Last December Chico Blues Records out of São Paulo, Brazil, released the debut album of singer Bia Marchese. The album was so good that she won The BLUES JUNCTION Etta James Award for Best Female Vocalist of the Year. It was an extraordinary accomplishment and Bia Marchese is just getting started. Her approach to this material eschews the vocal histrionics and cliché-ridden traps that plague so many who wade into these treacherous waters. Instead a certain grace, maturity and charm are infused into the source material provided by a wide variety of artists. The album was produced by the very accomplished bass player and long-time member of the Igor Prado Band, Rodrigo Mantovani. Enjoy a conversation I had with Bia Marchese.

David Mac (DM): Greetings Bia. Congratulations on your new CD, Let Me In on Chico Blues Records. When I first heard this album a couple of months ago I knew right then that you were someone with whom our readers would take a great interest.

Bia Marchese (Bia): Thanks David. I’m so glad you like the new album.

DM: Where are you from Bia?

Bia: I was born and still live in São Paulo, Brazil.

DM: Is English your first language? I ask because one of the biggest struggles people have with interpreting this music is the nuances of the English language, not to mention the African-American dialects that are present in the blues. It is very difficult for most people, yet you nailed it.

Bia: English is not my first language, but I did start speaking English and Portuguese simultaneously. My mother had this interesting kind of crazy system where me and my sisters had to speak English half a day and Portuguese the other half. So, If I´d say any Portuguese sentence when we were on the English half, she wouldn´t answer me. This went on until my teens.

DM: Do you come from a musical family?

Bia: Yes, I do. My mother is a great singer, she doesn´t do it professionally anymore, but she used to.  Also, I have a very musical family and there are many musicians in my family that couldn´t afford to do it professionally, but are still and always very connected with music.

DM: What are some of your earliest exposures to music?

Bia: I think all of my first memories have music involved in it. As I said, my mother is a singer and my home was filled with music all the time.  She encouraged us (me and my two sisters) to sing and play instruments since we were very, very little.

DM: What did you listen to?

Bia: First I listened to music my parents did, lots of traditional Brazilian songs and some American songs and Italian songs, so many different things. 

DM: Do you remember some of your earliest exposures to American music?

Bia: I was exposed to American music when I was very little, but my first really strong memory regarding American music was when I was around seven years old and my parents had just bought our first CD player, we didn´t have any CD´s to play and I remember going to a drugstore where they had this sale selection album, my father bought for me and for a long time it was the only CD I had. So, the album had three Jackson Five songs.  I just couldn´t stop listening to it. I remember thinking, it was the best thing I had heard until that day.  

DM: Did you have any musical training or study in school?

Bia: No, I didn´t. But I did have private piano lessons when I was around 5 years old until I was 8.

DM: Let’s talk about your educational background.

Bia: I have a degree in Literature and Portuguese Grammatik.

DM: Was there a moment in your life when you became aware of your talent or aptitude for singing?

Bia: I’m still looking forward for that moment to come (laughing). Starting to sing was something that happened very naturally in my life, especially because I was around music all the time. I always loved so much doing it. However, I was also very critical about myself. So, I´ve been singing since I´m a kid, but I never had the thought, ‘I´m talented so I´m going to sing.’ I just kept singing, but was always very aware that I have so much to improve.

DM: Is singing something that you always wanted to do?

Bia: Definitely it is.  But I was not always secure about really doing it.

DM: When did you have any idea that you could do this professionally?

Bia: That was another thing that happened without me being completely sure about it. I really wanted to, but at the same time I was confused and insecure. First, I was insecure on how I was going to support myself with my singing, I couldn´t afford that. Second my music project was not Brazilian music and I didn´t know how being Brazilian and not singing in Portuguese was going to work around here, I love Brazilian music and I do love singing Brazilian songs, but it wasn´t the project I wanted to do at the time.

DM: Were there any people who have been important from a support and/or encouragement standpoint?

Bia: Yes, I had a lot of encouragement from friends and family, but especially Rodrigo, my parents, my sisters, and Chico Blues have been so supportive.

DM: Do you recall any particular recordings that had an impact on your musical development?

Bia: I would say those Jackson Five songs were probably the first recordings that had impact on my musical development, at least the first that I´m aware of, because I was very little. Another recording that had impact on me was a Billie Holiday album that I found in my house when I was around 11 years old. What was interesting was that the album cover didn’t have her picture and I had never heard about her until that day, so I thought she was a guy.  When I started to listen, I was shocked with her voice.  So many others recordings had impact on me, but those two were the first ones. Others would come later.

DM: For instance…

Bia: David there are so many singers who have influenced me, but lately I´ve been inspired by Ann Cole, Ray Charles, Sister Wynona Carr, Bessie Smith, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, as I mentioned, Billie Holliday, Nat King Cole, Freddie King…and so many others.

DM: Were there other musicians whose phrasing on their instruments have had an impact on your phrasing of your instrument (your voice).

Bia: Absolutely, especially horns phrasing, it totally impacts my singing.  Actually, Rodrigo and I listen to a lot of horn sessions, while he studies tuba I keep trying to learn trumpet and saxophone phrasing with my kazoo. It completely influences my singing.

DM: Where and under what circumstances did you meet Rodrigo?

Bia: We met around 10 years ago in São Paulo. We had mutual friends and used to play together sometimes, between that we became great friends; at that time, I almost didn´t play my own gigs, just a couple from time to time. I was usually a special guest on someone else’s gig, but we were playing together already and it was fun!

DM: Let’s talk about his musical sensibilities and talents and how he has impacted your musicianship.

Bia: His musical sensibilities and talents impacts me every day. He is so talented and works so hard, that´s very inspiring.  He is incredibly musical and always aware of all the instruments. He sees the big picture and has definitely changed my music understanding. 

DM: At some point you started playing out in public. What were those early experiences like and how has that changed for you over time?

Bia: In my early experiences playing in public I was just a kid; my mother took me to her gigs and introduced me as a special guest (laughs). It started when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old. I was so shy, but at the same time I felt amazing. As I was growing, I kept singing in public from time to time in different situations so it felt somehow natural and comfortable.  But this feeling changed a lot when I started playing out in public with my own project and actually dealing with it professionally. It felt harder. I´ve been playing a lot in public this last four years and every new situation I have deal with, changes me. There is still so much to learn.  

DM: This brings us to the new album…your first. Was this your first experience in a recording studio?

Bia: It was not my first experience in a recording studio, I had others, but not with my own project. I did some recordings on other musician’s albums.

DM: How did you go about selecting the great material that you perform on Let Me In?  

Bia: Rodrigo and I did a lot of research. Chico Blues gave us some ideas too. It was hard to choose, so many great songs that I wanted to record, but the selection was based on the concept that we wanted to tell a history that would lead to a musical place that has inspired us.  

DM: If I may follow up on the previous question, there is such a huge variety of artists you chose for source material. Were these eclectic choices a very conscious decision or just songs you wanted to interpret?

Bia: That’s a great question, the choices were a very conscious decision, but not a 100% conscious. I believe there is always a part of every choice that is not entirely conscious. It was a hard process choosing the songs, like I said before; we wanted to tell a musical history and that wasn´t necessarily the most comfortable songs for me to sing or even the songs that would bring up the highlights of my voice. I guess I challenged myself with those choices. It wasn’t about interpreting random songs, it was all about digging a very special music territory. 

DM: Let’s talk a little about some of the musicians on the album. They of course deserve credit for making such a stellar record.

Bia: Thanks for bringing this up David. It was really special to me to have each one of these musicians on this album, they are not just amazing musicians, but also very special friends.  Leo Duarte is on the guitar and banjo, he is a 21-year-old boy who has a passion for the blues. He´s incredibly talented and such a wonderful person.  I´m very lucky to have him involved on this project; he has been on board since the very beginning. We play together all the time. We play in duo, trio or band settings.  He is very important to the music we´ve been doing. 

Humberto Zigler is on the drums. He is one of the most requested drummers in São Paulo. Humberto is so great and has so much musical versatility. No matter how much he is working or whom he is working with, he still gives all of his heart to each project.

Denilson Martins is on the saxophone and flute. He is one of a kind, the way he plays is a rarity in Brazil, plus he is full of charisma and shines on stage as well. He is in demand. All the bands are trying to catch him.

Luciano Leães on the piano and Hammond, he is an amazing piano and Hammond player, especially when it comes to New Orleans music.  Sidmar Vieira on trumpet was our very special guest on two songs, he is such an incredible musician.

DM: Is there anybody else you would like to mention? (laughing)

Bia: Let me think about that. Oh yeah…the bass and tuba player (laughing). He also played the guitar on the Willie Walker song. I guess I wouldn´t have enough space here to talk about the guy that made everything happen.

DM: Oh yeah…that Rodrigo guy. He is such a wonderful fellow and an immense talent, but I suppose I don’t have to tell you that. I’m guessing my dear friend Chico was a pretty big inspiration and help with this project.

Bia: He is the other one that made everything happen. He has been supporting the blues scene in Brazil for so many years. I just love working with him, he is so dedicated and so much fun to work with. He is definitely a very special human being.

DM: How did the Willie Walker song come about? It is a wonderful choice to include him on the record.  

Bia: I met him when he was touring in Brazil. Rodrigo played on almost all of his tours around here. The last time he came was with his own band and I traveled with them to help with the production. It was amazing. It is impossible not to be impressed with his powerful voice. So, when we decided to record the song Nobody But You, I and Rodrigo talked about how incredible it would be to have him singing that song. We decided to ask him if he would do it. Well, fortunately he said yes with that huge laugh of his. It is a dream come true to have him on this album. It was great to meet him and his wife Judy who was also so nice. She was also a big help with the recording.

DM: What is next for you Bia? Are there any plans to tour? Any travel plans outside of Brazil?

Bia: Yes, I do have plans to tour outside Brazil this year, we are working on that. Plus, we are already putting out some ideas for the next album. Until now the only thing I´m sure of is that we are definitely going to start a new album recording this year, but we are still developing the ideas for it.

DM: It will be a great pleasure to follow your career, which at this point is in its infancy. I look forward to meeting up with you and Rodrigo again sometime soon. Obrigado Bia.

Bia: Thank you so much David for taking an interest in my music. Obrigado…

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