Luciano Antonio

So I contacted him once, he was quick to get back in touch with me. We spent two weeks trying to work out the logistics of the occasion because I live out of state from the woman that I adore. It was her birthday that weekend and I was looking for a way to make it totally unforgettable. Anyway, he was more than flexible when things got out of order and the schedule got mixed up. We ended up planning a subtle session in the hotel in which I was staying for the days I was in Chicago. He arrived totally on time, I disappeared shortly to get him situated and let him set up and then went back to meet my girlfriend. I took her to the room where he was already playing softly, asked her to close her eyes before we walked in and you should have seen her face when I asked her to open them. He was softly playing and she was in awe of the occasion. I asked her to dance with me while he sang and played and we were lost in the beauty of the Bossa Nova style and classic renditions/adaptations of amazing love songs from The Beatles to amazing Brazilian musicians. Luis was a total professional the entire time, charming with his skills and passion for music and definitely a part of a great memory. I consider him a friend after helping out like he did and will always ask for him whenever I'm in the city. He really helped me create a lifelong memory for my love, something she can always cherish no matter what.

Last night at the Mayne Stage Theater, I had the privilege of attending a concert featuring the Luciano Antonio and Neusa Sauer Quartet. If ever there was such as a thing as a musical love letter to Brazil, this show was it. The guest artists Silvia Manrique, Gaby Vargas, and Jack Zara were all non-Brazilian, but they performed with just as much talent and
love in their hearts for Brazilian music as any carioca or paulista.
The format of the show and the choice of compositions showed that
Luciano wanted to ensure that each featured artist showcased the best
of their talents. For example, the songs featuring duets with Luciano
and Neusa and Luciano and Silvia beautifully evidenced why Neusa and
Silvia are two of Chicago's best female voices in Brazilian music; and
Jack Zara's acoustic bass solo during "Pierrot" was one of the best of
the evening, not to mention the virtuoso abilities of Gaby Vargas when
playing choro. In addition, the mutual respect that the artists shared
for each other was most evident in the interpretation of Luciano's
original compositions, namely Silvia's vocals and Gaby's flute playing
in "Aos filhos do Brasil" and Breno Sauer's (reknown Brazilian pianist
and Neusa's husband) arrangement of "Abandono," another of Luciano's
originals. So many of us Chicagoans expect to dance until our feet
fall off when attending a performance of Brazilian music, but when the
stage is filled with musicians that make us want to stop to just
listen, it's a wonderful treat. Mayne Stage was the perfect venue for
a performance which raised the bar for the performance of Brazilian
music in Chicago, and I look forward to more experiences like this in the near future!