On talking about Brazilian music anywhere in the world, samba and bossa nova are some of the Brazilian beats remembered and recognized for their originality, contagious rhythm and melody. However, except for the foreign visitors who have been to Brazil, especially to Rio, or have a Brazilian friend, not many people know about one of our musical traditions, which mixes European and African sounds from the 19th century. The Chorinho is distinctly Brazilian in name and in thematic material.
The chorinho uses instruments such as flute, clarinet, guitar and a pint of improvisation. The literal translation of “chorinho” would be a “little cry or lament”. Though the songs in this style are a bit nostalgic, they don’t make us cry at all. In fact, when you go to bars and there is a group of chorinho (“roda de choro”) playing, you feel uplifted because of its upbeat sounds.
Chorinho is an instrumental type of music which calls for a lot of mastery on the part of the musician and always carries the possibility of adding his/her touch of creativity and improvisation. Some scholars have compared these chorões, to early American jazz bands, although these choro groups appear before the beginnings of jazz.
Part of its sound uniqueness is given by an instrument which is typically Brazilian, called “cavaquinho”. “The cavaquinho (pronounced [kavɐˈkiɲu] in Portuguese) is a small string instrument of the European guitar family with four wire or gut strings.” [Wikipedia]
Here is a sample of a chorinho group:
"Brasileirinho", one of the most performed and well-known pieces, is amazingly performed by Yo Yo Ma:
SOURCE: Pocket Cultures
CHORO JAZZ is a music festival held in Ceará and it has joined the list of the most important musical events of Brazil and the world, part of the European Forum Of Worldwide Music Festivals. To promote the 2012 edition of this Festival, Íntegra, an advertising agency, created "Seashell jazz": seashells equipped with a specially produced mini sound system. Scattered alongside the main and busiest beaches of Fortaleza/CE, one of the places where the event takes place, the shells arose the curiosity of passers by. By doing the typical gesture of one who puts the shell in the ear to listen to the noise of the sea, people were surprised by the sound that is part of the Festival program.
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