Next week the official Choro Day ( 23. April) will be celebrated all over Brazil and in other parts of the world, where choro is an integrated musical tradition of cultural events. Choro Day is also the celebration of Pixinguinha, the 23. April this year we'll commemorate the fact that it is Pixinguinha's 112th birthday. I suggest and encourage readers of this blog to look up info in the local media about events according Choro Day in your area. Unfortunately, none have been arranged at my place, but instead I found some video fragments at YouTube to get into the right mood for celebrating Choro Day and the music of Pixinguinha.
From a TV program I found a fragment featuring Déo Rian and Época de Ouro playing a couple of well known Pixinguinha compositions - the program is hosted by Paulinho da Viola and probably is recorded late 1960s or early 1970s
From a performance at the Villagio Café-SP last year here is a fragment featuring Danilo Brito (bandolim), Alessandro Penezzi (violão), Proveta (sax) a.o. playing Pixinguinha's 'Cochichando'
Finally, here's the historical video fragment featuring Pixinguinha himself accompanied by unidentified conjunto playing 'Carinhoso' - enjoy!
One of the first recordings by Garoto that fascinated me was his 1949 recording of the classic choro 'Lingua de preto' composed by Honorino Lopes (1884-1909). The composer, Honorino Lopes, is rather unknown, he died 25 years old from tuberculosis, but is remembered for this particular choro that remains a part of the choro standard repertoire. Jacob do Bandolim as well as Benedito Lacerdo accompanied by Pixinguinha also recorded the tune in 1949. The choro was recorded for the first time between 1907 and 1912 by the Banda da Força Policial do Estado de São Paulo for the Odeon label and again in 1913 by the Banda da Casa Edison. None of these first recordings are available in the online discoteque at Instituto Moreia Salles. However, if you click your right mouse button, you have the opportunity to listen to the streaming audio of the mentioned recording by Garoto of 'Lingua de preto' here
As demonstrated in the streaming audio, Garoto plays the solo voice on violão tenor. Jacob do Bandolim's rendition features the bandolim as solo voice, of course. You may listen to the 1949 recording by Jacob do Bandolim using the same procedure as mentioned above clicking here
Here's a contemporary reading of 'Lingua de preto' performed by a choro ensemble from the conservatory of Pernambuco, cavaquinho is playing lead
Finally, from a roda de choro recently at the Bandolim de Ouro music shop in Rio da Janeiro featuring Bruno Rian playing the solo on bandolim
Ragtime is an American music style that emerged at around the same time as choro during the late decades of the XIX. Century. There are obvious similarities between ragtime and choro, both music styles draw from European music tradition and blend with Afro rhythm into a characteristic syncopated music form that evolved in two parallel directions. Musicologists have been aware of the similarities (- and differences) between ragtime and choro for quite some time, but just recently an attempt has been made to bring the two music traditions together.
The good people at ChoroMusic.com, headed by flutist Daniel Dalarossa, have prepared yet another interesting project, this time focusing on choro and ragtime. According to the extensive notes at the website of ChoroMusic.com the aim of the project has been to let a choro ensemble play typical ragtime pieces using the instruments commonly featured in a traditional choro group and adding choro rythm and improvisation to the music performed. I was pointed to the recorded music by a friend, who has downloaded the recorded 10 pieces offered for purchase at the ChoroMusic.com website, which also offers the written scores to be used by musicians who would like to learn and play along. The recorded ragtime pieces are played once as intended by the composer, second time through improvisation is added, generally spoken. The result is marvellous, if you like ragtime, the 'special touch' added by competent choro players brings a sparkling new life into both well known compositions by Scott Joplin as well as other ragtime composers. Even though you are not a musician, I recommend these joyful renditions of classic ragtime. Learn more about the participating musicians, scores and recorded music for purchase at ChoroMusic.com, click here
Scott Joplin (1868-1917) is generally recognised as one of the originators of the classic ragtime style, his compositions for piano - like the shown 'Maple Leaf Rag' (1899) - were popular in the US around 1900, the score of 'Maple Leaf Rag' sold in more than one million copies. The piano was the favoured instrument for home entertainment, thus, written scores for piano of popular music were in high demand. Recordings of original ragtime played by pianists were scarce as recording fascilities (- most often cylinders were used) prevented pianists to participate. Instead pianists were forced to rely on the reading abilities of other pianists to spread their compositions, although some of them also cut piano rolls to be used by mechanical player pianos. The mechanical sound of a player piano roll may have caused the deminising interest in ragtime, when recording possibilites became better through the phonogram discs. Anyway, it's a fact that ragtime had its heyday from 1900 to 1917, World War I seems to have moved the general interest in ragtime into other directions. There was a short revival during the 1950s thanks to a relived interest in dixieland jazz and its origins in ragtime, but it was not until the early 1970s a new craze for ragtime evolved, thanks to a very popular movie from 1972, 'The Sting', that featured soundtrack music of compositions by Scott Joplin, including notable ragtime pieces like 'The Entertainer', 'The Easy Winners' a.o.
Given the fact that most of classic ragtime is composed with the aim of being played by a piano it may seem a bit strange to have a string or wind ensemble playing the music. But as it happened with the compositions written by Ernesto Nazareth, string ensembles or even brass bands soon started playing this kind of popular music. In original recorded ragtime you'll find examples of full brass bands playing 'Maple Leaf Rag' and other Joplin pieces, but the most interesting renditions are those applied by banjo players accompanied by a piano or small string ensemble. The banjo was a novelty instrument at the time when ragtime emerged, and this fact may seem to be a part of the reason for quite a lot of recorded banjo ragtime from the heyday of the genre. Virtuosi like Vess Ossman and Fred van Eps (see picture) set the standard in this very demanding branch of playing the banjo, today only few people seem to have an interest in carrying on the torch. However, here's one, who gives it a fair try:
As it happend with choro also ragtime was absorbed by all sorts of musicians, erudite as well as self taught, during the process both musical forms evolved in different directions. Choro luckily survived and left a legacy of wonderful music kept alive to this day by devoted individuals. Ragtime has had its ups and downs, but maybe a new era is in sight thanks to ensembles like the one viewed here:
If you have become interested in listening to string ragtime, you may have an opportunity to join an event during August this year. The first Danish Folk, Blues & Ragtime Guitar Festival is scheduled from August 5h to 7th and features great string ragtime performes. Learn more from the festival's official website, click here
What happens when choro musicians get together in an informal setting? They play together and exchange experience regarding their instruments and playing technique. This is not 'small talk', not even among famous and well known musicians with a stellar career. Why not? Because choro is a serious thing that has to be refined to be kept alive at its best, all the time. Keeping this virtue in mind does not exclude 'having fun' and learning from each other, the result often is magic when the participating musicians 'cut loose' and just play for their own enjoyment to the benefit of the music. This is the way 'stardust' is generated, and how lucky we are to have the chance to have a view of such a meeting of the giants, who know their stuff inside out.
Recently the young bandolim player of the Choro das 3, Elisa Meyer, met with Hamilton de Holandaand Mike Marshall informally, the event luckily was recorded. The first video features Elisa and Hamilton
The second video from the same event features Elisa and Mike Marshall - enjoy!
This week Brazil is celebrating the centennial of singer, actress and moviestar, Carmen Miranda. - Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha was born on February 9, 1909, in Marco de Canavez, Portugal. Her familiy moved to Rio de Janeiro when she was about 2 years old. As a young woman she worked as a milliner. She was discovered at a talent show, and in 1929 she signed on with the Victor Recording Company.Her career was established throughout 1930s, she had success as a radio and recording artist, she was a star at the carnaval, became an actress taking part in movies and toured South America as a 'musical ambassador' for the Brazilian government. In 1939 she was offered a tour of the USA and with this step her second career was launched. Together with her Brazilian group of musicians, O Bando da Lua featuring Garoto, she was a sensation with the American public, and soon she was offered film work in Hollywood and, after moving to the USA, she became a celebrity and ranked among the highest paid artists in the country throughout the 1940s. She made several films in the USA, had success as an actress and also made recordings with her Bando da Lua, the first authentic Brazilian music including choros and sambas made digestable for an American audience. These recordings have since been reissued several times and are still worth listening to thanks to the charming voice of Carmen Miranda and the great accompaniment of her Banda do Lua.
Despite her official success with the public Carmen Miranda suffered from the stress as an Americanized Hollywood celebrity, she died of a heart attack on August the 5th, 1955. However, she'll forever be remembered as the prime icon of Brazilian music by the general public with little knowledge of the vast cultural heritage of Brazil. Carmen Miranda will remain 'The Lady with the tutti fruit hat' or the 'Brazilian Bombshell', so let's end this small commemoration enjoying Carmen in action with one of her greatest hits, 'Tico-tico no fúba', here in a sequence from her first Hollywood movie, 'Down Argentine Way' (1940):
Next week the official Choro Day ( 23. April) will be celebrated all over Brazil and in other parts of the world, where choro is an integrated musical tradition of cultural events. Choro Day is also the celebration of Pixinguinha, the 23. April this year we'll commemorate the fact that it is Pixinguinha's 112th birthday. I suggest and encourage readers of this blog to look up info in the local media about events according Choro Day in your area. Unfortunately, none have been arranged at my place, but instead I found some video fragments at YouTube to get into the right mood for celebrating Choro Day and the music of Pixinguinha.
