Day 1 of rehearsals for Timeless III with Arthur Verocai, was filled with friendly hellos, warm embraces, and old friends catching up.

At 12:30 pm, a white van dropped off the silent giant at the backdoor of the Luckman Fine Arts Complex. Arthur Verocai had landed. One by one, musicians and singers exited the vehicle and instantly the energy level elevated.

Singer Carlos Dafé  kissed young ladies’ hands as he suavely introduced himself, drummer Ivan “Mamao” Conti sported a rich brown complexion from his recent beach visits, Debora Pill (translator and long time friend of Mochilla) flew in from Barcelona specifically for this show before she heads back home to Sao Paulo, and composer/ arranger Arthur Verocai, towered over all this, and silently took out his camera. He needed photos.

As the orchestra (originally 30 members, now 36) chatted on stage while tuning their instruments, the moment Verocai stood at the podium, they waited with bated breath for their maestro’s instructions.

Verocai’s music is beauty personified. From sweeping strings, to the soulful twang of the electric guitar, and the blaring horns, it was truly breathtaking.

For five hours his music rang through the complex, with every head nodding in approval and toes tapping to the beat.

Break Time

Todd Simon

Airto's music stand

Old Friends: Ivan "Mamao" Conti and B+

Verocai, Aguiar and Bertrami around the piano

Behind the scenes:

Jose Roberto Bertrami and Aloisio Aguiar acting out funny stories to each other in Portuguese.

Ivan “Mamao” Conti and Airto Moreira reiminesce about how long they’ve known each other.

Mamao- “It must be 30-35 years?”

Airto- “Everything for us now is 30 or 35 years!!”

Mamao embraces Airto- ”He (Airto) is like the godfather for Azymuth.”

Percussionist Andres Renteria admiring Airto Moreira’s treasure trove of percussion instruments.

While tapping on Airto’s wooden blocks, he notices a gong and turns it over. “Hey this one is mine!” laughs Andres.

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (composer and arranger for Timeless II: Suite For Ma Dukes) talks about Arthur Verocai:

Q: How you do you feel about having Arthur Verocai in LA?

M A-F: “I’m ecstatic, overjoyed. I feel very lucky, don’t want it to end.”

Q: How long have you known about Verocai’s work?

M A-F: “Two months!”

A quote from Brasil to her old friend:

“I’ve known Arthur Verocai for many years. He was a longtime friend from my old neighborhood at Posto Seis, a lovely spot in Copacabana. I was happy to see how much he grew as a musician, arranger and composer, unfortunately still underrated for most audiences. Hope this will change now.” -Joyce, singerBrasilian Singer Joyce (photo by Lizzie Bravo)

** Rehearsal photos by Joy Yoon