BREJEIRO
Choro do Brazil
Exciting Latin Rhythms
Brejeiro is an exciting new acoustic group that specialises in the Choro style of music from Brazil. Twin mandolins play haunting melodies over pulsating rhythm guitar, all propelled by dynamic latin percussion that makes dancing irresistible, Brejeiro mix traditional Choro tunes with contemporary songs and original compositions in a vibrant show that has been getting rave reviews this summer. Brejeiro are :
Dave Griffiths - mandolin
Mike Pryor - mandolin
Helen James-guitar
Andy Fuller - percussion.
To book Brejeiro tel 0845 4660259 (Local rate)
What is Choro?
Choro (pronounced SHOH-roh) is best described in American terms as "the New Orleans jazz of Brazil." It is a complex popular musical form based on improvisation, and like New Orleans jazz, blues, or ragtime, grew from a formalized musical structure and many worldly influences. But to the people of South America, choro is Brazil. It is life.
The word choro in Portuguese literally means "to cry," which seems like an ironic name for music that is often so joyous and celebratory. Actually the term refers to the lilting or "weeping" qualities of the solo instrument, usually a flute or clarinet (Think of the way Benny Goodman could "wail"). This music, also called chorinho (this term refers to the individual pieces of music), came of age in the early 20th century in the cafés of Rio de Janeiro and other large cities in Brazil. The traditions that nurtured the choro in Rio in the late 1800s are pretty much the same ones that brought about the danzón in Cuba, the beguine in Martinique, and ragtime in the United States; countries were developing their own popular musics and began to mix elements from other cultures including European polka and African rhythms. As flutist Paula Robison explains, "... the choro tradition in Brazil is very much like the blues in America. In Brazil, choro was the combination of the African tradition mixed with the Portuguese; the beautiful singing lines of the Portuguese melody combined with the life-giving heartbeat of Africa."
One of the most important and prolific composers of choro was Pixinguinha. He was one of the greatest flute players and improvisers of his time, and has been called "the Bach of choro" by musicologists because of the near perfection of his harmonic structure, his virtuosity and the complexity in his music. He was at the height of his performing career through the 1920s, '30s and '40s. In 1922 Pixinguinha went to Paris with his group, the first Brazilian group to be contracted to perform abroad, and developed a devoted following in France as well as his native Brazil.
Another choro master was Jacob do Bandolim (his name translated from the Portuguese is "Jacob of the Mandolin"—he was born Jacob Pick Bittencourt), one of the greatest mandolinists in Brazil. He performed and recorded his music in the '40s and '50s, and was a popular figure on Brazilian radio.
