Bossarenova Trio

Bossarenova Trio

Bossarenova Trio is a visionary transatlantic ensemble consisting of Paula Morelenbaum (Brazil), Joo Kraus and Ralf Schmid (both from Germany). Together, they have forged a groundbreaking fusion of bossa nova’s lyrical warmth and electro-jazz’s experimental edge, creating a sound that is both deeply rooted in tradition and boldly innovative.

The trio has toured the world, performing in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, Singapore,Portugal and all major European capitals, captivating audiences with their dynamic live shows and genre-defying music. They released three albums: „Bossarenova“ with the SWR (Stuttgart Radio) Big Band, „Samba preludio“ and „Atlantico“, all celebrated for their artistic depth and originality. 

Bossarenova Trio was nominated for a Prêmio da Música Brasileira.“

Paula Morelenbaum was a member of Antonio Carlos Jobim's brilliant "Nova Banda", where she performed in countless recordings and shows throughout Brazil and the world with the maestro.

After the band's activities ended, Paula continued exploring the classical repertoire of Jobim + Vinicius and other Bossa Nova masters.

In 2001, her career gained international recognition with the acclaimed trio Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto, with Jaques Morelenbaum and the prominent Japanese composer and pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto, with the albums "Casa", "Live in Tokyo" and "A day in New York". Since then, there have been 8 more albums, ‘Berimbaum”, “Telecoteco”, Paula & Donato - Agua”, "Paula & Jaques - Live in Italia”, “Bossarenova”, “Samba Preludio”, “Atlantico” - these last 3 recorded with the German musicians Joo Kraus and Ralf Schmid - and the recent “Jobim-Canção”, in partnership with the guitarist and composer Arthur Nestrovski. Some of these albums have been nominated for and won important awards, including the Latin Grammy.

In addition to her solo albums, Paula has also participated in albums by other artists, such as Caetano Veloso, Ryuichi Sakamoto, George Moustaki, Ivan Lins, Goro Ito, Nick Nightfly and Bungaro, among others. Among her many performances around the world, the following stand out: Carnegie Hall, New York; 'New Morning' Jazz Club in Paris, France; Blue Note - in Tokyo, Japan; Java Jazz Festival, with the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra in Georgia; at the Teatro Manzoni and Unicredit Pavillion in Milan; Umbria Jazz, and at the Philarmonie Luxembourg, Casa da Música and Centro Cultural Belém, Portugal, among others.

Joo Kraus is a German trumpeter, composer, and producer known for his genre-crossing style that blends jazz, funk, hip-hop, pop, and electronic music. Over the past three decades, he has become an essential figure in German music and is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most innovative trumpet players. He gained international recognition as the co-founder of the pioneering hip-jazz duo Tab Two. Joo Kraus tours internationally with his own band and performs as a guest soloist with artists such as Omar Sosa, Klaus Doldinger, Paula Morelenbaum, Mezzoforte, the SWR Big Band, Marialy Pacheco, Max Mutzke, Pee Wee Ellis, and many others. In addition to his work as a performer, he has long been active as a songwriter (including work for Tina Turner), as well as an arranger and composer for orchestra, big band, and theatre.

He is a two-time Grammy nominee, has received five German Jazz Awards in Gold, and was honored with the ECHO Jazz as Best Trumpet Player in Germany. His latest album, No Excuse, which blends jazz with elements of cool jazz, hip-hop, pop, ambient, and funk, was released in 2024, and no fewer then six new releases are scheduled for 2026 in celebration of his 60th birthday.

Ralf Schmid has studied classical piano, jazz composition and film music in Stuttgart, New York and Los Angeles. His unique handwriting reflects a strong musical vision beyond stilistic boundaries. He has worked with such diverse artists as Michael Brecker, Whitney Houston, Daniel Hope, Herbie Hancock, Natalie Cole, Ivan Lins, Pee Wee Ellis, the New York Voices, the Danish Radio Big Band, the Budapest Philharmonic, the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra Los Angeles and many more in major cities all over Europe, the US, Asia, South Africa, Cuba and Brazil.

He released six albums with trumpetist Joo Kraus, among others the ECHO-winning „Painiting Pop“ and the Michael Jackson tribute „Songs from Neverland (#1 in the german jazz charts).

Ralf Schmid conducted the Radio Big Bands of Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Stuttgart and Frankfurt and produced award-winning albums. Besides his Big Band scoring, he wrote commissioned works for choirs, symphony and chamber orchestras.

His music theater „A distant drum“ was premiered in October 2014 at Carnegie Hall, New York and Bloemfontein, South Africa with violinist Daniel Hope, drummer Jason Marsalis and others. 

Schmid ́s futuristic piano-electro-project pyanook was produced at ZKM Karlsruhe (Center for Art and Media). He performs on two grand pianos using data gloves to morph the piano sound. Ralf Schmid is professor at the renown music university of Freiburg, Germany since 2002.