Brasilia fuses the improvisational influences of American jazz with the wide pallet of Brazilian musical styles. The band includes pianist Phil DeGreg, trumpeter Kim Pensyl, vibraphonist Rusty Burge, bassist Aaron Jacobs, and drummer John Taylor, who are all professors at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and nationally well-respected players. The band performs frequently around the Midwest.

Brasilia was formed in 2008 following Phil’s four-month Fulbright Fellowship residency at the University of Campinas, near Sao Paulo Brazil. The group performs classic popular Brazilian repertoire and original music with plenty of room for improvisation. Their repertoire includes songs in samba, bossa-nova, choro, baião, and frevo styles, including works by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Edu Lobo, João Donato, Hermeto Pascoal, and others.