Uplifting by UPTRIO

UPTRIO
Charlie Dennard – Keyboards
Dani Andreotti – Guitar
Thiago Pinheiro – Drums



UPTRIO is comprised of three dedicated musicians all living in Sao Paulo, Brazil…

Dani Andreotti began playing guitar when he was 15 years old. Jimi Hendrix was one of his first influences but soon after, a recording of Miles Davis would point him in the direction of jazz. Daniel’s improvisational skills excel when matched with fine melodies and advanced harmonies. He has written over eighty songs and is furthering his catalog as a member of UPTRIO.

Drummer Thiago Pinheiro began playing piano when he was two years old and at four, he composed his first song. When he was eleven years old, Thiago actually played with Stevie Wonder. Over his twenty year career, he has played with such distinguished musicians as DJ Patife, Men at Work, Paralamas do Sucesso, Billy Cobham and Toninho Horta. Today Thiago devotes his heart and soul to the task of drumming for UPTRIO.

Organist and keyboard wizard Charlie Dennard comes to UPTRIO from the Crescent City aka New Orleans, LA. Over the years, Charlie has performed in a number of interesting settings - not the least of which was the internationally recognized act known as ‘Cirque du Soleil’. His love for the Hammond began when he played with Louis “Beaver” Hite - Jack McDuff’s nephew. Beaver introduced Charlie to great jazz organists like Jimmy Smith and Larry Goldings.

In fact, here is Larry Goldings with his take on the UPTRIO…

“Why is it that if a jazz organ trio doesn't focus primarily on the blues, they are often dubbed ‘a thinking man's organ trio’? Personally, as someone whose group has been given this label by more than a few critics, I find this to be somewhat objectionable on two counts. First, ‘thinking man's organ trio’ implies the players and/or the music they play are lacking in feeling, and can be appreciated only on a cerebral level. Second, it implies that a blues-oriented organ group doesn't do a whole lot of thinking. Both assumptions are misguided. We're all aware of the organ's rich and wonderful role in the history of Gospel, Blues, and Soul, but when an organ group deviates from these traditions, we need not become suspicious, or confused, or over-analytical. We just need to listen.

The UPTRIO is one such group that deserves to be listened to, with no predetermined expectations of what an organ trio should sound like. While Daniel Andreotti is often out front stating the melodies (historically the guitarist took the backseat in the organ trio format), there still is plenty of space for organist Charlie Dennard and drummer Thiago Pinheiro to make their distinct voices known. Throughout this disc of original compositions, the UPTRIO deals in strong melodies, unexpected chord progressions, lyrical improvisations, and high-spirited group interaction. They can swing, groove, and emote on many levels.

This is not "thinking man's music." It's just plain good music.

Larry Goldings
September 2009
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Certainly few would think that a jazz organ combo would hail from Sao Paulo, Brazil, but that is where the UpTrio calls home. A native of New Orleans, organist Charlie Dennard leads this bluesy, grooving, and swinging triad, teamed with fellow residents of tropical South America in guitarist Daniel Andreotti and drummer Thiago Pinheiro. They play a set of all-original music, sharing composition duties, and balancing their instrumentation with no signals of any one instrument dominating. Though Andreotti plays most of the lead lines, it's in tandem with Dennard's soulful comping and the steady drumming of Pinheiro with no traces of samba or bossa nova. The band is a bit cliché in the two-note, light, and breezy groove similar to "Song for My Father" of "Loser's Green Card," and Andreotti's slightly tart, stinging sound is unmistakably based off that of Grant Green, as heard during the enjoyable melody of "Alika Is in Love." The introductory track, "Candybar" mixes up clockwork beats with funky boogaloo, recalling the Detroit sound of Bill Heid or Lyman Woodard, with a Bobby Broom-cum-Wes Montgomery melody, and establishes the group concept perfectly. Bop is also a big part of the trio's inner soul, as represented by the really good swinger "The Sun Makes You Smile," a less fervent "Boppin' Around," or the weirdly titled, four-minute quickie "Einstein's Fried Cat." There's a certain elegance to the band, less gritty, more polished on the completely relaxed and simple "Parisian Breeze" or the light funk of "Luana's Bones," but the sprightly waltz "Walda" gives UpTrio more food for thought as to the unique identity they are striving for. Perhaps "Out of Rush" is their most challenged track, moving from 6/8 time in a swaying, cute groove that has a universal appeal to both chitlin' circuit and mainstream jazz listeners. Upon further recordings, it will be interesting to see if this group chooses to advance a progressive aesthetic à la Larry Young, or goes the route of liner note author Larry Goldings into an even more contemporary direction.
Review by Michael G. Nastos