Berklee Welcomes Dani and Debora Gurgel Quarteto for Signature Series Concert

Berklee Welcomes Dani and Debora Gurgel Quarteto for Signature Series Concert The virtuosic foursome will visit the college for a weeklong residency, culminating in a performance with students at the Berklee Performance Center.

By

Daniel Pesquera

January 25, 2024

Dani and Debora Gurgel Quarteto, also known as DDG4, will kick off Berklees 2024 spring Signature Series with a concert at the Berklee Performance Center.

Image by Murilo Alvesso

Berklee is honored to welcome the Dani and Debora Gurgel Quarteto, also known as DDG4, one of the most dynamic and acclaimed bands in contemporary Brazilian music. The quartet will be visiting the Boston campus and engaging with community members during a full-week residency, culminating with Dani & Debora Quarteto Meets Berklee, a concert that kicks off the college's spring 2024 Signature Series on February 15 at the Berklee Performance Center.

Known for its energetic live performances and compelling blend of jazz and the musical roots of their home country, the group consists of the mother-daughter duo of pianist Debora Gurgel and vocalist Dani Gurgel, along with Latin Grammy-winning drummer and producer Big Rabello and bassist Sidiel Vieira. In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, the foursome transformed into DDG19 Big Band-the title of the groups forthcoming album, which adds saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and flutes into the fold, marrying the rich sound of a modern jazz orchestra with Brazilian rhythms.

Weve been working on educational projects for the better half of the last decade, said Dani Gurgel, whose inventive style of scat singing has helped the quartet standout over the past decade. We are so honored that Berklee professor and musician Fernando Brand o has used some of our books in class and was able to produce this entire residency. In this brand-new project, we expanded the DDG4 quartet into the DDG19 Big Band, and we are thrilled to collaborate on these compositions with such talented Berklee students and professors!

DDG4 performs at Cotton Club in Tokyo, Japan.

Image courtesy of the artists

Tsuneo Koga

A select group of 16 student performers will join DDG4 on stage to play songs from DDG19 Big Band, all of which are original compositions by Dani and D bora Gurgel and Big Rabello, arranged by Debora Gurgel. Students Ian Coury and Gabriel Maia will be featured as guest soloists on mandolin and guitar respectively, and two different all-student quartets will replace DDG4 for one song each.

The residency will provide opportunities for several Berklee departments including Bass, Percussion, Piano, Voice, Ensemble, and Music Production and Engineering, as well as the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice to engage with each member of the band during interactive workshops, master clinics, and recording sessions. The visit to Berklee is the first stop of a stateside tour for DDG4, where they will be joining local big bands around the country to perform the music of DDG19 Big Band, and host additional workshops in schools and colleges around the country.

All impressive musicians on their own, the Brazilian quartet DDG4 is a true ensemble: tight, groovy, and interactive, said Brand o, the concert and residency producer. Their harmonically rich compositions, creative lyrics, and captivating rhythmic section arrangements craft a musical experience that not only mesmerizes the listener but also stands out in the landscape of contemporary Brazilian music. We are honored and grateful to welcome Debora, Dani, Sidiel, and Big to Berklee, and we are excited to see them engage with our student artists and performers.

The concert is directed by Utar Artun, assistant professor of ensemble. Admission is $15/$20 in advance and $20/$25 on the day of the show. This show will be seated. Tickets are available online.

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