Brazilian Jazz Singer to Put on Free Show at Fort Hunt Park

Brazilian jazz artist Emy Tseng will put on a free concert this Sunday, the 12^th at 7 p.m. at Fort Hunt National Park.  Tseng has always loved music, but she didn’t develop her passion for Brazilian jazz until the mid 2000s.

Tseng moved to D.C. two years ago but grew up in Seattle, and has spent time all over the country, including New York and the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Music has been a part of my life since I was young,” Tseng said.  “I studied classical piano and joined the chorus in high school.  In college I got more interested in singing.”

Tseng attended Brown University for undergrad and went to grad school at M.I.T.  She actually came to D.C. to work for the Department of Commerce, but performing is a major part of her life.

“It took me awhile to do solo singing and I got interested in jazz. I was living in New York and heard a Brazilian singer, I heard an album she did with a piano player and cellist,” Tseng said. “I was fascinated by the songs and sounds of the language.  I didn’t start studying it until I moved to San Francisco, in 2006.”

Tseng doesn’t have any personal or family ties to the Brazilian culture, but she was able to visit the country for the first time this year.  She sings in Portuguese, but she’s just recently started studying the language itself.

Tseng says there’s just something about Brazilian music that draws you in.

“I think it’s very seductive music.  From a musician’s point of view it’s very complex and rich; it has a lot of ties to African rhythm,” Tseng said.  “But it’s also fun, a lot of the music you just feel like you’re on the beach.”

At her concert this weekend, Tseng will sing with a guitarist and bass player.  She says her bassist is a very well known percussionist, so she’ll probably convince him to bring some percussion along as well.

Tseng says Brazilian music is very emotional and wistful but it is also relaxing and subtle.  She says this weekend’s event is perfect for picnicking on the grass while the music plays.

“It’s a really suitable setting,” Tseng said.

For more information on Sunday’s show and to hear a sample of Tseng’s music, click here.