Bet.e & Stef

Bet.e & Stef
Genres	Bossa Nova, Jazz
Labels	Bet.e and Stef Records Universal Music Group (Canada) Compost (Germany, EU)
Website	http://www.beteandstef.com
Members	Bet.e Stef

''Bet.e & Stef deftly transport their listener into an intricate fusion of the lush and sensual worlds of Bossa Nova, Samba rhythms and timeless Jazz. Bet.e’s natural, seemingly effortless vocals are supported by Stef’s guitar. In turn, his vocals intertwine beautifully with hers, resulting in one of those ultra-rare intuitive, 50/50 collaborations akin to Louie & Ella.----from a CBC Radio concert review

From Montreal, Quebec, this well-loved duo plays original jazzy-nova songs along with classic and contemporary covers. Over the years, their music has been internationally released on various CD's, soundtracks and compilations, winning over music lovers from Toronto to Tokyo.

In 1997, combining their first demo cassettes, the duo released Jazz/Bossa Nova. Independently created, it went on to break records with platinum sales, a rarity for a self-promoted and distributed indie jazz album. In 2002, Bet.e & Stef signed with Universal Music Group and launched Day by Day, which quickly went platinum and got nominated for a Canadian Juno Award. During this period, the duo also signed a deal with Toshiba-EMI and released slightly different versions of these albums in Japan.

Their background shows an early love of music. Bet.e studied psychology and communications in college. She dabbled in theater, radio and studied modern ballet. When she decided to become a singer, Stef opened doors by introducing her to bossa nova. "I fell in love with it. I just immersed myself in the language, rhythm, and styles. I was bowled over by how beautiful this music was," recalls Bet.e, whose musical roots include '60s-style R&B and Psychedelic Rock as well as bands like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus and Einsturzende Neubauten.

Stef, a born music enthusiast, played and sang in various jazz and rock bands from a young age. At 21, he traveled to Paris and studied vocal jazz and musical arrangements under Christiane Legrand, former lead singer of Double Six and Swingle Singers, and sister to Oscar-winning French composer and pianist Michel Legrand.

In addition to being musicians, Bet.e & Stef took on the daunting tasks of doing their own booking, producing, marketing and distribution. Through steady work and careful planning, they smoothly worked their way up from restaurants and lounges to smaller clubs and ultimately, to larger concert venues that eventually took them across Canada and to Japan and Brazil.

After a period of time away from the band to complete other projects including solo albums, Bet.e & Stef are back and ready to pick up where they left off. “This hiatus gave me the chance to advance both my production skills and overall music knowledge by producing several other styles of music, from industrial metal to North African Gnawa music, Canadian folk singers to electro-jazz or Romanian gypsy, says Stef. Each one of them opened my eyes to new musical frontiers.

During this time, Stef got involved with the world of electronic and thus the idea of a Bet.e & Stef remix project was born. Thrilled to reunite for a chance to hear fresh new sounds in their material, Bet.e and Stef teamed up with DJ and producer Mike Fresco to reel in a stellar team of international DJ's including Louie Vega, Nicola Conte, King Britt, Buschemi, Nickodemus, Dorfmeister, and released a double CD called Remix Deluxe in Canada in June 2013.

The duo are currently working on new original material. Their latest creations continue to reference their roots in jazz and bossa, while embracing influences from soul, electro and indie rock, and even dub. Their sound is unmistakably Bet.e & Stef, yet clearly shows their musical and personal evolution over the years.

Discography

The female-male duo has released two albums:

• Jazz/Bossa Nova (1997)
  1. "So Danco Samba"
  2. "Boomerang Baby"
  3. "Fever"
  4. "Besame Mucho"
  5. "Triste"
  6. "I Put a Spell on You"
  7. "One Note Samba"
  8. "Água de Beber"
  9. "Black Coffee"
  10. "Samba en Preludio"
• Day by Day (2002) - (certified Gold in December 2002)^[1]
  1. "All is Well"
  2. "Day By Day"
  3. "Regra Tres"
  4. "Vagabond"
  5. "I'm There"
  6. "Eu Vim Da Bahia"
  7. "Il n'aurait fallu"
  8. "Zana"
  9. "So Tinha de Ser Com Voce"
  10. "It's Over"
  11. "Listen to the Night"
  12. "Wish You Well"
  13. "Essa Moca Ta Differente"

References

1. "Gold & Platinum Certification – December 2002". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-08-20.