New album - Frutos do Nagé -

Dominique & Jesper Hedegaard Sound of Brasil

I wrote the samba Fruits of Nagé when I lived on Nagé Street in 1983 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. My composition is a tribute to Samba de Roda (Samba in a Ring), which UNESCO declared part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage in 2005.

It is an approximately 300-year-old tradition where people take turns dancing in the middle of the ring while others sing and clap. In the 80s, it was common to experience Samba de Roda on beaches near my residence on the weekends.

I had a strong connection to the city of Santo Amaro, which is part of the Recôncavo region, the heartland of Samba de Roda, with strong African bonds. Nagé is a clay bowl used to offer food to the saints in the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé.

This album is a long-desired project that finally came through. And I’m happy to count on the participation of three of Brazil’s foremost musicians: Rômulo Duarte on bass, Ale Damasceno on drums, and Dominique on vocals. I am also fortunate to have long-time co-musician Alexander Kraglund on violin, viola, harmonica, and vocals. This is the first recording of Fruits of Nagé.

When I saw the video of Dominique singing on the TV program THE VOICE BRASIL in 2023, where the judge, after her brilliant performance, compared her to Elis Regina, I said to myself – that’s the singer I have been looking for. We are happy to have her composition Carnaval Fora de Época (Carnival Out of Season) on the album.

We are greatly honored by the participation of these guys from Santo Amaro: Agnaldo Antônio de Oliveira Nascimento – pandeiro, Marcos Vinicius Conceição dos Santos – atabaque and Djalma Santana Júnior – Marcação, on the samba Fruits of Nagé.

Cesar Machado, Brazilian drummer, arranger, and teacher December 1, 2024: “It’s easy to discuss this album by the great pianist Jesper Hedegaard. With exquisite arrangements and compositions, with a very Brazilian flavor and impeccable execution, the album stands out for the harmony and swing of the musicians, with special emphasis on the voice of the great singer and the precise insertions of violin, viola, and harmonica, which enrich each track with great subtlety and sensitivity.”

Carnaval Fora de Época – Carnival Out of Season by Dominique. Time 03.54
Cadê a Marreca – Where’s the Duck by Arismar do Espírito Santo. Time 07.13
Time to Change by Jesper Hedegaard. Time 05.20
O Que É o Amor – What is Love by Fred Camacho / Arlindo Cruz / Mauricão. Time 04.09
Pão de Cada Dia – Daily Bread by Jesper Hedegaard. Time 5.25
Lembra de Mim – Remember Me by Ivan Lins Time. 3.28
Samba Dobrado – Double Samba by Djavan Time. 5.08
Tetê by David Feldman Time. 6.33
Frutos do Nagé – Fruits of Nagé by Jesper Hedegaard. Time 4.50

Line up: Dominique (BRA) – vocals, Alexander Kraglund (DK) – violin, viola, vocals, and harmonica, Jesper Hedegaard (DK) – piano, Rômulo Duarte (BRA) – bass, Ale Damasceno (BRA) – drums.

Many thanks to Statens Kunstfond and Koda Kultur for their grant support for this publication. Recorded on 7 and 8 of October 2024.

Nyt

New album – Frutos do Nagé

Dominique & Jesper Hedegaard Sound of Brasil