Nate Najar & Daniela Soledade

Nate Najar & Daniela Soledade

“If you love Bossa Nova and Brazilian music, I highly recommend...”
Lee Mergner

Performing in a duo setting offers both exhilaration and vulnerability. There are no nets. It’s no surprise that the face-to-face venture has been described as the Art of the Duo by artists who decide to pare down their bands to the essence of music delivered in an intimate form of expression. In the soothing bossa nova world, there’s no better alchemic duo artistry than Love & Bossa Nova. That’s when perfect-pitch, Brazil-born vocalist Daniela Soledade conjoins with superb nylon-stringed guitar master Nate Najar. What transpires is their eloquent, romantic project Love & Bossa Nova. 

The Love & Bossa Nova show has been selling out houses in such jazz-loving capitals as Paris and London, in clubs and concerts in North America, and homecoming dates that wow the Brazilian crowds. The songs, sung in English and Portuguese, sway and swing in tender beauty and simplicity as well as gently build into the upbeat with syncopated beats over a samba rhythm. It makes for a pleasantly cool and warm appeal. 

Love & Bossa Nova got its start in 2020 during the pandemic when Daniela and her partner Nate livestreamed a weekly duo concert of bossa nova and Brazilian music every Friday for over a year. Once the Covid curtain lifted, the pair decided to go back to their live performances with a repertoire of hundreds of songs to enchant their audiences. 

It’s not only enlightening people about the depth and variety of Brazil’s music, but it also serves as Daniela’s celebration of her family’s legacy. She soulfully sings deep into music from three generations of her family’s rich and influential bossa nova aesthetic. “I come from a family of musicians who participated in the pre-bossa nova movement,” she says. “My grandfather Paulo wrote songs that became hits in Brazil. My father Paulinho was fully active in the music, and he recorded hits as well. I love my family, and I continue the tradition in their honor.” In concert, Daniela generously tells the stories behind the songs and the masters of song who composed them. 

Today, creative and romantic partners, Daniela and Nate met in 2018 over the subject of song. Both lived in Florida in close proximity without knowing each other. Nate had made a name for himself as an accomplished Charlie Byrd-styled guitarist and composer. He was called by Daniela to replace a guitarist in her group. Nate came recommended. One of her friends said, “Are you hiring a gringo to play this music?” 

Meanwhile Nate, who had never heard of her, agreed to meet Daniela and talk song. “She knew all the repertoire,” he says. He was so impressed that he offered to record her first album, the 2019 well-received A Moment for You. That was followed up by last year’s Pretty World. Music from both those albums—legendary tunes as well as a sprinkling of originals— circulate through Love & Bossa Nova. 

The result is a unique romantic celebration of Brazilian music that showcases Daniela’s irresistible voice, Nate’s guitar prowess and their deep love for each other and the venerable music they amorously embrace.

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