Norah Jones Returns to Rio on Dec. 16th

By Chesney Hearst, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – American singer-songwriter Norah Jones, will bring her unmistakable vocals and internationally successful jazz inspired, country-tinged pop melodies to Rio’s Vivo Rio stage on Sunday, December 16th. The tour is part of the slightly dark and sultry sounds from her latest solo studio album release, “Little Broken Hearts.”

When last in Brazil during a 2010 tour in support of her fourth studio album, “The Fall”, the nine-time Grammy Award winner played Leblon’s Oi Casa Grande and also held a free concert in São Paulo’s Parque da Independência.

Performing this year first at Porto Alegre’s Teatro Araujo Vianna on Wednesday, December 12th and then at São Paulo’s Via Funchal on Saturday, December 15th, the Rio show will mark her last stop in Brazil during the current tour.

“I can’t wait to see her live,” said Rio resident and fan Malu Faletti. “This album shows that she’s growing more and more as an artist. It’s different and I was surprised at first but I love it.”

The result of a collaboration with Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton), who co-wrote and produced the album, Little Broken Hearts consists of personal but not directly autobiographical pop tracks that deal mostly with the topics of breakups and heartbreak.

Not surprisingly, Burton, having produced albums by Beck, The Gorillaz and The Black Keys and also having performed as one half of Gnarls Barkley alongside Cee-lo Green, brought a different feel to Jones’ established sound. On Little Broken Hearts Jones’ typically honey-toned vocals morph into more of a thick ink seeping into Burton’s more substantive and at times slightly more up-tempo sounds.

“Vocally, it doesn’t get any better than Norah Jones,” says animator and creator of the television series “Family Guy”, Seth MacFarlane during a recent episode of the show “Iconoclasts”. The two were paired to discuss their respective careers and recent seemingly unlikely collaboration.

Jones not only sings “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” for MacFarlane’s recent movie “Ted”, but also makes a brief cameo appearance.

The daughter of famous, Indian sitar player, Ravi Shankar, Jones was raised in Texas. She spent most of her teenage years estranged from her father and as a result developed a completely different style than his.

Jones began playing the piano at the age of seven and later studied jazz piano the University of North Texas. At the age of twenty Jones moved to New York and performed as a lounge singer at local bars.

There she debuted some of the songs that would go on to become part of her first release “Come Away With Me.” A massive international success, the album including the singles, “Don’t Know Why”, “Feelin’ the Same Way” and the title track, “Come Away with Me,” went on to win five Grammy Awards and sell 25 million copies worldwide.

The now 33 year-old Jones is expected to play both her massive hits and newer material on Sunday night in Rio. Doors will open at 8PM and Jesse Harris will be the opening act .

Who: Norah Jones
Where: Vivo Rio – Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85 – Parque Flamengo – Flamengo
When: Sunday, December 16th, 8PM
At the time this report was filed tickets were still available through Ingresso Rapido
for the sections of Camarote AA and Camarote BB for R$450 and R$380 respectively.

* UPDATE: Due to the recent death of her father, famed Indian sitar player, Ravi Shankar, singer Norah Jones has canceled shows in Porto Alegre, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. “I have made the difficult decision to cancel the rest of the scheduled tour dates in Brazil in order to be with my family after my father’s passing. My dad will be greatly missed. I’m hoping that my Brazilian fans will understand and accept my sincerest apologies for the cancellations. I hope to be back in Brazil again soon,” Jones posted on her Facebook fanpage Wednesday.