Scott Feiner & Pandeiro Jazz | Lyrics, Song Meanings & Music Videos

Scott Feiner’s musical story is not a common one. Not only is he an America… Read Full Bio ↴Scott Feiner’s musical story is not a common one. Not only is he an American pandeiro player, but he has also found a way to introduce this Brazilian hand drum to the world of jazz in a highly personal way. A native of New York City, Feiner received a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies/Guitar at the Hartt School of Music, where he learned about jazz history from the legendary saxophonist Jackie McLean. In 1990 he returned to New York City and immersed himself in the jazz scene gaining a reputation for his sense of swing and lyrical phrasing. During the early ‘90s Feiner led bands two nights a week at Augie’s (now Smoke), the world-renown club in Manhattan known as a meeting place for New York City’s best young jazz musicians. He recorded two CDs during that period - Under the Influence and Feiner’s Keepers - featuring musicians such as organist Larry Goldings and saxophonist Joel Frahm. In 1995 Feiner put the guitar down and spent several years away from the music scene.

In 1999, during his first trip to Brazil, Feiner discovered the pandeiro and it quickly pulled him back into playing music. He moved to Rio de Janeiro in 2001 to be closer to the instrument and Brazilian music in general. As he evolved as a player, he began to play with some of Rio’s finest musicians in the samba and choro scene. Just a few years after his arrival in Rio, Feiner had become a respected pandeirista.

It is Feiner’s innovative mixture of the pandeiro with jazz, however, that has recently received the most attention. This project was first documented on Pandeiro Jazz, recorded in New York City in 2005 and released in 2006 by the Brazilian label Delira Música. He then recorded Dois Mundos for the Biscoito Fino label in Rio de Janeiro, released in 2008. Feiner performs regularly at festivals and clubs in Brazil, the United States and Europe, with two versions of his group – one based in New York City (with guitarist Freddie Bryant, saxophonist Joel Frahm, and bassist Joe Martin) and the other in Rio de Janeiro (with trumpeter Jessé Sadoc, saxophonist Marcelo Martins, pianist David Feldman, and bassist Alberto Continentino).

Feiner is also known for being an ambassador of the pandeiro, introducing people to the instrument around the world. A respected educator, he has given pandeiro workshops in the USA, Finland, Sweden, Austria and Slovenia. In the USA, he has also given presentations on the pandeiro and Brazilian music at the Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY), Williams College (Williamstown, MA), Uarts (Philadelphia, PA) and is an invited artist for the Percussion Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) 2008 in Austin, Texas. Feiner created the Internet’s most widely known pandeiro-oriented website, pandeiro.com and began a documentary film called Meu Coração é um Pandeiro (My Heart is a Pandeiro).