & Wood, Spyro Gyra, Trey Anastasio from Phish, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Santana and Sting. He has also played with many respected Brazilian artists such as Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, Marisa Monte, and Nana Vasconcelos.



Cyro has performed on five Grammy award winning albums: Yo-Yo-Mas "Obrigado Brasil", Cassandra Wilson's "Blue Light 'Til Dawn", The Chieftains' "Santiago", Ivan Lins' "A Love Affair", and Herbie Hancocks highly-acclaimed "Gershwin's World".



A documentary on Cyro's main project, Beat the Donkey, was recorded for the prestigious WGBH-TV Boston program 'La Plaza' won 3 New England EMMY Awards in 2002, and continues to air on PBS stations nationwide. Cyro collaborated with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for a Brazilian Carnaval modern jazz concert.



The first Beat the Donkey album, (TZADIK) was picked by The New York Times as one of the ten best alternative albums of 2002. Readers of JAZZIZ and DRUM magazine voted it as "Best Brazilian CD of the Year" and named Cyro "Best Percussionist of 2002." Downbeat Magazine's 51st annual critics' poll selected Cyro as "Rising Star" in percussion.



Cyro' first solo recording, Villa Lobos/Vira Loucos, a heady mix of his own compositions with the work of the brilliant Brazilian composer Heitor Villa Lobos, has been acclaimed as "the most courageous, bright, funny, dramatic, and imaginative work in recent memory."



Blue Note Records released Supergenerous, a duo CD recorded with guitarist Kevin Breit (KD Lang, Cassandra Wilson). Billboard called Supergenerous "pure aural pleasure" and the Washington Post noted it "a marvelous debut that manages to feel outside and intimate at the same time."
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