Adriana Giordano
Vocalist Adriana Giordano is an effervescent presence on the bandstand. Leading with a deep passion for the Brazilian music of her homeland, she sings with a mesmerizing lyricism that is infectious, enthusiastic and authentically heartfelt. Her melodic finesse and rhythmic acuity weave seamlessly, allowing her to soar effortlessly over the groove and to open up each song in a new and exciting way.
Her influences include Elis Regina, Joyce Moreno, Tom Jobim, Milton Nascimento, Filó Machado, Baden Powell, João Bosco, Gilberto Gil, Djavan, Monica Salmaso, Dani Gurgel, Tatiana Parra, Clara Nunes, Luíz Gonzaga, Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, and Duo Assad, to name a few.
Adriana performs and colaborates with a variety of groups and musicians in the Seattle area, including septet En Canto.
Eric Verlinde
Pianist Eric Verlinde has excited audiences worldwide with his energetic and passionate performances. His music touches the very soul of the listener. He has played with Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker, Eric Alexander, Terell Stafford, Mark Murphy, Luis Conte, Thelma Huston, Don Lamphere, Jay Thomas, Buddy Cattlet, Greta Matassa, Luis Peralta, Bryan Lynch, Hadley Caliman, Francine Reed, and Bobby Medina.
He is in high demand and is constantly performing, refining the sound and creating new music. His different groups create music that is pure, creative, spontaneous, superbly structured and melodic.
Dean Schmidt
Dean Schmidt is an electric bassist currently based in the Pacific Northwest. Dean studied music in Los Angeles at the prestigious Musicians Institute of Technology and through the many world class musicians at MIT he was exposed to different idioms such as jazz, Latin, Brazilian and world music.
After spending six years in Los Angeles playing with different bands, he was hired by the legendary James Burton (Elvis Presley's guitarist) for a year stint in Waikiki, Hawaii, playing with his son Jeff Burton. After that successful show, he relocated to Seattle, where he established a career as a freelance and studio bassist.
He has since traveled the world playing in Turkey, South East Asia, Mexico and Japan. He also spent six years on and off performing with singer Jane Powell on Norwegian Cruise Line. In the last two years he has performed live with Grammy award winning singer Melissa Manchester and LA based jazz group The David Becker Tribune.
In addition to his extensive live performance schedule, Dean can also be heard on the on the soundtracks to the Academy Award Winner "The Blind Side" as well as on "The Great Buck Howard," starring John Malcovich.
Dean's solo record "I Know Nothing" was released by Origin Records in 2006.
Jeff Busch
Jeff Busch is an exuberant drummer/percussionist, vocalist, and composer whose passion for soulful music of varied traditions has led him to perform with jazz, blues, and gospel groups--as well as calypso, samba, and Cuban jazz ensembles.
From 1988-96, Jeff studied fine art and music in Leeds, England. He studied percussion and drum set with Dave Hassel, calypso with steel drum master Dudley Nesbitt, and later Brazilian percussion with Jesse Bannister. In Leeds, he first worked as a percussion accompanist for dancers at the Northern Contemporary Dance School, The Phoenix Dance Company, and The Northern Ballet. Now based in Seattle, Jeff continues this work for the Cornish College of the Arts and for Janelle Keane's Afro-Brazilian dance classes at the University of Washington Experimental College.
In 1997, Jeff spent six months in Brazil and studied with a variety of percussionists including Edmilson Costa Teixeira, Gilo do Pandeiro, and Mestres Memeu and Lazaro from Olodum. In 1998 Jeff returned to Brazil and had the opportunity to play and perform with the Jovino Santos Neto group, which included drummer Marcio Bahia, bassist Arismar do Espirito Santo, and saxophonist Hans Teuber.
Currently, Jeff continues to perform with a variety of groups in the Seattle area, including the Jovino Santos Neto quinteto; Cuban jazz groups Rumba Abierta and Tumbao, led by pianist Julio Jauregui; and Cuban dance band Mango Son, led by Roberto Sanchez. He is the drummer at First AME church and also plays for pianist Kent Stevenson as well as gospel singer Patrinell Wright.
Jeff continues to teach percussion to people of all ages both privately and in schools and universities. He is currently the recipient of a King County Arts grant for a recording project entitled "Drums and Voices - Contemporary Spirituals," which is a collaborative effort with gospel singer Patrinell Wright.
About Us
EntreMundos Quarteto is an electrifying Seattle-based band who bring to the stage an uplifting and kinetic mix of deep Brazilian roots flavored with world rhythms—a deft blending of funk, jazz and soul melding with the classic sounds of samba and bossa nova. EntreMundos means “between worlds,” and the group’s mélange of seductive sounds embodies their name, stirring a personal and uncommon blend into a sound with universal appeal.
With the elegant and lilting vocals of Adriana Giordano, the superbly versatile Eric Verlinde on piano, and the locked-in rhythm section of Jeff Busch on drums and percussion and Dean Schmidt on bass, EntreMundos Quarteto deliver the goods: Seductive, sparkling and substantial, light as a feather but with a deep, earthy groove, and guaranteed to move the hips and lift the soul!
EntreMundos Quarteto is available to perform at festivals, clubs, house concerts and private events. Some of the venues where the band has performed include the Columbia City Theater, The Triple Door and The Royal Room in Seattle, Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville and the BAAY Theater in Bellingham.
EntreMundos Quarteto also anchors the hugely popular weekly EntreMundos Jam Sessions at Capitol Cider on Capitol Hill every Monday night. Featuring a guest list of Seattle’s finest musicians from many genres as well as the Quarteto’s own music, the Monday jams are a must-see—a lively international music block party!
The band is releasing its long awaited first full album, Brasilidade. Stay tuned for more info!