Scott Feiner Downloads

Scott Feiner is possibly the only North American pandeiro player living in Rio de Janeiro today. An ex-jazz guitarist from New York City, Scott discovered the pandeiro during his first trip to Brazil in 1999 and it was love at first sight. Most of his early playing and development took place in New... Learn More »

Scott Feiner is possibly the only North American pandeiro player living in Rio de Janeiro today. An ex-jazz guitarist from New York City, Scott discovered the pandeiro during his first trip to Brazil in 1999 and it was love at first sight. Most of his early playing and development took place in New York amid the Brazilian music community there, but eventually he moved to Rio in 2001 to follow his passion for Brazilian music and the pandeiro.

When he first arrived in Rio in 2001 Scott began working on his own documentary film called Meu Caração é um Pandeiro ("My Heart is a Pandeiro") about pandeiro players in Brazil. This endeavor greatly enriched his knowledge and understanding of the instrument, as it gave him the opportunity to meet many of the world's greatest pandeiro players, such as Jorginho do Pandeiro, Celsinho Silva and Marcos Suzano.

Eventually Scott began to became known as a pandeiro player in his own right. Rio's tradition of sitting in (called canjas in Portugese) helped him to evolve his playing and enabled him to play with some of the city's finest musicians, both on stage and in rodas (informal jam session-like environments). Some of the most memorable experiences have been with Wilson das Neves, Nelson Sargento, Moacyr Luz, Wilson Moreira, Beth Carvalho, Anjos da Lua, Teresa Cristina & Grupo Semente, Trio Madeira Brasil, Hamilton de Holanda, Claudio Jorge and Paulo Sergio Santos. These experiences have also given him the chance to play next to some of Brazil's top percussionists, such as Marcos Esguleba, Mestre Trambique, Marcelinho Moreira, Beto Cazes, Paulinho da Aba and Marcio Bahia.

Scott has performed on Brazilian television and has been featured in the press. Aside from the playing and recording he does with local musicians, he has performed alongside musicians from "back home". He has sat in with the legendary jazz singer Jon Hendricks at the Blue Note in New York City and with Jane Monheit at Mistura Fina in Rio de Janeiro.

Scott's latest project is a recording called Pandeiro Jazz which features the pandeiro in a new way — replacing the drumset in a jazz setting. He also runs the website pandeiro.com which is bringing the pandeiro to people around the world. In addition, Scott is awaiting funding that will enable him to complete his documentary film.
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