San Francisco’s Natalie Cressman and Berkeley’s Ian Faquini album called, ‘Guinga,’ was released on April 12 on GroundUp Music and is a tribute to the legendary Brazilian composer, guitarist and vocalist, Guinga. Faquini, born in Brazil and raised in Berkeley and Cressman, born and raised in San Francisco, met at an annual Brazil Camp in Cazadero, Calif. It’s also where they met teacher and collaborator Guinga. Cressman plays trombone and Faquini plays guitar. Their song featured in the Sunday Music Drop honors Conceição Damasceno, an important figure in the Bay Area Brazilian culture scene. They named the song ‘Lavagem de Conceição.’“It literally means washing, so it’s a kind of a religious Afro-Brazilian ceremony,” Cressman said.
