Larry Williams
Grammy-nominated producer, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Larry Williams has performed, co-produced and toured with the greatest musical artists on some of the best-selling albums and films in music history for over 35 years. Having studied classical and jazz on a scholarship at Indiana University, he is known for his proficiency on both keyboards and woodwinds (saxes, flutes and clarinet), Larry’s contributions can be heard on over 1500 records, movies and commercials.
A founding member of the seminal band Seawind in 1975, Larry has gone on to record with a who’s who of the music industry including: Green Day, John Mayer, Paul McCartney, Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Prince, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Placido Domingo, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, Herbie Hancock, Chic Corea, Rod Stewart, Simply Red, Joni Mitchell, Don Henley, The Pussycat Dolls, Natalie Cole, Patti Austin, George Benson, Dionne Warwick, Steve Vai, David Foster, James Newton Howard, Patti LaBelle, The Pointer Sisters and Frank Sinatra among many others and has had a long recording and touring association with five-time Grammy winner Al Jarreau.
Larry credits Quincy Jones as his mentor with whom he recorded over 30 projects including Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall”, “Bad” and “Thriller” – the biggest selling album of all time.
Larry produced eight (8) tracks on the “Alexandra Jackson: Legacy & Album” album, including the Top 20 Billboard hit “All One” (featuring Al Jarreau and Oscar Castro-Neves), and “Corcovado” (featuring Miles Davis, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Ivan Lins).
Teo Lima
Teo Lima, short for Teófilo Pereira Lima, is a drummer, producer and Brazilian composer. He began playing trumpet, but found his true vocation in the drums. Due to his successful international career, Lima is the Latin America brand ambassador for the world's largest drumhead company, Remo.
In the early 70s, Teo Lima formed the band Sururu de Capote, along with Sizão Machado (bass) and Luiz Avellar (keyboards). Teo also accompanied the great Brazilian singer / composer / musician Djavan for many years.
In 1993, Teo founded the Batacotô band and produced their first CD, which included special guest appearances by Gilberto Gil, Dionne Warwick, Ernie Watts, Lenin, Ivan Lins, Jerry Goodman, Bororó, and Sivuca. The CD "Batacotô" made its mark in Brazil, after having one of the songs “Confins”) added to the soundtrack of the Rede Globo soap opera "Renascer". The song was also recorded in Spanish to attend to the demand of the Latin market.
In the years 1999 and 2000, Lima toured with Ivan Lins in Japan to promote the release of the CD "Viva Noel", which was produced by him in honor of Noel Rosa. This association lasts until this day.
A couple of years later, the third album "Batacotô 3" was released featuring many important musicians of the Brazilian music industry. The track "Que Deus ajude" enjoyed the special collaboration of Djavan -- to homage the Sururu de Capote band, who accompanied him in the 1970s. Lenine and Dionne Warwick also participated in the album by recording the song "Lua Candeia". Another significant participation was the guitarist of the group Barão Vermelho, Roberto Frejat, in the song "Nereci" by Djavan.
In 2010, Teo released the CD "Djavan Também é Samba" inspired by the singer’s repertoire. Lima was, and still is, considered the most qualified interpreter of Djavan’s music due to his familiarity with it. Besides the Brazilian audiences, the CD was mainly marketed at foreign markets such as United States, Japan, and Europe.
All in all … during his long career as a drummer, Lima has also performed and recorded with the most important stars of Brazil and the world. The list includes Edu Lobo, Gal Costa, Elis Regina, Xuxa, Ivan Lins, Djavan, Gilberto Gil, Stevie Wonder, Ernie Watts, Dionne Warwick, among many others.
Teo is the drummer (on over 20 tracks) on the “Alexandra Jackson: Legacy & Album” album. Executive Producer / Producer considers Teo “the anchor” of the overall project.
Pretinho da Serrinha
Angelo Vítor Simplicio da Silva, also known as Pretinho da Serrinha, grew up in the Serrinha community in Rio de Janeiro. There, he learned to play percussion as a kid by watching the samba school’s drum section. Sometime later, he took lessons in cavequinho. At the age of ten, he entered the Pena Vermelha samba school’s drum section. At that same time, he was invited to join the Império do Futuro, a children’s samba school of the Império Serrano, becoming the drums director at a very young age. The nickname "Pretinho" arose because of the song "A banda do Zé Pretinho" by Jorge Ben Jor, one of the most influential musicians from Brazil.
In 2003, he created the project "Trio Preto + 1" (Black Trio +1), alongside the percussionists Miudinho, Nenê Brown, and Didão. Only six months after releasing the first album with his group, Pretinho had already placed his composition "Alma de Guerreiro" (Soul of the Warrior) as the opening song of the soap opera "Salve Jorge" (Save George) on Globo TV, sung by Seu Jorge. That June, came the album ... In October, the soap-opera, Salve Jorge debuted with a song composed by Pretinho at the opening: "Alma de Guerreiro” sung by Seu Jorge, with whom he has worked with for over a decade.
Pretinho has worked with Seu Jorge, Caetano Veloso, Maria Rita, Marisa Monte, Sergio Mendes, Marcelo D2, Lulu Santos, Dudu Nobre and Beth Carvalho, among many others.
"Pretinho has become one of the best musicians from Brazil ... precise and inventive. With Black + 1 Trio, he has renewed the energy of samba," says the singer Caetano Veloso, with whom the band played at the Flying Circus, one of the most coveted stages of the city.
"Pretinho Serrinha is a great artist, of extreme confidence, not only at work but in life as well. I'm lucky to have this guy as part of my career,” melts Seu Jorge.
Pretinho appears on over a half dozen tracks on the “Alexandra Jackson: Legacy & Album” album, and is featured with Alexandra and Samba legend Dona Ivone Lara on “Sonho Meu” and “Forca da Imaginacao.”