Bird’s Basement has become synonymous with a great night out, dinner and a show, incredible music featuring internationally acclaimed artists and of course, the owner and musical legend in his own right, Albare. This weekend Albare will present Jobim Vol. 1 & 2 with his long-time collaborator Joe Chindamo. I was lucky enough to sit down and have a chat with the legend ahead of the show.
You’ve just been on tour with long-time collaborator Joe Chindamo. Can you share with us where you’ve been performing and how it feels to be home!
We’ve just returned from an incredible tour in Israel, performing under the auspices of the Australia Israel Cultural Exchange. It was a remarkable journey—two concerts with the JSO at the Crown Theatre in Jerusalem and the Ranana Concert Hall, plus intimate shows at the Shablul Jazz Club in Tel Aviv. We had a wonderful quartet with Joe on piano, Phil Rex on bass, and Pablo Bencid from the US on drums.
As for being home—there’s nothing quite like it! Melbourne is where my heart is, where my family is, and where Bird’s Basement is. After the adrenaline and intensity of touring, coming home grounds you. And honestly, there’s something beautiful about taking those experiences on the road and bringing them back to share with our home audience. That’s what we’re doing on Saturday, October 4th.
What were some of the highlights of the tour that you can share with our audience? Where do I start? All five concerts were extraordinary. The response from Israeli audiences was overwhelming—standing ovation after standing ovation. There’s this universal language in music that transcends everything else, and we felt that deeply on this tour.
Performing with the JSO was a peak experience. When you’re standing on stage with 70-plus world-class musicians bringing Joe’s magnificent arrangements to life, and you feel that wall of sound supporting you—it’s transcendent. The orchestral colors, the precision, the passion—it all comes together in these moments that remind you why you dedicate your life to music.
But equally special were the intimate club shows at Shablul. Completely different energy, but just as powerful. The connection with the audience in that setting is immediate and visceral. You can see people’s faces, feel their energy. Both extremes—the grandeur of the concert hall and the intimacy of the club—feed the soul in different ways.
When you’re on tour, do you look for talent and shows you can share with Bird’s Basement? Always! As musicians, we’re constantly absorbing, listening, discovering. When you’re in different cities, you naturally gravitate toward the music scene—you want to hear the local musicians, understand the musical culture, see what’s happening in their jazz clubs and concert halls.
Israel has an incredibly vibrant music scene, and we met some phenomenal players. There’s always this exchange of ideas, this cross-pollination that happens when musicians from different places come together. Some of my best discoveries have come from conversations backstage or sitting in at local clubs after our own shows.
Bird’s Basement has become such an important venue for presenting world-class music, and I’m always thinking about artists and projects that would resonate with that audience. The beauty of music is that it connects us across borders, and I love being able to facilitate those connections.
This Saturday you’ll present Jobim Vol. 1 & 2 with Joe, can you tell us a little bit about how the two of you decide on repertoire and in particular, this repertoire? With Jobim, the embarrassment of riches is almost overwhelming! His catalog is so vast and so consistently brilliant that choosing repertoire becomes an exercise in restraint. We could easily do four volumes and still not exhaust the material.
Joe and I have been working together for over 30 years, so there’s a deep understanding between us. We talk about what moves us emotionally, what will showcase different aspects of Jobim’s genius, and what will create a balanced journey for the audience. We want variety—different tempos, different moods, different colors.
For this show, we’re presenting pieces like “Double Rainbow,” “Wave,” “Desafinado,” “Chega de Saudade,” and more. Each piece represents a different facet of Jobim’s artistry. “Wave” has this melancholic, haunting beauty. “Desafinado” is playful and sophisticated. “Chega de Saudade” is where it all began—the birth of Bossa Nova.
Ultimately, we choose music that speaks to both of us and that we believe will create something meaningful for the audience. Music for the soul and the feet.
Jobim is one of the greatest exponents of Brazilian music, can you tell us a little bit about Jobim and his influence on music in general? And how will you bring this to the stage on Saturday night? Antonio Carlos Jobim is, quite simply, one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He didn’t just create Bossa Nova with João Gilberto and Vinicius de Moraes—he elevated popular music to an art form. His compositions have this extraordinary sophistication—complex harmonies, beautiful melodies, poetic lyrics—but they never lose their accessibility or emotional directness.
Jobim’s influence extends far beyond Brazilian music. Jazz musicians worldwide have been interpreting his work for decades. Frank Sinatra recorded an entire album with him. Stan Getz’s collaboration with João Gilberto brought Bossa Nova to the world. Jobim showed that you could be intellectually sophisticated and deeply soulful at the same time. His music speaks to trained musicians and everyday listeners alike.
On Saturday night, we’re bringing this music to life in a unique way. We’re recreating the sonic experience we had with the JSO—the orchestral tracks will be playing while we perform live. So you’ll hear Joe’s lush, sweeping arrangements providing this cinematic backdrop, while we’re right there in front of you, playing, improvising, responding to the moment. It’s the grandeur of the symphony combined with the intimacy and spontaneity of live jazz. You’ll experience the full emotional and musical range of Jobim’s genius.
You presented this repertoire on tour with a symphony orchestra, can you tell us how you translate this for a more intimate setting? That’s the beauty of what we’re doing on Saturday, we’re not really translating it down; we’re transforming the experience. The orchestral tracks from our JSO recordings will be playing, so the audience gets that full symphonic sound, that richness and grandeur. But we’re performing live on top of that foundation.
In the intimate setting of Bird’s Basement, there’s a different kind of magic. You’re close enough to see the musicians’ fingers on the keys, the subtle glances between players, the spontaneous moments of joy or intensity. You feel like you’re part of the conversation, not just observing it from a distance.
Joe’s arrangements are brilliant because they work on multiple levels. They provide this sophisticated orchestral architecture, but they also leave space for improvisation, for intimacy, for that live dialogue between musicians. So what you get at Bird’s is truly the best of both worlds—the sonic impact of a symphony orchestra and the immediacy and humanity of live performance right in front of you.
It creates an experience you simply can’t get anywhere else. It’s not trying to be the concert hall, and it’s not just a club gig. It’s something entirely its own.
What does it mean to you, to present this music with Joe? Joe is more than a collaborator—he’s a musical brother. We’ve been playing together for over 30 years, and that kind of history creates a depth of understanding that’s hard to articulate. We can finish each other’s musical sentences. There’s complete trust.
With the Jobim project specifically, Joe’s contribution is enormous. These are his arrangements—and they’re masterpieces in their own right. He’s taken Jobim’s already sophisticated compositions and elevated them, finding new colors, new voicings, new ways to reveal the emotional heart of the music. As the in-house composer for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra now, Joe brings that orchestral thinking to everything we do.
But beyond the technical brilliance, there’s a shared love for this music. We both understand what Jobim means, what Bossa Nova represents—that perfect marriage of sophistication and soul, of complexity and simplicity. When we play together, there’s no ego. It’s all in service of the music.
To present this music with Joe at Bird’s Basement, in our home town, for our community—it’s deeply meaningful. This is where we live, where our families are, where we’ve built our musical lives. Sharing this project here feels like coming full circle.
For anyone who doesn’t know the music of Jobim, what can they expect on Saturday night at Bird’s? If you don’t know Jobim, you’re in for a beautiful discovery! Expect music that will move you, emotionally, intellectually, and physically. Jobim’s melodies are unforgettable. Even if you’ve never heard his name, you’ve probably heard his music. “The Girl from Ipanema” is one of the most recorded songs in history.
But there’s so much more. Expect sophistication without pretension. Expect harmonies that surprise and delight. Expect rhythms that make you want to sway in your seat. Remember, this is music for the soul and the feet. Bossa Nova has this gentle, lilting quality, but it’s deceptively complex underneath.
You’ll hear the full orchestral arrangements—that sweeping, cinematic sound—while watching us perform live right in front of you. You’ll experience the music on multiple levels: the grandeur of the symphony, the intimacy of the live performance, the improvisation and spontaneity that make every moment unique.
Whether you’re a longtime Jobim lover or completely new to this music, Saturday night will be a journey. It’s music that rewards both casual listening and deep attention. Come with an open heart, and let the music speak to you. I promise you’ll leave with melodies in your head and warmth in your soul.
Thank you! Thank you! We can’t wait to share this music with everyone this Saturday, October 4th at Bird’s Basement. It’s going to be a special night.
Catch Albare and Joe Chindamo presenting Jobim Vol. 1 & 2 at Bird’s Basement this Saturday night at Bird’s Basement. To book tickets and see what other great shows are coming up head to the Bird’s Basement website. You can also keep up with all the gigs and happenings at Bird’s Basement on their social media pages. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
