Sónia Pinto – Why Try To Change Me Now

The singer Sónia Pinto was born in Porto, northern Portugal, as the opening line of her biography states. But the first thought that this bit of information brings to mind is “Portugal? = Fado!”… Far from it! Sónia Pinto has dedicated herself body and soul to music and yes, to jazz! She studied at the Porto Jazz School and took part in numerous international workshops – her teachers included Fátima Serro, Kiko Pereira, Luciana Souza and Fay Claassen. These somewhat dry facts serve as evidence of the technical perfection and impeccable intonation of her vocals. But what really sets Sónia Pinto apart is her wondrous, powerful voice, and her unconditional devotion to music! Her voice is adaptable – sometimes affectionate, at other times downright demanding, but always warm and full of volume and depth. When interpreting such well-known songs as “Cry Me A River”, “Fly Me To The Moon” or “I Say A Little Prayer”, she seems to give the works a brand new sense of style. With her quintet, she gracefully approaches the “established” masterpieces in her repertoire. Together they dress the pieces up in surprisingly modern arrangements and playfully add one or two melodic lines. Pinto‘s other great talent as a lyricist is also revealed when they set one of her poems to music on “The Saga Of Harrison Crabfeathers”.

With Pedro Neves (p), Bruno Macedo (g), Miguel Ângelo (b) and Leandro Leonet (dr), Sónia Pinto can rely on a band that follows her expressive artistic personality both sensitively and confidently, like a perfectly tuned orchestra. Sónia Pinto has already cast a spell over many fans across the stages of Portugal. And now with this debut album, she can confidently ask “Why Try To Change Me Now?”

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