Multi-instrumentalist Teco Cardoso is a jazz wonder. Emerging from Sao Paulo in the early 1990s, Cardoso made his introduction with the cosmopolitan acts ZonAzul and Pau Brasil. He also established a solo career by the second half of the decade, working with famed Brazilian artists such as Marlui Miranda, Dori Caymmi, and Joyce. In 1996, he and pianist Benjamin Taubkin founded the prominent Brazilian music label, Nucleo Contemporaneo. His debut album Meu Brasil was released the following year, putting Cardoso totally on the worldbeat/jazz map. In 1998, he and flutist Lea Freire played back to back shows at Miami University and at the Blue Note in New York City. Both shows were simulcast via the Internet. These events also led to the recording of Cardoso's second album, Quinteto. ~ MacKenzie Wilson