RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Saturday, December 22nd, the Gávea Jockey Club’s new events venue, ExC, will be hosting the ‘Jazz Ahead’ party, which will feature a live tribute to the ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson and superstar producer and Jackson collaborator Quincy Jones.
The evening has a line up of three top DJs plus live music courtesy of Bambina Philosophy. Describing themselves as ‘music for love making,’ Bambina Philosophy are an adventurous jazz, funk and pop band that are fronted by American expatriate Alma Thomas.
Demonstrating her versatility, Thomas only last weekend headlined the tribute to Nina Simone at Leblon Jazz Festival, and now she is set to return to the stage in Rio’s verdant neighborhood of Gávea with a stirring tribute to one of the most acclaimed collaborations in the history of popular music.
Jones and Jackson famously teamed-up on three spectacular albums, 1979’s ‘Off the Wall,’ 1982’s ‘Thriller,’ and 1987’s ‘Bad.’ Plenty of Jackson’s biggest hits came from this rich creative period, and fans of the King of Pop can expect to be treated to electric renditions of tracks such as ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,’ ‘Rock With You,’ ‘Thriller,’ ‘Billie Jean,’ and ‘Bad.’
Jones has been a long-time admirer of Brazilian music, and he even planned in 2007 to produce a film about the Brazilian Carnival celebrations, calling it “one of the most spectacular spiritual events on the planet.”
Jackson also has a connection to both Brazil and the Cidade Maravilhosa, shooting a video for his 1995 single ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ in the favela community of Santa Marta, where a statue of the late singer now stands.
What: Jazz Ahead Michael & Quincy Tribute
When: Saturday, September 22nd; 8 PM – 5 AM
Where: ExC, Rua Jardim Botânico, 1.011, 22470-051 Rio de Janeiro
Entrance: R$30 – R$150; available here