Leala Cyr

Leala Cyr / Ricardo Vogt & the Brazilian Elektric Band at Montague's Wine Bar Cafe in De Pere, Wisconsin

By Sarah
January 22, 2008
The "bossa nova" sound that captured you, as you entered Montague's, was so encompassing it was obvious this was going to be a night of amazing musical entertainment.  Bossa nova is a musical style that evolved from samba, but is more complex harmonically and is less percussive.  It was developed in Brazil in 1958; it has had a lasting influence in world music even up to the present.  The first bossa nova single is perhaps the most successful of all time: "The Girl From Ipanema."   Leala Cyr grabs hold of your ear mesmerizing you with her sweet, sultry voice and it is very apparent she has a true gift and talent.  Cultivating this talent from a very young age Leala grew up in Pulaski, where she was exposed to the school's excellent music program.  Her initial focus was on the trumpet, where she quickly excelled, and in time was featured as a trumpet and vocal soloist in the acclaimed Essentially Ellington Competition at the Lincoln Center in New York.  She then became a student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where she studied music and began a professional career singing & playing in the local Salute to Sinatra big band.  She studied for two years and then was granted the World Tour Scholarship for the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.  Named 2005 "Best Jazz Vocalist" by Down Beat Magazine she was also featured in Berklee's Singer Showcase.   She has performed with many accomplished artists such as Esperanza Spalding, John Lockwood, Mark Walker, Peabo Bryson, and John Secada to name a few.  We were not only treated to Leala's incredible voice, but also to the body and soul moving sounds of Brazilian jazz that she and her husband, Ricardo Vogt, a guitar player and singer from Brazil, continued to perform in the second set.  In this combination Leala played the trumpet, while Ricardo played guitar and sang in Portuguese.  Ricardo himself is a musical genius, playing the piano at four and guitar at 9.  By age 16 he was singing and touring with the well-known Orchestra Cassino big band.  At 17 Ricardo came to the United States where he attended the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to study music. He now tours around the world as guitar player for Esperanza Spalding's Quartet.  Leala is working on a cd with Ricardo of mostly original arrangements with voice and guitar.  They will continue to perform in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, California, New York, and Brazil.  These two up and coming artists are on their way to the top and they make absolutely beautiful music together.  When they are next in the area make all efforts to see them you will be amazed.

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