INTERVIEW WITH PAUL OKAMI

english

A musician like Joyce doesn't emerge from a vacuum. She has a genetic, cultural, and environmental inheritance which are supportive of her development. Part of the environmental inheritance of a musician is the work of other artists she may have encountered and assimilated during her development. Honoring one's musical ancestors and predecessors is good karma! Bearing this in mind, we have included short multi-media biographies of some influences on Joyce's music. This list is not necessarily entirely complete. However, it is based entirely on Joyce's own words. She writes us:

 

"The 'Influences' section is quite a big one, but you seem to be aware of most of it....

As a singer, I can mention a great influence from American jazz, one of my favorite singers ever, June Christy. Her album 'Something Cool' was a favorite at home, ages ago. And I still can hear some of her phrasing in my own singing style - translated to Brazilian music, of course."

 

As a guitar player, all my generation owes a lot to Joao Gilberto, of course, and from the jazz players' team, I should say Barney Kessel. But in my personal case, I learned a lot from Dori Caymmi (not Dorival, the father, whom I also love, but Dori, the son, who recorded with me on 'Astronauta', and did the arrangements for my first LP, back in '68 - he's a great guitarist who taught me a lot).

 

As a composer, it's 99,9% Jobim - but check the Thelonius Monk inside my tune 'Hard Bossa'... I think we all listen to so many things, keep them cooking inside and then, when you less expect, they come out somehow.)

 

There are also Heitor Villa-Lobos and Ravel and Debussy, in the classic department... and Gershwin, of course. And the traditional samba of Rio, too, Noel Rosa and so many others.

 

Sylvia Telles, Ella and Miles should be listed in the singing influence. Miles stands here for the lack of vibrato, his signature and a model for me. I'd like to sing the way he plays. I also have to mention, in the harmonic concept, people like Bill Evans (the pianist, of course), Gil Evans and Hermeto Paschoal as arrangers, and one of my masters, the great Luiz Eça."