David Ferreira guest artist at Cascais Jazz Club in Portugal
This past August, Dr. David Ferreira, Music, appeared as guest artist at the Cascais Jazz Club, in Lisbon, Portugal. After a brief rehearsal with a Portuguese drummer and bassist, the first evening featured jazz standards in a piano-trio format. The second evening, Ferreira sang and played piano with a bassist, showcasing vocals made famous by such artists as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. The success of the event was capped by an invitation to return to the club and, in addition, to appear in concert. The rest of the 10-day trip was spent with a wonderful family of an exchange student, Beatriz Leal (a pre-med student at MSUM), listening to Fado, travelling to castles, museums, cathedrals and family gatherings. It was especially meaningful since David Ferreira’s great-grandfather emigrated from the Portuguese Island of Madeira in the mid-1800’s and several members of the host family shared his family name, making it quite possible that they are distant relatives! All in all it was an event of a lifetime.