If you enjoy the great Brazilian accordionist Renato Borghetti, check out this video of Firmino Tebaldi playing “Missioneiro” by the legendary “gaiteiro,” Antônio Soares de Oliveira (“Tio Bilia”). When most people think of Brazilian music, they think samba, but this is very different — traditional gaucho music from southern Brazil, in the Rio Grande do Sul region near the border with Argentina.
(Thanks, Chris!)
One of my co-workers showed me a giant photo of accordionist Rob Curto in this week’s San Francisco Bay Guardian. Turns out his band, Forró for All, will be at the Elbo Room in San Francisco next week.
The group is dedicated to forró, the dance/party music of Northeast Brazil, and features some of New York and Brazil’s most talented musicians. Three instruments make up the core of a traditional forró ensemble: accordion, zabumba (a large bass drum carried and played with a mallet and stick), and triangle. Driven by the rhythm of the accordion, it almost sounds like a Brazilian version of zydeco.
Forró for All will be performing tomorrow night as part of the accordion-themed series “Compressing the World” at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles. Then they’ll head up to the Bay Area for shows in Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale, and San Francisco. While you’re waiting for them to visit your town, here’s a track from their self-titled debut:
Forró for All: Baião (MP3 sample)
“I’m coherent in my art. I tell my story with the accordion.” Those are the words of legendary Brazilian accordionist/composer Sivuca, who passed away last week.
Born Severino Dias de Oliveira in 1930, Sivuca played and composed in a number of genres, including forró, bossa nova, folk, and jazz. Over the course of his lengthy career, he collaborated with musicians from around the globe — artists ranging from Harry Belafonte to South African singer Miriam Makeba to jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans.
Here’s a video clip of Sivuca performing his forró classic “Feira de Mangaio” with samba singer Clara Nunes. If your hips don’t move even a tiny bit while watching this clip, seek professional help.
[Found via Martin Klasch]