SESSA ANNOUNCES WINTER NORTH AMERICA TOUR

BRAZILIAN POP EXPERIMENTALIST BRINGS ACCLAIMED DEBUT ALBUM 
TO MONTREAL JAN 30, 31 & TORONTO FEB 1

GRANDEZA OUT NOW ON BOILED RECORDS – LISTEN HERE

"Pure, blissful album of Brazilian-infuenced folk pop." - UNCUT 

“Music to queer your daydreams by.” - Q

"Sessa has made his own thing: confident and hypnotic." - Relix

"Sessa’s melodies and arrangements are as good as any you’ll hear at the moment." - Aquarium Drunkard

"Cut from Veloso's mold and blessed with a flair for the intimate, enigmatic, and licentious." - New Yorker

"A fantastic stripped down love letter to Brazilian music." - Bandcamp

"A gorgeous captivating record through and through." - Light In The Attic

"A soothing, subdued close to the year." - The Guardian

"This is a discovery." - Vancouver Sun

Photo: Helena Wolfenson // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Grandeza, the brilliant debut solo album from São Paulo musician Sessa, brought a beautiful and kaleidoscopic tint to the world, often in stark and resilient contrast to the prevalent landscape of 2019. An album about the natural gesture of love and the softness of the human body, Grandeza is a harmonious blend of nylon guitar and hand percussion, with lyrics on love in its many shapes and colours backed by an enchanting female choir and flourishes of spiritual jazz, earning Sessa comparisons to Leonard Cohen, Devendra Banhart, Caetano Veloso, and more. Sessa says, “I like to think that my music exists somewhere along the rituals that celebrate life. It’s a reminder that amongst all the pain, music comes to reaffirm the beauty in living.”

Today, carrying the momentum of 2019 best album accolades from the likes of Bandcamp (#20), Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM, UNCUT (8/10, #75), Q Magazine (4/5), and more, Sessa announces a fourteen-date North American winter tour that will reach both coasts of the US and Canada this February, including stops in Toronto and Montreal. The band’s charming performances have shared stages this year with veteran Austin post-rockers Explosions In The Sky on their 20th anniversary tour, and Japanese folk-cult icon Shintaro Sakamoto, as well as festival appearances at Desert Daze, FME, and more. Full tour dates below. Tickets on sale now. 

WATCH “FLOR DO REAL” MUSIC VIDEO HERE

Sessa has long been a fixture of the American and Brazilian music scenes, known for his collaborations with Yonatan Gat and co-founding of acclaimed psych-rock group Garotas Suecas. Now, he shares the enchanting sensuality and singular beauty of his own musical vision. Grandeza points to new directions for Brazilian pop with a perfect balance of subtlety and euphoria that harmonizes its traditional and modern elements. The album displays a deep, minimalist, almost insinuated use of the rich textures and rhythms that define the songwriting history of Brazil. 

Across Grandeza, Sessa’s songs are sung in Portuguese, with emotionally raw and sensual lyrics in the vain of Caetano Veloso, and the melodic flourishes of Tom Jobim and Arthur Verocai. However, the music gets a deliberate minimalist treatment rarely found in contemporary Brazilian music, more reminiscent of the bareness of Leonard Cohen, with touches of tropicália, and a collaboration with the free jazz ensemble Música de Selvagem that permeates the album with the cosmic elements of Pharoah Sanders and Moondog.

WATCH “TANTO” LIVE HERE

Written and recorded in multiple locations between São Paulo and New York during a nomadic period in Sessa’s life, the eleven songs in Grandeza portray different worlds of sound and poetry. The brilliance of the album is not only in its mastery of ambience, but in the fluidity of its vast musical horizon. From the psychedelic inflection of lead single “Flor do Real” through the gentle cacophony of album crescendo “Tanto”, Sessa creates a perfect balance of the album’s elements, articulating its melodic richness with the confluence of Música de Selvagem and Grandeza’s all-female choir, whose appearances fill the record with moments of remarkable beauty and experimental freedom. 

Grandeza was released in June by Toronto based record label Boiled Records, who this year also put out the Polaris Music Prize Short List-nominated Le Mal by FET.NAT.

TOUR DATES – TICKETS HERE
Jan 28 - Brooklyn NY - The Sultan Room
Jan 29 - Easthampton MA - New City Brewery
Jan 30 - Montréal QC - Taverne Tour @ Aux 33 Tours
Jan 31 - Montréal QC - Taverne Tour @ Casa del Popolo
Feb 01 - Toronto ON - The Baby G
Feb 02 - Detroit MI - Trinosophes
Feb 04 - Chicago IL - Beat Kitchen
Feb 05 - Milwaukee WI - Cactus Club
Feb 07 - Seattle WA - Conor Byrne
Feb 08 - Bellingham WA - Firefly
Feb 09 - Portland OR - Doug Fir
Feb 11 - Davis CA - The Domes
Feb 12 - San Francisco CA - The Chapel
Feb 13 - Los Angeles CA - Zebulon

 DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

GRANDEZA TRACK LISTING
1. Grandeza
2. Tesão Central
3. Gata Mágica
4. Flor do Real
5. Sangue Bom
6. Dez Total
7. Infinitamente Nu
8. Orgia
9. Tanto
10. Língua Geral
11. Toda Instância do Prazer

SESSA ONLINE
BANDCAMP
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
SPOTIFY

SESSA’S STUNNING DEBUT ALBUM OF BRAZILIAN POP, GRANDEZA, OUT TODAY ON BOILED RECORDS

STREAM / PURCHASE GRANDEZA HERE

WATCH AND SHARE “FLOR DO REAL”

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES BEGIN JULY 5

“...a lovely album of lilting, mostly acoustic songs that are a lot like the tropicalia/bossa of Caetano Veloso. This is a discovery.” - The Vancouver Sun

"Super sick modern Brazilian vibes in line with the best of Tom Jobim, Caetano Veloso, and Arthur Verocai while touching on cosmic jazz, psych, and tropicália. A gorgeous, captivating record through and through." - Light in the Attic

"On this intoxicating LP, the hushed classic sound of Tropicália gets a gentle dusting of psychedelia" -  Bandcamp

"Brazilian Folk Bliss" - Afropop

PHOTO CREDIT : Gabriel Basile // DOWNLOAD HIGH RES

Grandeza, the brilliant debut solo album from São Paulo musician Sessa, is available today in digital and vinyl formats via Boiled Records and RISCO. Sessa has long been a fixture of the American and Brazilian music scenes, known for his collaborations with Yonatan Gat and co-founding of acclaimed psych-rock group Garotas Suecas. Now, he shares the enchanting sensuality and singular beauty of his own musical vision. Grandeza points to new directions for Brazilian pop with a perfect balance of subtlety and euphoria that harmonizes its traditional and modern elements. The album displays a deep, minimalist, almost insinuated use of the rich textures and rhythms that define the songwriting history of Brazil. Comparing it to his prior works, Afropop notes how Grandeza’s gentleness enables the listener to “hear the breath of the players and the ambience of the rooms the songs were recorded in”—all as it “retains that gritty, human touch that those visceral [earlier] albums allow.”

STREAM / PURCHASE GRANDEZA HERE

“Grandeza is an album about the natural gesture of love and the softness of the human body,” says Sessa. “It’s also about my love for Brazilian music and its many shapes and colors. I like to think that it exists somewhere among the rituals that celebrate life. It’s a reminder that amongst all the pain, music comes to reaffirm the beauty in living.”

The album opens with instantaneous charm, as an unmistakable melody emerges through the shuffling acoustic guitar, tape hiss, and hand percussion of “Grandeza”. Sessa exudes the gospel-mystic Brazilian love vibe that cloaks the record in its nocturnal sheen, blending romantic and melancholic tones over a simple, exultant samba-reggae chant. Sessa sings “My greatness / My singable greatness / Unpostponable heart / May you dream the perilous dream / Unpostponable heart / In the horizon of madness, May you beat numerously”

WATCH AND SHARE “FLOR DO REAL”

Across Grandeza, Sessa’s songs are sung in Portuguese, with emotionally raw and sensual lyrics in the vain of Caetano Veloso, and the melodic flourishes of Tom Jobim and Arthur Verocai. However, the music gets a deliberate minimalist treatment rarely found in contemporary Brazilian music, more reminiscent of the bareness of Leonard Cohen, with touches of tropicália, and a collaboration with the free jazz ensemble Música de Selvagem that permeates the album with the cosmic elements of Pharoah Sanders and Moondog.

Written and recorded in multiple locations between São Paulo and New York during a nomadic period in Sessa’s life, the eleven songs in Grandeza portray different worlds of sound and poetry. The brilliance of the album is not only in its mastery of ambience, but in the fluidity of its vast musical horizon. From the psychedelic inflection of lead single “Flor do Real” through the gentle cacophony of album crescendo “Tanto,” Sessa creates a perfect balance of the album’s elements, articulating its melodic richness with the confluence of Música de Selvagem and Grandeza’s all-female choir, whose appearances fill the record with moments of remarkable beauty and experimental freedom.

Sessa—who was raised in a Sephardic Jewish family in São Paulo—notes that although his feelings about traditional religion have oscillated, spirituality is deeply embedded in his worldview, and in this album he connects sexuality, tactility, and music-making as their similar forms of spiritual transcendence.

Embarking on a solo career has offered the Brazil-born musician an opportunity to continue to deepen his work as “an apprentice of Brazilian music,” immersing himself and developing his notion of traditions in Brazilian poetry and lyricism, tapping into memories of the music he was surrounded by growing up and the music he has passionately listened to and played throughout his life. With Grandeza, Sessa creates a soft focus portrait of Brazilian music, all without abandoning his love for psychedelic, folk, and soul music—a sensibility that propels the devotional sounds of Grandeza towards decisively modern territory.

Sessa will perform the songs of Grandeza to North American audiences on tour in July. Full dates below.

DOWNLOAD HIGH RES

GRANDEZA TRACK LISTING
Grandeza
Tesão Central
Gata Mágica
Flor do Real
Sangue Bom
Dez Total
Infinitamente Nu
Orgia
Tanto
Língua Geral
Toda Instância do Prazer

GRANDEZA ALBUM RELEASE TOUR DATES
July 5 - New Haven, CT - State House
July 6 - Northampton, MA - Historic Northampton
July 7 - Montreal, QC - Marché des possibles
July 7 - Quebec City, QC - OFF Festival
July 8 - Toronto, ON - Baby G w/ Tal National
July 9 - Detroit, MI - Trinosophes w/ Tal National
July 10 - Chicago, IL - Hungry Brain w/ The Eternals
July 11 - South Bend, IN - Langlab
July 12 - Milwaukee, WI - Ursa
July 13 - Rock Island, IL - Rozz Tox
July 14 - Indianapolis, IN - SSP
July 15 - Nashville, TN - Little Harpeth
July 16 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight
July 17 - Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light
July 18 - Washington, DC - Eaton Hotel
July 24 - New York, NY - Brasil Summerfest @ National Sawdust

SESSA ONLINE
BANDCAMP
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM

SESSA SHARES “DEZ TOTAL (FILHOS DE GANDHY)” FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

LISTEN AND SHARE “DEZ TOTAL (FILHOS DE GANDHY)” HERE

GRANDEZA OUT JUNE 4 ON BOILED RECORDS

PRE-ORDER GRANDEZA HERE

Photo Credit : Helena Wolfenson // DOWNLOAD HIGH RES

Today, São Paulo musician Sessa shares “Dez Total (Filhos de Gandhy)”, the second single from his stunning debut solo album, Grandeza. A long-time fixture of the American and Brazilian music scenes—known for his collaborations with Yonatan Gat and his co-founding of acclaimed psych-rock group Garotas Suecas—Sessa’s solo debut album points to new directions for Brazilian pop, with a perfect balance of subtlety and euphoria that harmonizes its traditional and modern elements. The album displays a deep, minimalist, almost insinuated use of the rich textures and rhythms that define the songwriting history of Brazil, captured perfectly by the simple but lush atmosphere of the new single. Grandeza will be released in digital and vinyl formats on June 4, 2019 via Boiled Records and RISCO.

“Dez Total” speaks to a specific moment of Sessa’s engagement with Brazil’s vast musical legacy. Sessa describes being inspired to write the song after watching Filhos de Gandhy, the traditional Afro Brazilian drum ensemble, rehearse one day in Salvador, Bahia. He explains: “Watching them play all those drums and agogos moved me deeply, I couldn’t speak without crying for the whole time I was there. It was so great to see the dynamics of their rehearsal, the elders directing the younger players, all those layers and layers of polyrhythmic textures and the singers alternating rounds so the drummers could play for extended time and perfect their sound before the start of carnival. Such an amazing thing that exists in this world, and ‘Dez Total’ is my humble celebration for this incredible life force.”

LISTEN AND SHARE “DEZ TOTAL (FILHOS DE GANDHY)” HERE

Across Grandeza, Sessa’s songs are sung in Portuguese, with visceral, sensual lyrics in the vein of Caetano Veloso, and the melodic flourishes of Tom Jobim and Arthur Verocai. However, the music gets a deliberate minimalist treatment rarely found in contemporary Brazilian music, more reminiscent of the bareness of Leonard Cohen, with touches of tropicália, and a collaboration with the group Música de Selvagem that permeates the album with elements of the spiritual jazz of Pharoah Sanders and Moondog.

Sessa emphasizes that the arrangement of “Dez Total” is particularly stripped down, describing the studio session for the track as solely the core of his band. “This song shows the role of the singers well, how much space they are able to fill with their power and how the idea of the Grandeza band relies so much on minimalist  arrangements and the dramatic entrances and exits of the elements: nylon guitar, percussion, and my vocals connecting with the singers to build soundscapes around the songs.”

WATCH AND SHARE “FLOR DO REAL”

Written and recorded in multiple locations between São Paulo and New York during a nomadic period in Sessa’s life, the eleven songs in Grandeza portray different worlds of sound and poetry. Sessa—who was raised in a Sephardic Jewish family in São Paulo—notes that although his feelings about traditional religion have oscillated, spirituality is deeply embedded in his worldview, and in this album he connects sexuality, tactility, and music-making as their similar forms of spiritual transcendence.

Embarking on a solo career has offered the Brazil-born musician an opportunity to continue to deepen his work as “an apprentice of Brazilian music,” immersing himself and developing his notion of traditions in Brazilian poetry and lyricism, tapping into memories of the music he was surrounded by growing up and the music he has passionately listened to and played throughout his life. With Grandeza, Sessa creates a soft focus portrait of Brazilian music, all without abandoning his love for psychedelic, folk, and soul music—a sensibility that propels the devotional sounds of Grandeza towards decisively modern territory.

Sessa will perform the songs of Grandeza to North American audiences on tour in July. Full dates below.

PRE-ORDER GRANDEZA HERE

DOWNLOAD HIGH RES

GRANDEZA TRACK LISTING
Grandeza
Tesão Central
Gata Mágica
Flor do Real
Sangue Bom
Dez Total
Infinitamente Nu
Orgia
Tanto
Língua Geral
Toda Instância do Prazer

GRANDEZA ALBUM RELEASE TOUR DATES

July 5 - New Haven, CT - State House
July 6 - Northampton, MA - Historic Northampton
July 7 - Montreal, QC - Marché des possibles
July 7 - Quebec City, QC - OFF Festival
July 8 - Toronto, ON - Baby G w/ Tal National
July 9 - Detroit, MI - Trinosophes w/ Tal National
July 10 - Chicago, IL - Hungry Brain
July 11 - South Bend, IN - Langlab
July 12 - Milwaukee, WI - Ursa
July 13 - Rock Island, IL - Rozz Tox
July 14 - Indianapolis, IN - SSP
July 15 - Nashville, TN - Little Harpeth
July 16 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight
July 17 - Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light
July 18 - Washington, DC - Eaton Hotel
July 24 - New York, NY - Brasil Summerfest @ National Sawdust

SESSA ONLINE
BANDCAMP
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM