From Swing to Samba: Music of the US and Brazil at Berklee School of Music

Being a journalism student at Boston University allows you access to a lot unique opportunities around Boston. When I decided that I wanted to hear what the big deal was with those talented Berklee kids, I found an event online that appealed to me, and directly contacted the girl who was performing. She was fine with it, and three days later, there I was, with my camera at a Berklee Student Recital.

Rebecca Nicole Chubay is a vocal performance major and fourth semester student at Berklee. She has an affinity for jazz and Latin rhythms, which is what her very first Berklee recital consisted of. On Thursday Oct. 25, Chubay hosted a night of Swing and Samba, a marriage of two musical genres, at Berk Recital Hall.

RebeccaNicoleChubayFINAL from Julia Ardila on Vimeo.

Here is a more in-depth interview with Chubay about why she chose to cover bossa nova and jazz for the show. The phrase bossa nova means literally "new trend," and was developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s. A lyrical fusion of samba and jazz, it has remained a vital part of the standard jazz repertoire. Chubay's Brazilian musical numbers included "Corcovado," "Flor de Lis," and "Alguem Cantando."

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in black communities in the Southern United States. Chubay's jazz numbers included "If I were a bell,” “All of me,” “I wish I knew,” “Center piece,” "Solitude," and "They can’t take that away from me."


With free admission, Chubay's program proved to be an accessible feast for the ears.

 

Featuring:

Voice - Rebecca Nicole Chubay

Piano - Ricardo Curto

Guitar - Amit Cohen

Sax - Zach Giberson

Flute - Milena Jancuric

Bass - HyoYoung Kim

Drums - Josue Raymond

Percussion - Zayra Ocasio

Special Guest Vocalists - Francisco Ruiz and Tracy Robertson