Hot Tropical Nights. Radames Gnattali and his composition for quintet

• 7 November 2026 | 8.00 pm
• Brotfabrik Berlin, Caligariplatz 1

Quinteto Radamés Gnattali (Rio de Janeiro)

Tribute to Radamés Gnattali

• Eudinho Soares – electric guitar
• Ira Shiran – accordion
• Tom Maciel – piano
• Trigo Santana – bass
• Axel Filip – drums

With ‘Hot Tropical Nights’, they pay tribute to two outstanding composers who blended jazz, popular music and classical music in a unique way. The concert opens with a tribute to Radamés Gnattali (1906–1988), one of the most significant Brazilian composers of the 20th century.

Gnattali was a classically trained pianist, composer and arranger. He wrote concert works as well as film scores, arranged for radio orchestras (Radio Nacional) and created pioneering compositions that blended choro, samba, jazz and art music. With works such as the ‘Samba em Tres Andamentos’, his concertos and chamber music pieces, he developed a distinctive musical language and, above all, entirely new ensemble formations, including the quintet featuring electric guitar and accordion, as well as the ‘Camerata Brasileira’, a unique, genuinely Brazilian chamber orchestra.

The focus of the evening is on his quintets – fascinating works that bridge the gap between chamber music and jazz, which are being performed in Germany for the first time. The basis for this programme is the handwritten manuscripts from the composer’s estate, which his nephew Roberto Gnattali has made available for this project.

A quintet comprising outstanding musicians from Berlin’s jazz and Brazilian music scenes has been specially assembled for this concert. Under the musical direction of Trigo Santana, they will interpret Gnattali’s works from the perspective of improvised music, thereby offering a fresh perspective on his oeuvre.

2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Radamés Gnattali’s death – a special occasion to rediscover his extraordinary body of work in Germany as well.

Supported by the ‘Jazz 2026’ project funding scheme of the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.