Art & Culture

Band from São Paulo stands out in Italy's blues scene

Published

January 25, 2019

Paulistas won the award for “Best Italian Blues Band 2018”. Photo: Disclosure

Band from Limeira, in the interior of São Paulo, is awarded at international blues festival

If the conventional path for a band is to seek success in their home country and then dream of touring internationally and winning fans in other countries, for Jambow Jane, it was completely the opposite. Members of the same family – and who live in Italy –, the musicians from Limeira, in the interior of São Paulo, won the award for “Best Italian Blues Band 2018” at the Pistoia Blues International Festival, and this month they will begin their first world tour, playing in Austria, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, starting in Brazil. And the debut will be in Limeira, this Friday, at Bar da Montanha.

In 2001, Flávio Prada, an architect from Limeira, decided to leave Brazil and moved with his wife and three young children to the welcoming Italian town of Riva del Garda. An amateur musician with a passion for rock and blues, Flávio honed his skills on the guitar and guided his wife and children towards learning music and musical instruments. His wife, Marly, resumed her piano and keyboard studies, which she had played since she was eight years old; his sons, Julio and Marcelo, took up guitar and bass; and his daughter, Beatriz, began taking singing lessons. “Suddenly, we had a band,” he recalls.

Introducing themselves as Prada Family, the “band” began to make small appearances in bars with famous covers of well-known songs. But Flávio's artistic and literary streak spoke louder and he began to write some songs. “When we saw it, we had half a dozen songs and we started experimenting at shows and then Jambow Jane was born.”

As the songs appeared and were tested at shows, the group decided to record a CD – and it was a surprise when the record began to be sold during the performances. “That was when we discovered that we had an audience that was really interested in what we were doing”, says Flávio. And that's how Jambow Jane established itself as an original band and started participating in festivals.

They make two presentations in Limeira, this Friday and Saturday, at Bar da Montanha and Maverick Thematic Bar & Emporio. Next Wednesday, he will perform in São Paulo, at Bar Charles Edward. More information at www.jambowjane.com.

By Liberal newspaper