Michael Pipoquinha @ Ronnie Scott's

Michael Pipoquinha has been taking the international jazz scene by storm. According to Victor Wooten, one of the most important bass players of all time, the young Brazilian “is taking the bass to the next evolution. He is at the top of the pyramid. He can play bass lines, solo, chords. He's got the Brazilian rhythm, the Latin rhythm, the funk rhythm." Being linked to the likes of James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke, among other greats, Pipoquinha has already jammed alongside John Patitucci and collaborated with the English jazz sensation Jacob Collier. Guilherme Arruda Aranha went to see what all the fuss is about at the bass player’s debut UK show at Ronnie Scotts.

by Guilherme Arruda Aranha

Calling Pipoquinha a virtuoso can be a misleading label (spoiler alert: he is). There are plenty of virtuosos out there who play fast and furious, which is frequently good for inflating their egos but can be quite boring for the audience.

This is decidedly not the case here. Pipoquinha, from the countryside of Ceará state in Northeastern Brazil, is a humble star: his impressive skills always serve the music, never the other way around. Currently touring Europe to showcase his new album Minha Pele (My Skin), already recorded but yet to be released on streaming platforms, the 30-year old child prodigy who began performing professionally at age 11, is joined by three other talented Brazilians: Josué Lopez (sax), Thiago Almeida Sousa (keyboards) and Renato Galvão (drums). The band sounded tight, organic and natural, never far-fetched, reaching the audience with warmth and joy.

The quartet delivered a blend of modern jazz, solid grooves and Brazilian rhythms — and, the icing on the cake, Pipoquinha's debut as a singer, with a beautiful and assured voice. With impressive confidence, he sang and played an exquisite Djavan groove, Lugar Comum (Common Place), and six songs of his own, including Mamãe Luiza (Mummy Luiza), a goosebump-inducing love letter to his mother, and Tosse (Cough), this time with the audience joining him as backing vocals.

By the time the show finished, I was left with the uncanny feeling that Pipoquinha was a cherished friend I’d known forever, though I had never spoken to him directly. That, perhaps, is the power of his music and one sensed the audience at Ronnie Scott's knew they were lucky witnesses to it.

"Pipoquinha is a complete musician," Wooten once said. "He just happens to play the bass." I doubt Wooten foresaw that Pipoquinha could also sing, but I would bet it comes as no surprise to him. Keep one eye and two ears open, and book your table quickly for next time he comes to London.

Michael Pipoquinha: bass and vocals
Josué Lopez: sax
Thiago Almeida Sousa: keyboards
Renato Galvão: drums
Production: Thiago Pellegrino and Ana Guimarães – Ana Luz Produções