FUNKY SONATAS © 2026

The album’s track listing consists of classical and neoclassical compositions arranged in a Classical-to-Latin Jazz crossover style, including: 

• “Rachmaninoff en Ritmo” written by Sergei Rachmaninoff; 
• “Tema de Maria” written by Astor Piazzolla; 
• “Cinema Paradiso” written by Ennio Morricone; 
• “Funky Sonata for Gato” written by Gato Barbieri, and 
• Lalo’s Bossa Breeze Fantasy written by Lalo Schifrin.

The artistic directions, additional music, and lyrics for all compositions were composed by Terry Heimat and Alex Sino.

“Funky Sonatas” features true international masters of classical and jazz music: 
Svetlana Smolina (Piano), Ed Calle (saxophone), Francis Goya (guitar), Milton Salcedo (keyboards), Alex Sino (guitar), David Pastor (Trumpet), Alex Alexander (Drums/Percussion), Mario Rodriguez (Bass, Acoustic Bass), “Fafa” Valencia (Bass), Mario Parmisano (Piano), Liza Kenia (Vocal), Rayko B. (Vocals), Kostia Lucky (Violin), Denis Dmitriev (Violoncello), and Terry Heimat (Trumpet). 

Why does the concept of Funky Sonatas matter?
• Reclaims the sonata as a contemporary language. Instead of treating the form as sacred, the album shows how it can breathe, syncopate, and groove without losing its backbone.
• Bridges audiences. Classical listeners hear the architecture they love; jazz and globalmusic listeners hear the pulse and improvisational energy they crave.
• Defines a signature aesthetic for Alex Sino & Terry Heimat. It positions both artists as creators who can move between eras and idioms with precision, humor, and cultural fluency.
• Expands the idea of “serious music.” The album argues — elegantly — that sophistication and improvisations are not opposites; they’re two sides of the same creative impulse.

Sometimes a sonata wakes up, stretches, and decides today it’s modulating… with attitude. Sonatas can absolutely be Funky — because even a strict classical form deserves a moment when the left hand looks at the right hand and says, ‘…you feelin’ that groove too?’”

The album’s track listing consists of classical and neoclassical compositions arranged in a classical-to-Latin Jazz crossover style, artistically directed, and arranged by Terry Heimat and Alex Sino, and including:

“Rachmaninoff en Ritmo” written by Sergei Rachmaninoff; “Tema de Maria” written by Astor Piazzolla; “Cinema Paradiso”
by Ennio Morricone; “Funky Sonata for Gato” by Gato Barbieri, and Lalo’s Bossa Breeze Fantasy
Written by Lalo Schifrin.

Track I.
The Duel of Two Pianos — Svetlana Smolina and Milton Salcedo in  “Rachmaninoff en Ritmo” written by Sergei Rachmaninoff
A highart collision—an exploration of how two musical languages can clash, flirt, provoke, and ultimately transform each other.
On April 1st., 2026, Terry Heimat and Alex Sino released the new crossover composition “Rachmaninoff en Ritmo,” as a single of the album “Funky Sonatas”, featuring the internationally renowned pianist, Dr. Svetlana Smolina, and Grammy-winning pianist and composer Milton Salcedo. 

Sergei Rachmaninoff isn’t just “classical” composer. He’s a supernova with sheet music. Rachmaninoff was basically the original “main character energy.” While everyone else was writing polite salon music, he was out here composing emotional architecture — skyscrapers of sound, built with impossible hands and terrifying precision. His chords don’t “hit different.”
They rearrange your internal furniture.
Rachmaninoff isn’t a genre. His music is a bridge - and we are still walking across it! 

• Rachmaninoff was doing crossover before crossover had a name. The real kind — where borders dissolve, and the music becomes a passport.
• He crossed over between centuries: 19thcentury soul, 20thcentury velocity, 21stcentury emotional bandwidth.
• He crossed over between worlds: Russia → America → and everywhere where pianos exist.
• He crossed over between disciplines: composer with the architecture of an engineer, pianist with the stamina of an athlete, melodist with the instincts of a film director.

Listening to the “Rachmaninoff en Ritmo”, imagine a staged musical narrative in which two grand pianos sit opposite each other, like fencers. One, internationally renowned pianist Svetlana Smolina, is steeped in the brooding, expansive world of lateRomantic Russian virtuosity; the other, the Latin Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger, Milton Salcedo, radiates the rhythmic fire and improvisational swagger of Latin jazz. The tension between two pianists is delicious: Rubato vs. clave, romantic melancholy vs. tropical exuberance, Fortissimo del Fuego!

When Milton Salcedo plays a montuno or tumbao, he’s thinking in clave. When Svetlana Smolina plays Rachmaninoff, she’s thinking in rubato and long melodic arcs. So the duel becomes:
• Clave vs. rubato
• Rhythmic precision vs. expressive elasticity

The project is a highart collision—an exploration of how two musical languages can clash, flirt, provoke, and ultimately transform each other.

The composition features the All -Stars musicians lineup, including:

Featuring Piano: Dr. Svetlana Smolina is a recipient of the “New Names” scholarship program and holds a DMA from the University of Michigan, as well as an MM, BM, and Artist Diplomas from Indiana University South Bend, Oberlin Conservatory, Brussels Royal Conservatory, and Balakirev Music College. Smolina has performed with orchestras such as the Mariinsky Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the New Florida Philharmonic, the Shreveport Symphony, and the New York Chamber Orchestra. She has performed at venues including Carnegy Hall, the Salzburg Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia Rising Stars, White Nights, Maggio Musicale, Mikkeli, Ruhr, Easter, Rotterdam, Phillips Gergiev, International Gilmore, Settimane Musicali di Stresa, and many others.

Featuring Piano/Keyboards: A Grammy Award Winner, pianist, composer, and arranger, Milton Salcedo, is Colombian-American. 
From a very young age, Milton was influenced by a Latin musical environment. Milton worked, arranged, and composed for Néstor Torres, Juan Gabriel, Diego Torres, Olga Tañon, Antonio Arnedo, Elvis Crespo, Carlos Santana, David Visbal, Ismael Miranda, Amaury Gutiérrez, Andrés Cabas, Alejandro Fernández, Plácido Domingo, Rocío Durcal, Carlos Oliva, Luis Enrique, Natalia Jiménez, and John Secada, to name just a few of them.The support of undisputed international music stars such as Ed Calle, Dan Warner, Justo Almario, Ramón Benítez, and Néstor Torres, among others, is no less important, underscoring the great professionalism behind this production.

Drums and Percussion: Alex Alexander is a drummer/percussionist residing in New York City. He has performed and recorded with many artists worldwide. Among them: Dido, Eminem, Chaka Kahn, Ritchie Blackmore, David Bowie, Willie Nile, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Cliff, Joy Askew, Rickie Lee Jones, Bernie Worrell (P-Funk), Brian Hardgroove (Public Enemy). He performed at Lilith Fair with Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Sinead O'Connor, Winona Judd, Chrissie Hynde, Ashwin Sood, Everett Bradley, the Jazz Legend Ornette Coleman, and many more.

Bass and Double Bass: Mario Rodriguez is a renowned bassist known for his work in Latin and jazz, notably performing with Al Di Meola and saxophone legend Gato Barbieri. Beyond Barbieri, Rodriguez has worked with Al Di Meola, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Juan Luis Guerra, and has extensive recording credits, including work for Sesame Street.

Trumpet: Terry Heimat is the Global Music Award Winner. He is a conductor, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Terry is the director of the Philharmonic Orchestra and a professor of music. 


This project is not “fusion.” It’s a duel, a dramatic dialogue in which each piano defends its identity while performing the music of Sergey Rachmaninoff and exchanging ideas with the other.

Duel of Two Pianos 
*A Poem by Alex Sino

Some curve in stone,
Some write in chords.
Some whisper notes that fit their score.
Some walk where broken music calls. 
They cry that shakes the concert floor. 

Behind the chaos, silence screams
Forgotten conscience of shattered dreams.
The rebel thought sound left behind
Sleeps not in silence - but in time

Arpeggios drown in the music beat, 
Cadenza weep and voicing plead
Their tempo trembles—we remain, 
Unscored, unseen, the silent strain.

It rises in thirds where beauty cracks, 
A thought unchained, not bound by tracks. 
Not grace but gravity in form, 
A storm of self beneath the norm.

Trivia: The legendary snare drum features in the recording

A drummer and percussionist, Alex Alexander tracked drums for Rachmaninoff en Ritmo produced by Alex Sino and Terry Heimat at Harlem Parlour Studios - the great Sammy Merendino’s studio. Sammy has a fully stocked studio, and Alex even got to play and track the piece on his Black Beauty Snare, which he bought from Myron Grombacher. Myron played this drum when he was Pat Benatar’s and Bob Dylan’s drummer. Snare featured Sammy, who got some great sounds really fast in engineering. The second take was the keeper. Alex finished the tracking with percussion at his studio.

Track II.
The Allure of Tema de Maria
The single "Tema de Maria" draws its inspiration from Astor Piazzolla's opera "María de Buenos Aires." This tango operita, which premiered in 1968, tells the haunting and surreal story of María, a woman whose life and death in Buenos Aires is deeply intertwined with the city's tango culture. Piazzolla's work is known for its innovative blend of traditional tango with elements of jazz and classical music, creating a rich, emotional landscape that continues to resonate with audiences today.
The production of "Tema de Maria" features an impressive lineup of internationally acclaimed musicians, each bringing their unique talents to the project. Multiple Grammy Award winner Richard Bravo lends his expertise on percussion and drums, while his brother Jerry Bravo anchors the rhythm section on bass. Adding to this rich tapestry is David Pastor, a celebrated trumpet player from Spain known for his performances with Michael Bublé and Arturo Sandoval. Argentinian pianist Mario Parmisano, who has spent over three decades touring with Al Di Meola and collaborating with Estela Raval, infuses the piece with his profound musicality. Spanish guitarist Francis Goya, renowned for his romantic and evocative style, adds a delicate touch to the arrangement.
The arrangement of "Tema de Maria" is crafted by the talented vibraphonist Andrei Pushkarev, whose successful solo career and membership in Kremerata Baltica under the direction of Gidon Kremer have earned him international recognition. Pushkarev's arrangement brings out the emotional depth and vibrant colors of Piazzolla's composition, creating a piece that is both deeply moving and refreshingly unique.

"Tema de Maria" is a beautiful instrumental piece that blends the rich, passionate sounds of tango with contemporary elements, creating a unique and mesmerizing listening experience. Heimat and Sino’s production brought together the diverse musical backgrounds and expertise of these stellar musicians, resulting in a harmonious and innovative composition.

Together, this quartet of musical maestros crafted "Tema de Maria" with precision and passion. The result is a track that not only pays homage to the rich heritage of tango but also pushes the boundaries of the genre, making it accessible and enjoyable for a new generation of listeners.

In an interview, Alex Sino shared his thoughts on the collaboration: "Working with Mario, David, Jerry and Richard was an incredible experience. Each of them brought their unique perspectives and talents to the table, and the result is a piece that we are all incredibly proud of. 'Tema de Maria' is a testament to the power of collaboration and the endless possibilities that come with it."

As the music world continues to evolve, collaborations like "Tema de Maria" remind us of the beauty and innovation that can arise when talented artists come together. Alex Sino and Terry Heimat have once again proven that music knows no boundaries and that the fusion of different styles and influences can create something truly magical.

Tack III.
Cinema Paradiso, 
This composition as reimagined by Alex Sino, Terry Heimat, and Milton Salcedo for the album Funky Sonatas, is not merely an arrangement — it is a reclamation of Ennio Morricone’s iconic theme through a modern, architecturally precise, and emotionally resonant lens. 
The original Morricone melody — tender, circular, almost weightless — is treated here with the kind of reverence that allows transformation rather than imitation. Sino, Heimat, and Salcedo approach the score as if restoring a fresco: preserving its emotional pigment while revealing new contours beneath.

Their signature aesthetic, blends:

• Cinematic lyricism — long, arching lines shaped with orchestral sensitivity
• Latinjazz inflection — rhythmic warmth without disturbing the theme’s nostalgic stillness
• Architectural clarity — a structural intelligence reminiscent of Morricone’s own disciplined writing.

This fusion creates a version of Cinema Paradiso that feels both intimate and panoramic — a memory enlarged.

Milton Salcedo: the harmonic architect — Salcedo’s piano is the gravitational center of the track. His voicings are unmistakably his: lush but never indulgent, modern but never alien to Morricone’s harmonic DNA. He introduces subtle reharmonizations — gentle chromatic pivots, suspended tensions resolving like sighs — that give the melody a renewed emotional elasticity. His phrasing often feels like a conversation with the past: respectful, curious, and quietly daring.

Terry Heimat: the cinematic conductor

Heimat’s orchestral direction is where the track acquires its widescreen dimension. Under his baton, the ensemble breathes like a single organism. Strings swell with a European romanticism, while brass enters with the restraint of chamber music rather than filmic bombast.

The Terry Heimat Orchestra, provides a sonic palette that is both classical and contemporary — a hallmark of Heimat’s conducting style. 
Alex Sino: narrative presence.

Sino’s role in Cinema Paradiso is subtle but essential. His arrangements often carry a narrative intelligence — a sense of dramatic pacing, emotional architecture, and thematic intention.
In Funky Sonatas, Sino’s artistic direction frames the track within a broader dialogue between classical lineage and Latin modernity. 

Francis Goya & the ensemble: the human warmth

The presence of Francis Goya adds a layer of gentle, tactile lyricism. His guitar lines act like brushstrokes — soft, deliberate, and deeply human.
The rhythm section (Richard Bravo, Ralphy “Fafa” Valencia) provides a pulse that is understated yet vital, grounding the arrangement in the warm soil of Latin musical tradition. 
Why this version matters

Among the many reinterpretations of Cinema Paradiso, the Sino–Heimat–Salcedo version stands out because it does not attempt to “improve” Morricone. Instead, it extends him — taking his melodic innocence and placing it in a new cultural and harmonic frame.

It becomes:

• A dialogue between Europe and Latin America
• A meeting of classical discipline and improvisational freedom
• A meditation on nostalgia that feels contemporary rather than sentimental


In both Alma Libre and Funky Sonatas, the track serves as a thesis statement: serious music can be both academically grounded and emotionally generous — a belief central to the trio’s artistic identity.

Track IV
Gato Barbieri — Ten Years After His Last Note Fell Silent.

A decade after his passing, Leandro “Gato” Barbieri still burns in the collective ear — that volcanic tenor sax, halfcry, halfincantation, forever bending jazz toward something more human. Born in Rosario and sharpened in the Buenos Aires scene, he found his early artistic compass with fellow Argentine Lalo Schifrin, whose band gave the young Gato his first real stage to roar. Those years with Schifrin shaped his phrasing, his cinematic instinct, and the fierce lyricism that would become his signature.

Everything crystallized in 1972, when Bertolucci handed him Last Tango in Paris. Gato didn’t just score the film — he haunted it. His saxophone became the film’s secret narrator, wounded and sensual, earning him a Grammy and a permanent place in the architecture of film music.

And this year, as an homage to Gato’s fire, Alex Sino and Terry Heimat created a new crossover rendition of the Last Tango theme for their album Funky Sonatas — a modern reimagining powered by Ed Calle’s cellosax virtuosity, Milton Salcedo’s luminous keys, Alex Alexander’s classy drums, and the heartbeat of Gato’s longtime bassist and musical director Mario Rodriguez, for whom the chance to play this music once more was profoundly emotional.

Ten years on, Gato’s sound still feels like a city at night — humid, trembling, alive. He didn’t just play the tenor sax.
He left a flame, and we’re still warming our hands by it.

Track V
Bossa Breeze: A Meditation of Childhood Memory and Inheritance. 
Bossa Breeze: A Language Without Words. A dialogue between exile and belonging, between the old world and the new. Meditation on memory, inheritance, and the continuity of sound across generations in a Song by Lalo Schifrin and Alex Sino”. 

Lalo Schifrin’s music carried the weight of exile, memory, and reinvention—and it was precisely this blend of tradition and innovation that moved Alex Sino to write lyrics for his 1966 instrumental composition “Bossa Antique,” transforming it into the song “Bossa Breeze.”

Grammy Winner, Alex Sino, on the question of why he chose a 60-year-old instrumental composition written by Lalo Schifrin, answered with his own lyrics:

You don’t always hear it clearly 
But it’s been with you for years,
And it follows me, sweet and strange 
Through every season’s range. 

Lalo Schifrin, born Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires in 1932, was the son of a Jewish father of Eastern European descent who emigrated to Buenos Aires, and a Catholic mother born in Buenos Aires. From an early age, Lalo absorbed this dual inheritance: the melancholy strains of synagogue music and the discipline of European classical tradition, alongside the vibrant rhythms of Buenos Aires.

Schifrin’s career became legendary: he studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Olivier Messiaen, played jazz in Parisian clubs, and later moved to New York, where he collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie before conquering Hollywood with scores like Mission: Impossible and Dirty Harry. His genius lay in bridging worlds—baroque counterpoint with bebop, tango with modern jazz, sacred echoes with cinematic urgency.

For Alex Sino, a Grammy — winning Latin Music producer and an emigre from Ukraine, Schifrin’s music was more than sound—it was heritage reborn in art. The Jewish-Ukrainian roots resonated with Alex’s own fascination for cultural survival and transformation. Lalo Schifrin’s music struck him as a dialogue between exile and belonging, between the old world and the new. 

Moved by this, Alex wrote lyrics to the composition, shaping it into the song “Bossa Breeze.” The title itself suggests a release: the breeze carrying memory across continents, turning sorrow into lightness. Where Schifrin’s instrumental spoke in tones of longing, Alex’s words gave it human breath and poetic clarity, honoring both the ancestral pain and the joy of survival. Lalo Schifrin’s life was a testament to how heritage can be transfigured into universal art. His Jewish European roots were not just background—they were the pulse beneath every score, every melody. Alex Sino’s act of writing lyrics to “Bossa Antique” was not merely homage; it was a continuation of Schifrin’s mission: to let memory sing, to let exile dance, to let tradition breathe as a breeze across time. 

Producing a song, Alex Sino teamed up with Terry Heimat, a conductor, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, with whom they produced several critically acclaimed albums. Among them are “Domus Solis” and “Alma Libre”. Together with Terry, Milton Salcedo, and Rayko Battista, they arranged the song with a new vision and added a hip-hop part. 


Boca Breeze is a living testament to how music transcends borders and identities. What began as Lalo Schifrin’s instrumental meditation six decades ago has been reborn through Alex Sino’s lyrics, Terry Heimat Production, and the voices of a truly multicultural ensemble. The lead voice belongs to Liza Kenia, a Georgianborn singer whose artistry was recognized early when she became a child prodigy and finalist on The Voice Kids at just fifteen. She is joined by Rayco B. Batista, a Cubanborn rapper and singer whose rhythmic fire adds a contemporary pulse; Terry Heimat, a Ukrainian-born Producer; Kostia Lucky, a Ukrainianborn violinist whose playing carries both virtuosity and the echoes of Eastern European tradition; and Milton Salcedo, the Grammy Awardwinning Colombian pianist whose touch anchors the piece with elegance and depth.

Together, they embody the very theme of Boca Breeze: the gaps in memory, the fragments of childhood voices and images, carried across continents and cultures. The song becomes not only a revival of Schifrin’s melody but also a celebration of global heritage, where Georgian, Cuban, Ukrainian, and Colombian artistry converge to give new listeners a shared experience of memory, exile, and renewal. It is precisely this multicultural resonance that makes Boca Breeze timeless—an echo of the past, reborn in the present, and carried forward like a breeze into the future.

The producers chose to move away from the traditional bossa arrangement and sound, reshaping the track with a fresh direction. The verses and chorus ride a driving rock rhythm section, while the rapping features a hiphop beat that gives the groove its distinctive edge. The only direct nod to bossa jazz comes from Milton Salcedo’s masterful keyboard work, whose refined, jazzinflected touch serves as a subtle homage to the genre’s roots.

The lyrics, arrangement, and production of Bossa Breeze transform Lalo Schifrin’s original melody into a meditation on memory, inheritance, and the continuity of sound across generations. Schifrin’s composition was an instrumental experiment—Baroque counterpoint refracted through Brazilian rhythm, with the Sino-Heimat team adding rock and urban sounds. Alex Sino’s words give it a human voice, grounding the abstract in lived experience.

The story of “Bossa Breeze” is the story of Schifrin himself: a man of many worlds—Jewish Eastern Europe, Argentina, Paris, New York, Hollywood—who believed music could reconcile the past and the present. Bossa Breeze is a reminder that tradition is not a museum piece but a living rhythm.

Bossa Breeze is not simply a lyrical adaptation—it is a revoicing of Schifrin’s experiment in memory and tradition. Sino’s words connect listeners to their own generational past, while the multicultural ensemble ensures the song resonates across cultures. In this way, the lyrics embody the very spirit of Schifrin’s music: timeless, borderless, and forever reborn.

The story of “Bossa Breeze” is the story of Schifrin himself: a man of many worlds—Jewish Eastern Europe, Argentina, Paris, New York, Hollywood—who believed music could reconcile the past and the present. Bossa Breeze is a reminder that tradition is not a museum piece but a living rhythm.