Some time ago we introduced the UK-based choro ensemble,Choro Bandido, and pointed you to the first cd-release by this English choro group. Choro Bandidowas established in 2008 and members of the ensemble are: Alison Hopper (violin), Dave Anthony (cavaquinho), Brian Bull (violão 7 cordas) and Mick Pyke (pandeiro and percussion).
Just recently Choro Bandido has released the new cd shown above containing 14 tracks continueing the group's exploration of the Brasilian choro. The repertoire of the disc covers compositions by well-known choro composers/musicians like Ernesto Nazareth (Apanhei-te cavaquinho and Atlântico), Pixinguinha (Cochichando), Jacob do Bandolim (Assanhado, Receita de Samba and Santa Morena), Waldir Azevedo (Delicado, Carioquinha and Arrasta Pe), Altamiro Carrilho (Enigmático) and Jonas Silva of Epoca de Ouro (Meu Chorinho). There is also a composition by Ted Falcon (Tô Chegando), who has been mentoring Choro Bandido, and the last two tracks of the cd are not from the standard choro book, but may be considered related with the spirit of choro - a tune by Henry Mancini (Meglio Stasera) and Astor Piazzolla's famous Libertango. - The music is well performed generating a pleasant atmosphere of a roda de choro, most of the tracks have Alison Hopper playing lead voice on violin - Carioquinha has Dave Anthony on cavaquinho taking lead in this classic by Waldir Azevedo. The solid rhythm is provided by Brian Bull's advanced fretwork on violão 7 cordas, Dave Anthony's cavaquinho and Mick Pyke's various percussion. - The cd is available for purchase at the official web of Choro Bandido where you also have access to more info about the group including audio and video material. - Below I insert the video that was made to promote Choro Bandido's new cd, Transatlantico - enjoy this rendition of Waldir Azevedo's Delicado
To end this small review of the new cd by Choro Bandido, Transatlantico, I insert another video showing the ensemble in a live-performance of Jacob do Bandolim's classic, Noites Cariocas
Recently the Brazilian Trio Baru released its first album under its own name, entitled Alma Brasileira. The Trio Baru was founded six years ago by three skilled Brazilian instrumentalists: Cavaquinho and guitar playerNelson Latif - acoustic guitar playerJoão Bosco Oliveira and percussionist Rafael dos Santos.
Nelson Latif( source: nelsonlatif.com)
Nelson Latif, born in Sao Paulo, was raised with Choro music, a music style that goes back to the 1870s when musicians in Rio the Janeiro developed this creative musical style. Some people put Choro music or Chorinho on a par with the early US jazz styles, like Ragtime and Dixieland music and that's not so strange as you can say that it has, more or less, the same roots and it developed in the same periods. Choro was primarily an instrumental form, and to a North American (and European) ear it might sound a litle like a small Dixieland jazz combo playing with strange rhythms, extreme melodic leaps, unexpected modulations, and occasional breakneck tempos.( source: The Billboard Book of Brazilian Music.). When I first heard a Choro band ( Choro Brasil Scandinavia) at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival in 2005, improvising, playing together in a so-calledRoda de Chora in a bar after their concert at Mandala, featuring members of the Choro Brasil Scandinavia and jazz guitarist Jacob Fischer, it felt as if the New Orleans spirit of the collective improvisation had re-borned, fresh and with an enthusiasm, I'd rarely heard in traditional jazz music now-a-days. Some friends, who visited the recently organized Roda de samba e Choroin Amsterdam, organized by Nelson Latif too, had that same experience.
Trio Baru: f.l.t.r.: Nelson Latif - Rafael dos Santos - Bosco Oliveira.(photo courtesy: Clausem Bonifacio)
Nelson Latif's trio combines Jazz and Choro and other Brazilian musical influences in his unique style. Nelson Latif moved to Amsterdam more then 20 years ago and the cavaquinho became his main instrument, although he loves to play the 7-string acoustic guitar, the violão de sete cordas, the v.7 which has an extra bass string ( usually tuned to C ), so it can used for bass lines too. Nelson Latif played and recorded with dozens of Dutch jazz musicians, like vocalist Joseé Koning and Joeri De Graaf ( they can be heard at the great album Chôro, samba e afins).
Bosco Oliveira, who plays the acoustic guitar, was born in Brasilia, and started to play the guitar eight years old - he graduated twenty years ago at the University of Brasilia and is an expert in the Spanish Flamenco guitar style - Rafael dos Santos is from São Luis and knows how to mix traditional Brazilian music with modern jazz styles.
Fragment of Heitor Villa-Lobos composition: Bachianas Brasileiras Nº 5(source: Choro: A Social History of a Brazilian Music)
Nelson Latif writes in the liner notes that he wanted to make a survey of the different Brazilian music styles, as a trajectory of Brazilian instrumental music, hoping to take the listener on a little journey inside the sonorous realms of our people's imagination. The album contains a dozen tracks, most original compositions by great Brazilian composers, inspired by music styles like Choro: Waldir Azevedo, Ernesto Nazareth and Jacob do Bandolim- Bossa Nova: Baden Powell (de Aquinho) - Jazz-Fusion: Airto Mocedo and popular Brazilian music: Paulinho da Viola and Milton Nascimento. The Choro music revived during the 1950s and 1960s due to great musicians like Jacob do Bandolim and Waldir Azevedo, both present with two tracks. The tunes Nelson Latif and his Trio Baru selected are seldom heard, like Santa Morena and Alma Brasileira; the latter originally recorded by Jacob do Bandolim and his Regional do Canhoto in the 1950s. I personally liked the tune entitled Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5, a tribute to the Orchestral Suite #3 by Johann Sebastian Bach, composed in the 1940s by the great guitarist and composer Heitar Villa-Lobos.
Nelson Latif( source: neslonlatif.com)
Nelson Latif released some more great albums like Movimento - the before mentioned Chôro, samba e afins, with guitar player Joeri de Graaf and the album Tribute to João Pernambuco, dedicated to the music of the legendary Brazilian composer and guitar player João Teixeira de Guimarães, better known as João Pernambuco.
If you love Brazilian (string) music in general and Choro music in particular, try to find yourself a copy by this great Trio Baru: Alma Brasilieira. You can get more info about how to obtain a copy atthe Nelson Latif website.
Deze blog verschijnt in het Nederlands op de Keep Swingingblog.
Brazilian Summer Sessions Nelson Latif (Brazilian Cavaquinho player) Nelson Latifis a Brazilian cavaquinho player and guitarist, who lives both in Brazil and Amsterdam and pointed me to a great Roda de Samba e Choro which is scheduled as part of the Brazilian Summer Sessionsduring the summer season in the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, the 2nd of July, 2011. Nelson Latif forwarded a small introduction about what a Roda de Choro is and he loved to share it with you at this Choro-music blog, which celebrates its 5th birthday this month.
A roda de samba e choro(photo courtesy Nelson Latif) The Rodas de Samba e Choro are informal and unpredictable events, where musicians gather in a circle around a table to improvise samba and chorinho, combining personal and collective flair. A roda de samba e choro(photo courtesy Nelson Latif) From the raw drumming to the refined choro, from candomblé to capoeira, the roda is the most primordial format of the Brazilian cultural manifestations, a direct heritage of the Brazilian African roots.
The rodas de samba serve as schools for many Brazilian musicians as an open space where singers challenge each other, talent turns into legend, composers try out new creations and the Brazilian music renews itself. A roda de samba e choro(photo courtesy Nelson Latif)
In the Brazilian Summer Sessions 2011, musicians from both nationalities will interpret traditional and modern themes and styles. Singers and musicians from existing groups – or meeting for the first time – will bring to the Dutch audience the flavor and mood of this so important Brazilian way of experience popular music. Nelson Latif and friends Contact Choro music in the Netherlands: There are but few venues in The Netherlands where you can enjoy an original Brazilian Roda de Choro. In Rotterdam Marijn Van Der Linden organized two times a month ( the first and third Sunday) a Roda de choro in Taberna Tia Piri Piri and the 't Syndicaat in The Hague seems also a venue with regular Choro concerts. Please inform about the dates to come. This Summer Nelson Latif organizes a roda de samba e choro at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam. The concert has veen scheduled the 2nd of July, 2011. Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl Deze bijdrage wordt ook gepubliceerd op de Keep Swinging blog.
This month it has been 5 years since the Choro-Music blogspot started. Co-editor of the blog and manager of the Keepswinging Website, Hans Koert, took the initiative to start the blog and persuaded me to contribute with entries on the music, we both share a passion for: the Brazilian choro. The actual background of the blog was the dvd-release of Mika Kaurismäkki's documentary 'Brasileirinho - Choro in Rio', which put us on the trail of exploring this fascinating music gradually by posting info on (some of) its story, performers and practice. As there wasn't a blog already dealing with choro - at least not in the English language, we thought it a good idea to select info in English to feed non-Portuguese speaking readers with our findings to support an interest in choro - as a small follow-up of Kaurismäkki's great documentary. We are fully aware that our knowledge on the subject is limited and may be considered insufficient compared to the works of serious scholars, our main intention has been and still is just to share our passion for the music with readers, who are looking for easily digestable info in English on different aspects of the Brazilian choro. This way the Choro-Music blogspot also could be labeled 'our choro' - in Portuguese: Nosso Choro - considering the fact that the entries always have a personal bias that we do not intend to hide, however, it should be to the benefit of the music or aspect of choro in focus, we hope.
To mark the 5 year anniversary of the choro-music blog I like to point you to a great cd by two European musicians. The cd, shown above, is properly titled 'Nosso Choro' and was released 2009 by Emmeciesse records. The fourteen tracks on the disc are performed by pianist Ivan Tibolla and Stefano Scutari, who plays both bandolim and violão - Tibolla also contributes on accordion, flute and percussion besides piano on some tracks that have overdub. Both performers are Italians, well-known and highly respected musicians on the contemporary Italian music scene. The 'Nosso Choro' cd is their first co-work dedicated to the Brazilian choro, both musicians are active in other fields of music as well.
According to a MySpace-profile, Ivan Tibolla was born in Belluno in 1975. He graduated as organ player and in organ music composition at the Academy of Music “B. Marcello” in Venice. After that he studied music composition as well as music improvisation. In the last few years he has come closer to the world of jazz and performs as a pianist participating in various settings and also has his own trio specializing in experimental jazz. Ivan Tibolla has his own website (- in Italian only) including dicography.
Stefano Scutari was born in Venice 1950 and had his first musical experiences with various rock bands in the sixties, later he began to lean towards classical guitar, studying with Tommaso de Nardis, a teacher in the “Benedetto Marcello” Conservatory in Venice. He then took part in various jazz guitar seminars held by a variety of different musicians (John Abercrombie, John Scofield, Larry Corryell a.o.). Lastly, he went on to develop a specific interest in Brazilian music, travelling often to Brazil where he was able to meet and play with musicians such as Sebastião Tapajos, Horondino Silva (Dino 7 cordas), Nana Vasconcelos, and others. He has headed a column on Brazilian music in an Italian magazine and has also recorded cds on his own. A profile including music samples is available at MySpace.
The mentioned 'Nosso Choro' cd contains the duo's renditions of classic choros such as "Tico tico no fúba", "Chochiando" and "Lamentos", Scutari has solo violão interpretations of "Sons de Carilhões" and "Odeon", but plays the bandolim in interplay with Tibolla. A selection of compositions by Jacob de Bandolim - "Doce de Coco", "Flamengo", "Santa Morena", "A Ginga do Manè" and "Noites Cariocas" - get a fair interpretation by the duo with elaborate improvisation by Tibolla showing off his jazzinfluence. Further, a solo reading of "Choro Pra Bisconce" - a choro composed by Tibolla; Scutari also has a couple of compositions, "Concolacao" and "Vals Sem Nome", performed on solo violão. And there is an example of the forró influence, "Lèo Estante", a composition by Tibolla, which has him playing accordion and percussion besides piano in overdub. The overall impression of the performed music is engaging and a great experience, a nice example of how the Brazilian choro is interpretated by two very skilled European musicians, highly recommended. - The cd may still be available from retailers, the tracks may also be purchased at iTunes, click here
Choro originated in Rio de Janeiro during the late 19. Century and soon spread all over Brazil thanks to the emergency of radio and record companies documenting the evolvement of this unique Brasilian music style. Choro had its hey days during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, when musicians and artists excelling in this kind of music were supported and encouraged by national programs of the government, however, a decline in interest of the public during the 1950s and 1960s threatened to leave the choro in oblivion. A revitalization of choro music was established in the 1970s through TV-sponsored nation-wide festivals, which attracted a new, younger generation of musicians. Thanks in great part to these efforts, choro music remains strong in Brazil today and the contemporary scene of choro musicians is as vital as ever.- A panorama of the contemporary choro scene in São Paulo has recently been produced and documented through a project initiated by local musicians, Roberta Valente and Yves Finzetto. The project was supported and covered by the State Secretariat of Culture of São Paulo and has resulted in a cd-recording and a concert program documenting the vitality of the contemporary choro scene in São Paulo. The project has its official website, to be accessed here
The aim of the project, named Panorama do Choro Paulistano Contemporâneo, was to bring notable local choro musicians from different generations together and invite them to produce new and original material for a cd-recording headed by a sextet especially selected for the project. The Sexteto Panorama (shown above) comprises of Alexandre Ribeiro (clarinet and bass clarinet), Gian Correa (violão sete cordas), Henrique Araujo (cavaquinho and bandolim), John Poleto (sax and flute), Roberta Valente (pandeiro, percussion) and Yves Finzetto (percussion). In total, thirty musicians have been involved in the recording of sixteen new compositions by Alessandro Penezzi, Arnaldinho Silva, Danilo Brito, Edmilson Capelupi, Edson José Alves, Everson Pessoa, Israel Bueno de Almeida, Izaías Bueno de Almeida, João Poleto, Laércio de Freitas, Luizinho 7 cordas, Maurílio de Oliveira, Milton Mori, Nailor Proveta, Ruy Weber, Thiago França, Toninho Ferragutti and Zé Barbeiro. Each of the sixteen tracks has guest performance of the composer with support by members of the initial sextet, the result of this co-operation is outstanding, a marvellous example of the diversity and vitality of the contemporary choro scene in São Paulo. All sixteen tracks are available in streaming audio at the official website of the project including detailed info on participating musicians, clickhere - Unfortunately, I have not found info on how and where to purchase the cd, but it may be announced later at the website, until then I recommend taking time to enjoy the published streaming audio in full length. - In March the cd project was presented at a concert performance with participation of all involved in the project, a part of the concert has been recorded and uploaded on YouTube. Below I'll insert a couple of the uploaded videos from the event. First, here is the initial Sexteto Panorama performing the classic "Tico-tico no fúba"
From the final of the concert all participating musicians are on stage performing the same tune - enjoy this and the available streaming audio at the official website of Panorama do Choro Paulistano Contemporâneo
Some time ago we introduced the UK-based choro ensemble, Choro Bandido, and pointed you to the first cd-release by this English choro group. Choro Bandido was established in 2008 and members of the ensemble are: Alison Hopper (violin), Dave Anthony (cavaquinho), Brian Bull (violão 7 cordas) and Mick Pyke (pandeiro and percussion). 
Just recently Choro Bandido has released the new cd shown above containing 14 tracks continueing the group's exploration of the Brasilian choro. The repertoire of the disc covers compositions by well-known choro composers/musicians like Ernesto Nazareth (Apanhei-te cavaquinho and Atlântico), Pixinguinha (Cochichando), Jacob do Bandolim (Assanhado, Receita de Samba and Santa Morena), Waldir Azevedo (Delicado, Carioquinha and Arrasta Pe), Altamiro Carrilho (Enigmático) and Jonas Silva of Epoca de Ouro (Meu Chorinho). There is also a composition by Ted Falcon (Tô Chegando), who has been mentoring Choro Bandido, and the last two tracks of the cd are not from the standard choro book, but may be considered related with the spirit of choro - a tune by Henry Mancini (Meglio Stasera) and Astor Piazzolla's famous Libertango. - The music is well performed generating a pleasant atmosphere of a roda de choro, most of the tracks have Alison Hopper playing lead voice on violin - Carioquinha has Dave Anthony on cavaquinho taking lead in this classic by Waldir Azevedo. The solid rhythm is provided by Brian Bull's advanced fretwork on violão 7 cordas, Dave Anthony's cavaquinho and Mick Pyke's various percussion. - The cd is available for purchase at the official web of Choro Bandido where you also have access to more info about the group including audio and video material. - Below I insert the video that was made to promote Choro Bandido's new cd, Transatlantico - enjoy this rendition of Waldir Azevedo's Delicado
