Berkely Choro Ensemble

Sat, Nov 08

We are thrilled to welcome the Berkley Choro Ensemble to Christo's Lounge for the first time! Featuring Jane Lenoir on flute, Harvey Wainapel on clarinet, Ricardo Peixoto on acoustic 7 string guitar and Brian Rice on percussion. Choro, the first uniquely Brazilian popular music and the root of samba and bossa nova, has its origins in the late 1800s. The genre, a captivating blend of European salon and chamber music with Afro-Brazilian rhythmic energy and a touch of jazz, is still being renewed and updated, and is spreading internationally at a very healthy pace. The combination of virtuosity, lyricism, nostalgic tenderness, and spontaneous improvisation makes this music attractive to listeners whether or not they are familiar with Brazilian music. The Berkeley Choro Ensemble, formed in 2010, has dedicated itself to the performance of modern choro compositions and collaborations with renowned Brazilian performers and composers. Their CD “The View From Here” is a reflection of what is happening today in the world of choro. The Ensemble has been actively promoting the advancement of this great genre via performances, workshops, and the annual Berkeley Festival of Choro. Each Ensemble member has performed and/or recorded (in both the USA and Brazil) with many of Brazil’s most highly respected musical artists, including Airto Moreira, Alessandro Penezzi, Amilton Godoy, Danilo Brito, Dori Caymmi, Flora Purim, Guinga, Jovino Santos Neto, Léa Freire, Paulo Bellinati, Paulo Sergio Santos, Proveta, and Rogério Souza, among many others. “The Berkeley Choro Ensemble is one of the few groups playing outside Brazil that has the deepest understanding of what it means to play a ‘chorinho.’ Proof of this is all over their disc, with ten astounding pieces.” — World Music Report, April, 2018