About Us
LiquidJazz™ is a music label located in ths USA devoted to jazz and brazilian music with wonderful harmonies and solos. It is distributed via all digital stores and by Amazon.com as on demand cd's.
For any enquiries please write to Liquidjazz@gmail.com
Fernando Gelbard, Founder of LiquidJazz™
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I am Fernando Gelbard. I started with music at a very early age interested in Brazilian music, at the time, and some swing. My real discovery of music was when I met the incredible Jorge Calandrelli in Buenos Aires. When I heard his first chords playing piano I discovered a new world. His music accompanies me to this day.
You will see in this label an assortment of avant-garde, Brazilian music and jazz.
I find it difficult to explain music. The best way to expose music is to listen to it. But I could say that my first album was with Chivo Borraro, master Jazz saxophonist from Argentina, with whom I worked for 10 years, from 1965 till 75 in Buenos Aires. I did work with other local Jazz musicians including Gato Barbieri when he lived in Argentina and had some wonderful experiences. Some of those recordings are and will be released in LiquidJazz™.
I owned Estudios ION, the most prestigious recording studio in Argentina. Artists like Astor Piazolla recorded in my studio. From my office I could listen to some great music!
In 1976 I emigrated to Beverly Hills, California, USA. I started playing with local musicians like Sam Most and Frank Collett (I play piano and flute). Then I was inspired to become a producer. At the same time I surrounded myself with some of the most prestigious names in the music industry. One day I called Rob McConnell in Toronto and told him “I want to produce an album with your band.” He almost hang up but then kept listening so I told him, “Why don’t I send you a cassette with the tunes? I would like to include a couple of arrangements by Jorge Calandrelli”. There was silence on the other end of the line. He reacted and said “OK, send everything”. Well, I produced two albums with the Boss Brass available in this label. One featuring Phil Woods, another featuring arrangements by Jorge Calandrelli plus Canadian Jazz Royalty like Guido Basso, Ed Bickert, Arnie Chycoski, and others that you will see on the credits. I also produced an album with Jazz stars Guido Basso, Frank Collett, Andy Simpkins and Terry Clarke.
On the side, I had the privilege of becoming a member of the Board of Directors of The New American Orchestra, a charitable institution that requested money from corporations and commissioned symphonic works by Jazz musicians. I was Chairman of the Musical Committee and among the members of that Committee were Henry Mancini, John Williams and others. We produced many symphonic works. Notably Jorge Calandrelli’s “Clarinet Concerto” performed by the Orchestra and Eddie Daniels as soloist. Other commissioned works included compositions by Lalo Schifrin, Marty Paich, Clare Fischer, Stan Getz, John Clayton and Pete Rugolo to name a few.
At the same time, Sam Most and I became very good friends. We worked together and I decided to produce recordings. The first one “Any Time, Any Season” with arrangements by Jorge Calandrelli, Dori Caymmi and Christian Chevallier. It was recorded partly in Los Angeles and the rest in London with the wonderful UK Strings conducted by Jorge Calandrelli.
You will find on my label several albums by my dearest Sam Most.
I only worked with one singer in my musical career, Maria Puga Lareo. It ended up as an album, “Facetas”, available on this label, in which Maria sings an incredible a capella arrangement by Luis Baetti of Tom Jobim’s “Angela”, with 9 voices, most sung by Maria. The album also included other tunes with legendary Eddie Gomez on bass.
I have many stories to tell but those will be beyond the scope of this introduction. But if you are curious write me to liquidjazz@gmail.com
Fernando Gelbard
Beverly Hills, June 2018
