Charlie Dennard is currently the MD and keyboardist for Cirque du Soleil’s touring production “Totem”.
2012 Tour dates
Jan-Feb @ London, UK (Royal Albert Hall)
Feb-March @ San Jose, CA
April-May @ Sand Diego, CA
June-July @ Boston, MA
Aug-Sept @ Washington, DC
Oct-Nov @ Atlanta, GA
Happy New Year everyone! It’s really something special to be back in London this year performing at the Royal Albert Hall. Although it’s a bit cold and rainy, we’re still enjoying visiting all of the numerous historical sights and exploring what this city has to offer as much as possible… Cheers!!!
The newest Cirque du Soleil CD “TOTEM” has just been released and I have the pleasure of playing Hammond organ, accordion and keyboards on a few tunes. The composers (Marc Lessard and Guy Dubuc) did a superb job with the music, arrangements and production and I am very honored to have been a part of the process… Thanks to everyone who was involved and long live “Totem”!
It’s never a dull moment here in Sao Paulo. Lot’s of traffic, confusion and complicated situations… but amidst it all is a real sense of excitement and inspiration that is reflected in the music, food and culture. Just last night we went to a small club where the band was playing traditional choro music and we ate a delicious local dish of pumpkin and dried meat… Muito bom!
It’s great to be back in Brazil this month! We’re spending our weekdays in São Paulo and weekends at Gargolandia (www.gargolandia.com.br) one of the best recording studios in the world. It’s been especially nice to catch up with old friends and family here and just absorb as much music as possible…
Cirque du Soleil’s newest touring production “Totem” is based on man’s evolution and has a soundtrack that fuses native indian music from around the world. It has been a very unique experience to be involved in the creation and ongoing development of this extraordinary show. Come and see us perform in a city near you!
Montreal, Canada – until July 11, 2010
Quebec City, Canada – July-August, 2010
Amsterdam, Netherlands – September-December, 2010
London, England – January-February, 2010
Happy New Year everyone! While there’s a few feet of snow on the ground here in Monteal and it’s well below freezing I’ve been video-chatting with my wife Mariana down in Brazil where it’s extremely hot and sunny (she’s at the beach in Rio de Janeiro!) and it’s been really interesting to see the extremely different images that our mother Earth has to offer in real time! 2010 is starting to look promising for us as Mariana finishes up her tour of Brazil with Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam” and I start working on the creation for the newest Cirque 2010 touring production as the keyboard player and bandleader. Here’s to a great new decade and let’s make it one of the best ever… Cheers!
The new Uptrio cd is now available worldwide! Here’s an excerpt from the liner notes by Larry Goldings:
“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… just plain good music.”
I’m happy to announce that the Uptrio (www.uptrio.com) has just signed a contract with Doodlin’ Records and our first album is scheduled to be released this fall. The Doodlin’ label is headed by Pete Fallico and specializes in Hammond organ players. Pete has had a weekly radio show called the Doodlin’ Lounge (www.doodlinlounge.com) for many years and back around 2004 he interviewed me on the show and continues to play selected recordings of mine from my New Orleans days… Thank you Pete once again for being such a dedicated and hard working individual and for supporting such rare art forms as jazz and instruments such as the Hammond!
It’s hard to believe that I’ve actually been living in Brazil for over a year now… I was thinking about this the other day as a helicopter landed on top of one of the office buildings behind our apartment here in Sao Paulo. With over 18 million people (and growing!) Sao Paulo has attained the status of the 4th largest city in the world and has done so more rapidly than any other metropolis on the planet. It’s a crazy place but I love it and it really is the cultural centre of S. America. Virtually everything exists here and I’m really enjoying my studies and the new projects that I’m involved with. Speaking of which – I have a new Brazilian organ trio featuring Thiago Pinheiros (drums) and Daniel Andreotti (guitar) that is currently in the studio recording a new all original jazz CD and my Electrolounge project with DJ Rene is rehearsing for some upcoming shows with GrooveSamba. You can preview some of the music here: (www.idisk.mac.com/charliedennard-public). My last couple of gigs with Pedro Alterio (myspace.com/pedroalterio) went really well also and we’re getting closer to recording his new album and doing more concerts in the near future too… Hope everyone is doing well amidst this global financial crisis that we’re having – but please remember to support the arts and think about peaceful and positive things! Until next time…
