Lado B Brazilian Project featuring Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruiz

Catina DeLuna

Vocals

Grammy®-nominated Brazilian vocalist, pianist, and composer Catina DeLuna brings warmth, sophistication, and deep authenticity to the music of her native country. Born in Campinas, São Paulo, she began performing professionally at sixteen and later earned degrees in Brazilian Popular Music and music. DeLuna’s luminous voice and expressive phrasing unite bossa nova, samba, jazz, and Brazil’s rich regional traditions. Her acclaimed Lado B Brazilian Project, created with pianist and arranger Otmaro Ruiz, explores beloved classics and lesser-known treasures of Brazilian music through adventurous contemporary arrangements. The project’s first album received a Grammy nomination, and its eagerly anticipated second volume was released in 2025.

Otmaro Ruiz

Grand Piano

Grammy®-nominated pianist, composer, and arranger Otmaro Ruiz is internationally celebrated for his virtuosity, imagination, and remarkable musical range. Born in Venezuela and based in Los Angeles, Ruiz moves effortlessly among jazz, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, fusion, and contemporary music. He spent five years as pianist and musical director for Dianne Reeves and has performed or recorded with artists including John McLaughlin, Arturo Sandoval, Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, John Patitucci, Charlie Haden, Peter Erskine, and Robben Ford. His acclaimed work with vocalist Catina DeLuna earned a Grammy nomination for his arrangement of “The Girl from Ipanema,” followed by two Latin Grammy nominations for his album Elemental. Ruiz brings breathtaking technique, rhythmic vitality, and a deeply expressive musical voice to every performance.

Larry Koonse

Guitar

Biography

Born into a musical family, Larry has been playing the guitar since he was seven years old. In his early years he studied with legendary guitar master Jimmy Wyble, and at the age of fifteen he recorded an album with his father, guitarist Dave Koonse, entitled Dave and Larry Koonse; father and son jazz guitars. In 1984, Larry was the first recipient of a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California.

Immediately after graduating from USC Larry toured extensively for six years as a member of the John Dankworth quartet, traveling all across the globe and backing up Cleo Laine. He is a member of Billy Child’s landmark chamber sextet whose most recent CD release is titled Autumn: In Moving Pictures. He has received multiple Grammy nominations for the aforementioned CD (jazz album of the year and instrumental performance); for the sextet’s first release Lyric (ensemble performance); and for two Luciana Souza releases (best vocal album for Tide and Book of Chet). Larry also received Grammy nominations for his work with Bob Mintzer (All L.A. Band) and Peter Erskine (Dr. Um). He has also toured with Mel Torme, Bob Brookmeyer, Billy Childs, John Patitucci, David Friesen, Karrin Allyson, Luciana Souza, Natalie Cole, Bob Mintzer, Tierney Sutton, Peter Erskine, Hubert Laws, Warne Marsh and was a featured performer with the Percy Faith Orchestra on a tour of Japan.

At the invitation of Nelson Mandela and UNICEF, Larry traveled to South Africa to perform for the first annual SAMIX festival with the Steve Houghton quintet. He also performed with Gary Willis in Sao Paulo for a government sponsored concert at SESC Ipiranga. In his travels, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Academy of Music, Disney Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and has been a featured soloist with the L.A. Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and many other orchestras throughout the world.

Having been featured on over 400 albums, Larry has recorded with Cleo Laine, Al Hirt, Jimmy Rowles, Bob Brookmeyer, Luciana Souza, Lee Konitz, Larry Goldings, Mel Torme, Alan Broadbent, Ray Brown, Bill Perkins, Toots Thielemanns, Rod Stewart, Seth MacFarlane, Linda Ronstadt, David Friesen, Bob Sheppard, Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, Warne Marsh, Charlie Haden, Natalie Cole and many other jazz artists. His solo guitar work was featured throughout “Crazy”, a feature film chronicling the life of the great guitarist Hank Garland.

The founder of the Player’s School, the renown bassist Jeff Berlin, contacted Larry in 1995 to write a guitar curriculum which is currently used for their program. He was co-leader of the L.A. Jazz Quartet which released their fourth CD, Conversation Piece (NAXOS Records) in September, 2000. The quartet’s first three CD’s, Astarte (GOWI), Look To The East (NAXOS), and Family Song (NTR), have received critical acclaim for their originality and musical depth. Larry’s most recent recording, Conversations, a CD featuring the great pianist David Roitstein in a set of originals and standards, is now available through the Jazz Compass label. He has four other releases from Jazz Compass: Americana (a recording featuring Scott Colley on the bass), Dialogues of the Heart (featuring his father Dave Koonse in a guitar duo setting), Storybook (featuring the bassist Darek Oles), and What’s in the Box, featuring the music of the great guitarist/composer Jimmy Wyble in various settings. Larry has been a faculty member at the California Institute of the Arts since 1990.

Edwin Livingston

Bass

BASSIST / COMPOSER

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Edwin was exposed to music early on. He has lived in Austin, TX & New Orleans, LA, and now resides in Los Angeles, CA.

In his various travels he has played and recorded with many notable artists and greats.

He has performed and/or recorded with:

Elvin Jones, Ellis, Delfeayo, and Jason Marsalis, The Headhunters, Los Hombres Calientes (Grammy nominated Latin Jazz album), Bill Summers, Munyungo Jackson, Donald Harrison, Jr., Alvin Batiste, Ronnie Laws, Debra Laws, Lionel Loueke, D.J. Logic, David ”Fathead” Newman, John Beasley, The MONK'estra, Otmaro Ruiz, Mike Garson, Russell Ferrante, Sadao Watanabe, Justo Almario, Leni Stern, Kevin Toney of The Blackbyrds, Dave Weckl, Will Kennedy, Peter Erskine, Vince Wilburn, Jr., Jimmy Branly, Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Tootie Heath, Dave Weckl, Joe LaBarbera, Hot Buttered Rhythm, Gecko Turner, Henry Butler, James Clay, Barbara Morrison, Queen Latifah, The Wichita symphony Orchestra, The Afro-American Chamber Music Society Orchestra, Catina DeLuna & Lado B Brazilian Project (Grammy nominated best arrangement), The Benjamin Wright Orchestra(Raphael Saadiq, Justin Timberlake, Will.I.Am, Brian McKnight, Mary J Blige, Aretha Franklin), Dave Slonaker Big Band(Grammy nominated large ensemble album) Vince Mendoza, Bob Mintzer(Grammy nominated large ensemble album) , Yellowjackets, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jovanotti, Keiko Matsui, Melody Gardot, Seal, Natalie Cole, Ben Vereen, Sadao Watanabe, Frankie Valli, Thelma Houston and many others.

In addition to a full playing, touring, and recording career he is on the faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music, teaching bass & small ensembles in the jazz studies department.

He is also on faculty at The California Institute of the Arts(CalArts) teaching core curriculum, ensembles and bass.

He holds an MFA in Performer/Composer from The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).

Edwin has appeared in several feature films, including Ray, Dreamgirls, Dolemite Is My Name, and Low Down, he has also performed on NBC LIVE Jesus Christ Superstar with John Legend, Sara Bareilles, & Brandon Victor Dixon. He's performed with Seal on The Late Late Show with James Corden, with Melody Gardot on Later...with Jools Holland, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show, LIVE with Regis and Kelly and the A & E show Private Sessions with Queen Latifah.

He has several recordings as a leader performing original music, The Edwin Livingston Group and Transitions.

Ana Barreiro

Percussion & Drums