Facing South
Cross-cultural Acoustic Magic
Featuring Amanda Tiffin (vocals), Dave Leadbetter (guitar, vocals), Guilherme Ribeiro (accordion, piano) and Hein Van De Geyn (double bass)
The Facing South Quartet hails from 3 corners of the globe: Africa, Europe and South America. South African vocalist/pianist Amanda Tiffin and long-time collaborator, guitarist, David Leadbetter (South Africa/UK) team up with Brazilian maestro pianist /accordionist, Guilherme Ribeiro, and internationally acclaimed Hein Van De Geyn (Netherlands) on double bass to present cross-cultural, multi genre-spanning acoustic magic, on their brand new album release, recorded in Cape Town, South Africa.
The new album, also entitled Facing South, is available on all digital platforms; physical copies can be ordered directly by emailing info@amandatiffin.com.
Amanda Tiffin and David Leadbetter are long-time Cape Town-based musical collaborators, who have performed extensively on various stages in South Africa. The duo met Brazilian pianist and accordionist, Guilherme Ribeiro at a Music Educators conference in 2016, and there was an instant, and deep musical connection.
From Sao Paulo, Brazil, accordionist and pianist, Guilherme Ribeiro is an acclaimed musician who has appeared and toured with a veritable who’s who list of Brazilian artists. He is also a respected composer and soloist in his own right, whose music is a blend of contemporary and Latin jazz with a strong Brazilian identity.
Hein Van De Geyn, Dutch bass player of international renown (having played alongside Chet Baker, Lee Konitz and a long list of jazz who’s who) is also now a Cape Town resident, and seemed a perfect fit to complete the quartet.
The quartet performs a selection of original material with a cross-genre flavour rooted in jazz, with compositions and collaborations from all members of the ensemble. The music has a gentle acoustic, yet improvisatory core, and is infused with world jazz styles: Brazilian, European and African influences.
Songs feature soaring lead vocal melodies, scat improvisation and intricate vocal ensemble arrangements in interplay with delicate acoustic guitar melodies, jazz piano harmony, fiery accordion solos, all underscored by the rich tone of the double bass.
Uniquely for a recording in the world/jazz genre, there is no drummer – rhythm is provided by the guitar and bass, and on some tracks by vocal and body percussion.
The recording process began in Cape Town in 2017, and was finally completed late 2018, for release in 2019. To celebrate the release of the album, the four reunited for several performances, including the Standard Bank International Jazz Festival 2019 in Makhanda, and for two sold-out concerts in Cape Town.
Streaming and download links for Facing South:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/facingsouth/facing-south
