Scott Feiner’s musical story is not a common one. Not only is he an American pandeiro player, but he has also introduced this Brazilian hand drum to the world of jazz in a highly personal way.
A native of New York City, Feiner received a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies/Guitar at the Hartt School of Music, where he learned about jazz history from the legendary saxophonist Jackie McLean. In 1990 he returned to New York City and immersed himself in the jazz scene, gaining a reputation for his sense of swing and lyrical phrasing. During the early ‘90s Feiner led bands two nights a week at Augie’s (now Smoke), the world-renown club in Manhattan known as a meeting place for New York City’s best young jazz musicians. He recorded two CDs during that period - Under the Influence and Feiner’s Keepers - featuring musicians such as organist Larry Goldings and saxophonist Joel Frahm. In 1995 Feiner put the guitar down and spent several years away from the music scene.
In 1999, during his first trip to Brazil, Feiner discovered the pandeiro and it quickly pulled him back into playing music. He moved to Rio de Janeiro in 2001 to be closer to the instrument and Brazilian music in general. As he evolved as a player, he began to play with some of Rio’s finest musicians in the samba and choro scene. Just a few years after his arrival in Rio, Feiner had become a respected pandeirista.
It is Feiner’s innovative mixture of the pandeiro with jazz, however, that has truly set him apart. He calls his project "Pandeiro Jazz" and it was first documented on the CD Pandeiro Jazz (2006, Delira Música) which was recorded in New York City with guitarist Freddie Bryant, saxophonist Joel Frahm, and bassist Joe Martin. This recording is possibly the first jazz recording ever made with a pandeiro as the exclusive percussion instrument, in place of a drumset. After the success of Pandeiro Jazz, Feiner released Dois Mundos (2008, Biscoito Fino), recorded in Rio de Janeiro with trumpeter Jessé Sadoc, saxophonist Marcelo Martins, pianist David Feldman, and bassist Alberto Continentino. This CD was nominated for a 2009 Latin Grammy Award.
Feiner performs regularly at festivals and clubs around the world and is always experimenting with different formats ranging from duo to quintet. Besides the musicians from his regular working groups, Feiner has also featured many other stellar instrumentalists from New York and Brazil in his shows. Among others, Mark Turner, Seamus Blake, Chico Pinheiro, Hamilton de Holanda, Ricardo Silveira, Gabriel Grossi and Helio Alves, to name a few.
Feiner is also known for being an ambassador of the pandeiro, introducing people to the instrument around the world. A respected educator, he has given pandeiro workshops in the USA, Finland, Sweden, Austria and Slovenia. In the USA, he has also given presentations on the pandeiro and Brazilian music at the Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY), Williams College (Williamstown, MA), Uarts (Philadelphia, PA) and at the Percussion Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) 2008 in Austin, Texas. He also toured Mexico as a Jazz Ambassador for the US Department of State in 2009. Feiner created the Internet’s most widely known pandeiro-oriented website, pandeiro.com and is working on a documentary film called Meu Coração é um Pandeiro (My Heart is a Pandeiro).
» Some past performances & workshops
» Download a .pdf of the bio on the Presskit page
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"Mr Feiner treats the pandeiro as an expressive jazz instrument."
The New York Times
"Pandeiro Jazz in an innovation which deserves a wider audience."
All About Jazz-NY
"Scott Feiner is a soulful magnet for the fusion of Brazilian and jazz music"
Kurt Rosenwinkel
“I never realized the pandeiro could play jazz like this”
Robertinho Silva
"The pandeiro gets a new accent"
Jornal O Globo |
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