Some years ago, on the way to a gig in VA, my teacher Jae Sinnett turned to me in the car and said, "I have something you HAVE to check out." He put in Chico Pinheiro’s 'There’s A Storm Inside' …. I was immediately blown away by the beauty, groove, sheer technical brilliance, and overall warmth and inviting vibe in every note.
Needless to say, I was an instant fan! Fast forward a few years and I receive a Facebook message, out of the blue, from a "Chico Pinheiro" letting me know he had recently checked out Keep On Keepin' On, and enjoyed my music. I had to have my buddy, Billy Williams Jr. take a look at Chico’s profile picture to ensure that it was actually him. I really couldn’t believe it was THIS musician, whose music I had been loving for the last few years. Billy said, "yeah man, it's him!"
After being blown away that this guy actually liked what I was doing, I responded and let him know the feeling was quite mutual. It was a very encouraging encounter and a testament to the positive kinds of interactions that are possible these days with the internet.
Fast forward again. I saw that Chico was performing in LA near where I used to live. After thoroughly enjoying the show, I went up and met him for the first time and had a blast chatting. I’m sure he was more excited to meet Candy, my Seeing Eye dog at the time, but that is completely understandable. During the gig, he mentioned that he was now residing in New York where I was booked to perform at the Jazz Forum, and decided to go out on a limb and ask if he might be interested in joining my trio for a couple nights. Amazingly, he was down! We had 2 incredible nights, and I couldn’t thank Chico, Evan Gregor, and Jimmy MacBride enough for making the music feel so comfortable and easy, despite its complexity and intricacy. Not to mention Chico’s graciousness in allowing us gringos to try our best to play his amazing and challenging music.
Despite coming from totally different parts of the world, we were able to come together and make music that felt like a perfect fit from the first downbeat. This is why I love music so much!
Fast forward to NOW, where I live in Virginia and on faculty at the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA. I'm very excited to say that we'll be performing at Zeiders American Dream Theater on MAR 22, 2024!
And, by the way, if you haven’t had a chance to check out Chico's music, do yourself a favor and do that now. You will be a better person for it! "There's a Storm Inside" "Two Brothers" "City of Dreams"
And, if you happen to be in the Virginia Beach area on March 22, 2024, please come through and say "hey!"
Hoping that all has been good for you, and thanks always for your support!
Peace,
Justin
