All graphic design and Illustrations for "Uai Sô" by Rita Figueiredo 1. Amargura e Doçura (Music by Benji Kaplan, Lyrics by Rita Figueiredo) Lineup: Ben Kono (Conductor) Benji Kaplan (Nylon string Acoustic guitar and Vocals) Jonathan Challoner, (1st Trumpet) Alex Nguyen, (2nd Trumpet ) Matthew McDonald, (1st Trombone) Elizabeth PW, (2nd Trombone) Ben Stapp, (Tuba) Anne Drummond, (1st and 3rd Flute) Dominique Gagne, (2nd Flute and 4th Flute) Ben Goldberg, (Bass Clarinet) Remy Le Boeuf, (2nd Bass Clarinet) Kyra Sims, (1st and 3rd French Horn) Elizabeth Harraman (2nd French Horn) Sam Sadigursky (Tenor Saxophone) Recorded at Avatar Studios: 441 west 53rd street New York, NY 10019 Recorded and mixed by: Vinicius Castro Composed, arranged & produced by Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 2. Uai Sô (Music by Benji Kaplan) Lineup: Mauricio Zottarelli, (Drums) Vitor Gonçalves (Accordion) Itai Kriss (1st Flute) Anne Drummond (2nd Flute) Remy Leboeuf (Bass Clarinet) Rob Wilkerson (1st Clarinet) Janelle Reichmann (2nd Clarinet) recorded by Studio without borders in multiple apartments Recorded and mixed by: Vinicius Castro Assistant Recording Engineer: Will Neal 2nd assistant engineer: Thiago Miojo Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi composed arranged and produced by: Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 3. Lagrimas na Areia (music by Benji Kaplan & lyrics by Luiz Simas) Lineup: Conductor: Ben Kono Benji Kaplan (Nylon string Acoustic guitar and Vocals) Jonathan Challoner, (1st Trumpet) Ben Stapp, (Tuba) Anne Drummond, (1st Flute) Dominique Gagne, (2nd Flute) Elizabeth Harraman (French Horn) Klaus Mueller (Keyboard/sound library/Percussion instr.) Recorded at Avatar Studios: 441 west 53rd street New York, NY 10019 and Studios without borders Recorded and mixed by: Vinicius Castro Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi composed arranged and produced by: Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 4. Chorando em Oração (music by Benji Kaplan) Lineup: Benji Kaplan (Nylon string Acoustic guitar) Mauricio Zottarelli, (Drums) Itaiguara Brandão (Electric Bass) Klaus Mueller (Piano) Dominique Gagne (Flute) Recorded at: Flux Studios Inc. 154 east 2nd street, New York, NY 10009 Recorded and mixed by: Vinicius Castro Assistant engineer: John Muller Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi composed, arranged and produced by: Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 5. Rabiscando (Para Guinga) (Music by Benji Kaplan & Lyrics by Pedro Dias Carneiro) Lineup: Benji Kaplan (Nylon string Acoustic guitar and Vocals) (woodwinds) Harar Noiberg(Flute 1) Anne Drummond (Flute 2) Marc Phaneuf (1st clarinet) Peter Hess (2nd clarinet) Remy Leboeuf (Bass Clarinet) (Strings) Christiana Liberis (1st violin) Jon Weber (2nd Violin) Carrie Frey (viola) Maria Jeffers (Cello) recorded by Studio without borders in multiple apartments Recorded and mixed by Engineer: Vinicius Castro Assistant Recording Engineer: Will Neal Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi composed arranged and produced by: Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 6. Ceú Aberto (Music by Benji Kaplan & Lyrics by Pedro Dias Carneiro) Lineup: Benji Kaplan (Nylon string Acoustic guitar and Vocals) (woodwinds) Harar Noiberg(Flute 1) Anne Drummond (Flute 2) Marc Phaneuf (1st clarinet) Peter Hess (2nd clarinet) Remy Leboeuf (Bass Clarinet) (Strings) Christiana Liberis (1st violin) Delaney Stockli (2nd Violin) Leonor Falcon (viola) Maria Jeffers (Cello) Recorded by Studio without borders in multiple apartments Recorded and mixed by Engineer: Vinicius Castro Assistant Recording Engineer: Will Neal Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi composed arranged and produced by: Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 7. Fuga de Alcatraz (Instrumental version) (Music by Benji Kaplan & Lyrics by Makely Ka) Benji Kaplan (Nylon string Acoustic guitar) Jonathan Challoner (1st Trumpet) Alex Nguyen (2nd Trumpet) Matthew McDonald (Trombone) Shelley Huang (Bassoon) Remy Leboeuf (Oboe) Ben Kono (1st Bass Clarinet) Ben Goldberg (2nd Bass Clarinet) Vitor Gonçalves (Accordion) Recorded at Avatar Studios: 441 west 53rd street New York, NY 10019 Recorded and mixed by Engineer: Vinicius Castro Composed, arranged & produced by Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 8. Sempre Mudando (Music by Benji Kaplan) Lineup Benji Kaplan (Nylon string Acoustic guitar) Jonathan Challoner, (1st Trumpet) Alex Nguyen, (2nd Trumpet ) Matthew McDonald, (1st Trombone) Elizabeth PW, (2nd Trombone) Ben Stapp, (Tuba) Anne Drummond, (1st and 3rd Flute) Dominique Gagne, (2nd Flute and 4th Flute) Ben Goldberg, (Bass Clarinet) Remy Le Boeuf, (2nd Bass Clarinet) Sam Sadigursky (Tenor Saxophone) Recorded at Avatar Studios: 441 west 53rd street New York, NY 10019 Recorded and mixed by Engineer: Vinicius Castro Composed, arranged & produced by Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 9. A Gente se Manifesta (Music and Lyrics by Benji Kaplan) Lineup: Benji Kaplan (Vocals) (Woodwinds) Itai Kriss (1st Flute) Anne Drummond (2nd Flute) Remy Leboeuf (Bass Clarinet) Rob Wilkerson (1st Clarinet) Janelle Reichmann (2nd Clarinet) (Strings) Christiana Liberis (1st violin) Jon Weber (2nd Violin) Carrie Frey (viola) Maria Jeffers (Cello) Recorded by Studio without borders in multiple apartments Recorded and mixed by Engineer: Vinicius Castro Assistant Recording Engineer: Will Neal 2nd assistant engineer: Thiago Miojo Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi composed arranged and produced by: Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 10. Valsa da Metrópole (Music by Benji Kaplan & Lyrics by Rita Figueiredo) Lineup: Benji Kaplan (Vocals) Jonathan Challoner, (1st Trumpet) Alex Nguyen, (2nd Trumpet ) Matthew McDonald, (Trombone) Ben Stapp, (Tuba) Anne Drummond, (1st and 3rd Flute) Dominique Gagne, (2nd Flute and 4th Flute) Ben Goldberg, (1st Clarinet) Ben Kono (2nd Clarinet) Remy Le Boeuf, (Bass Clarinet) Sam Sadigursky (Tenor Saxophone) Kyra Sims, (1st and 3rd French Horn) Elizabeth Harraman (2nd French Horn) Recorded at Avatar Studios: 441 west 53rd street New York, NY 10019 Recorded and mixed by Engineer: Vinicius Castro Composed, arranged & produced by Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 11. Fuga de Alcatraz (voice and guitar version) (Music by Benji Kaplan & Lyrics by Makely Ka) Lineup: Benji Kaplan (Acoustic nylon string guitar & Vocals) Recorded by Studio without borders in multiple apartments Recorded and mixed by Engineer: Vinicius Castro Assistant Recording Engineer: Will Neal Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi composed, arranged and produced by: Benji Kaplan Co-Producer: Vinicius Castro ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 12. Óculos cor de Rosa (Music & Lyrics by Benji Kaplan) Lineup: Benji Kaplan (Vocals) (Woodwinds) Jess Schmitz(1st Flute) Ben Kono (2nd Flute) Mike McGinnis(1st Clarinet) Rob Wilkerson (2nd Clarinet) John Ellis (Bass Clarinet) (Strings) Sara Caswell (1st Violin) Joyce Hammann (2nd Violin) Lois Martin (Viola) Jody Redhage Ferber(Cello) Recorded at: Systems Two Recording Studios 117 Ditmas Ave. Brooklyn, NY, 11218 Recording Engineer: Max Ross Assistant Engineer-Joe Marciano mixing Engineer: Vinicius Castro Mastering engineer: UE Nastasi *Vocals recorded by Studios without borders in home location by Vinicius Castro composed, arranged and produced by: Benji Kaplan contracting/co-production/space setup/organization: Jody Redhage Ferber ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// About the CD: His Latest album release here entitled "Uai Sô" seems to be his most ambitious one to date: Comprised of all original compositions formatted for a variety of instruments arranged by Benji Kaplan, including string quartets, woodwind quintets, various Brass ensemble configurations, and some more traditional instrumentation i.e.(Piano,bass,Drum,Guitar and Accordion). Although in Previous years, the primary focus of Benji's records was purely instrumental music, this album is his debut of -Vocal-centric songs (canções). written over the past 5 years or so, many of which are in partnership with acclaimed lyricist/composers from Brazil including Makely Ka, Pedro Dias Carneiro, Luiz Simas, and Rita Figueiredo. The arrangements wander to very intriguing unpredictable places filled with harmonic colorings. Benji likes to describe it as if you were putting sounds from the forests and jungles (the birds, beasts, swamps, lakes, and insects) in to the musical landscape of the album and transposing them for all the wind/brass and strings to give them a new life, mixing with his palette all the harmonic colors and melodies that he loves including the romantic/modern classical greats as well as his Brazilian and Jazz artist heroes like Chico Buarque, Jobim, Guinga, Ernesto Nazareth and Edu Lobo. Artist Bio: Son of a Cuban father of Russian-Jewish origin and an Austrian-Jewish mother, Benji grew up hearing various types of music and languages as a young child, especially (Yiddish, German, Spanish Hebrew and English), and had contact with the culture and language of his parents including various Middle Eastern groups and, Ladino music (Ancient Judeo-Spanish folk songs) Brazilian and African music. He can still recall, his parents putting on albums of Clara Nunes, Hermeto Pascoal, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Dorival Caymmi, Canhoto da Paraiba and many others on There is even physical evidence of this kept in his family home videos that his parents made of Benji when he was less than 3 years old grooving to Jobim and Joao Gilberto's music with a blissful smile from ear-to-ear in his pajamas! Through his percussionist father, Benji started playing Dumbek at age 6 in which he demonstrated a highly sophisticated sense of rhythmic creativity. He began playing guitar professionally at the age of 15. He has traveled and played in Rio, Sao Paulo, Minas Geraes and the Brazilian Northeast(Recife, Olinda, and Fortaleza). Benji Has received accolades for his intricate guitar compositions and in particular is admired by Guinga, the most recognized composer post-Jobim." Benji began to take an interest in guitar at the age of 11 when he saw a colleague at school playing. By the age of 15 he began playing professionally in clubs and for private events in New York city and the greater New York area. He also began at that period, becoming obsessed with bossa novas like the songs of Tom Jobim until, at 17, finally traveled to Brazil and strengthened his relationship with Brazilian music, acquiring what he calls "a deeper spiritual connection and understanding of this music in his heart. " He has since traveled to Brazil multiple times to study, perform and teach in Rio, Sao Paulo, Minas Geraes and the Brazilian Northeast(Recife, Olinda, and Fortaleza) Benji Has performed in renowned jazz/world music venues such as The Zinc Bar, The ShapesShifter Lab, Dizzy’s Club of Lincoln Center, Smalls, The Cornelia Street Cafe and the Legendary Rio de Janeiro club "Beco das Garrafas". He has shared the stage/performed and studied with a wide variety of great musicians including: Junior Mance, “Killer” Ray Appleton(Wes Montgomery) Bernard Purdie (Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin) Benny Powell,(Count Basie), Chico Hamilton, Barry Harris, and Rodney Jones (Dizzy Gillespie)