Pianist Jonathan Ferr brings jazz, hip-hop and electronic music to Queremos! Festival 2026 on April 11 at Vivo Rio, sharing the night with Gaby Amarantos and Céu.
The “Shaman of Jazz” Returns to His Roots
After years of solo shows, string trio performances, and orchestra appearances across Brazil, Europe, South America and, most recently, the United States, pianist and composer Jonathan Ferr is going back to where it all began. On April 11, Saturday, he launches the project “Urban Jazz, o Baile!” at Queremos! Festival 2026, performing at Vivo Rio with a six-piece band across two sets throughout the evening.
Known as the “Shaman of Jazz” and a pioneer of urban jazz in Brazil, Ferr has built a reputation for music that provokes, embraces and heals — a spiritual undertone that coexists with groove and the raw, cathartic energy only a live stage can deliver.
Jazz, Hip-Hop and Electronic on One Dance Floor
The urban jazz set list moves from Tim Maia to John Coltrane, touching on Banda Black Rio and Racionais MC’s — all woven into a single sonic atmosphere. Ferr describes his vision directly:
I feel that “Urban Jazz, o Baile!” is the maturation point of a sonic research I started back in 2016. It’s where the freedom of jazz fuses with the beat of hip-hop and the trance of electronic music. I define it as psychedelic jazz. It’s music to lose yourself in, to dance to, and to headbang.
Originally from Madureira, Rio de Janeiro, Ferr draws on influences as varied as baile charme, baile funk, jazz jam sessions, the Monday Service at New York’s Nublu club, and MC battle culture from the Batalha do Real. That breadth is exactly what shapes the project’s identity.
The Band and the Full Night
Joining Ferr on stage are Maikon Pereira (drums), Rerison Luz (bass), Jonatas Oliveira (keyboards), Junior Trakinas (sax) and Thiago Garcia (trumpet). The expanded lineup underscores the project’s ambition: a real dance party — with body, volume and swing.
“Urban Jazz, o Baile!” will perform between sets from the night’s headliners: Gaby Amarantos, Céu, Melly, Jayda G, Soul II Soul and Fernanda Abreu. The programming spreads across the indoor stage, the terrace stage and the social area of Vivo Rio.
For Tânia Artur, the artist’s manager and co-creator of the project, the debut at Queremos! is no coincidence: “After a year of behind-the-scenes work and a lot of creation, ‘Urban Jazz, o Baile!’ is finally ready for the world. Launching at Festival Queremos is confirmation that the project is arriving at the right time and the right place.”
Event Info
- Show: QUEREMOS! Festival 2026 – Jonathan Ferr debuts “Urban Jazz, O Baile!” with full band
- Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
- Venue: Vivo Rio — Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 75 e 85, Parque do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro
- Doors open: 5 PM
- Age restriction: 18+
- Tickets: from BRL 180 (half-price / solidarity ticket)
- Sales: https://www.ticketmaster.com.br/event/queremos-festival-11-de-abril
