Sandy Cressman’s Homenagem Brasileira embraces the diversity of Brazil’s musical traditions. Cressman is well known for her passionate and rhythmic singing of the repertoire of the great composers and performers of Brazilian Jazz, and for several critically acclaimed CDs, Homenagem Brasileira and Brasil-Sempre no Coração. Her devotion to and study of the music of Brazil have led to a number of musical friendships with notable contemporary Brazilian musicians. In 2017, Sandy released a CD of all original Brazilian Jazz compositions, created in collaborations with such notable musicians as Jovino Santos Neto, Spok, Antonio Adolfo and Ian Faquini.
In 2015 and 2017, Cressman was a featured vocalist on the main stage of Carnaval in Recife, Brasil. Sandy and her husband Jeff also performed and taught as part of an exchange project called “Do Jazz ao Frevo” sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of State in 2017. Sandy has performed her repertoire with Brazilian, European and American musicians across the U.S., Europe and Brazil.
The 2023 Monterey Jazz Festival show is a tribute to composer/vocalist/guitarist Milton Nascimento, for which Cressman was awarded an S.F. Arts Council Artist Grant in 2022, and will feature the following musicians:
Sandy Cressman – voice/percussion
Jeff Cressman – trombone
Natalie Cressman – trombone/voice
Murray Low – piano
David Belove – bass
Dillon Vado – drums
Ami Molinelli – percussion
Julianna Cressman – dance
Samara Atkins – dance
