Just the 2 of Us & Friends

Audiences should expect beautiful bossa nova and Brazilian jazz. This can be presented both concert style and as background music. The bossa beat is so sensuous that some audience members may feel moved to dance.

Just the Two of Us & Friends performs bossa nova, samba, Latin jazz, Spanish boleros, jazz-inflected pop tunes, and songs from the Great American songbook. Lively and lush, romantic and rhythmic, energetic and chill, the music is inviting and infectious. Exquisitely crafted guitar and piano lines and textures underlie gorgeously haunting melodies sung in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. When the rhythm section of bass and drums comes along for the ride, the groove deepens and lures listeners to the dance floor.

In this newest of her jazz projects, vocalist Debo Orlofsky brings the versatility of her genre-spanning career to sing all the colors of jazz. Her honeyed alto delivers a sassy swing, connects powerfully to a ballad, and fits bossa nova like a velvet glove.

Pianist Mike Hua is not only a solid and commanding player, he is also a very expressive one. He brings jazz harmony to life with his creative playing. Jazz swing or bebop, ballad or jazzish pop, his love for improvisation shines.

Steve Hill is guitarist-about-town lending his prodigious chops and aesthetic sensibilities while drawing from a wide range of genres, including jazz, rock, R&B, and funk. His warm, resonant, and luminous guitar tone is used to good effect with his insightful and imaginative playing.

Bassist Maud Beenhouwer brings a warm and steady tone to the bottom along with tasty runs and melodic feel. Maud was recently inducted into the NM Music Hall of Fame. She is known locally as both a salsa pioneer and a driving force in the Latin jazz scene.

Speaking of driving, that's what drummer Brian Burton does for the group: kicking the groove into gear, lyrically nudging it, or expertly parking it. He has his finger on the pulse and keeps the music on its toes. Brian's rich experience as a session drummer and his energy to spare keep it all fresh.

Staging is simple for the duo. We have some light duty sound reinforcement equipment that we bring in. If anything bigger is required, this would be a separate expense above and beyond the performance fee. Lighting would have to be provided by the venue or client. For the 4-piece, some light drum mic-ing might be required

Important rider info - that the equipment and performers be protected from the elements; some sort of sunshade or rain cover as weather dictates