Choro sincapado

Amongst Brazil's many seductions are the alluring charms of choro. With flirtatious rhythms and playful melodies, the music frolics through streams of notes that never stop dancing from one phrase to the next. This demands nimble technique from the instrumentalists who are challenged with making the difficult sound effortless. But when they succeed, the fun of playing this colorful music is heard in the joy that echos from where it came. As the famed composer Heiter Villa-Lobos once defined choro, this is the true incarnation of Brazilian soul.

I formed Choro Sincapado with a motley crew of musicians from the Boston music scene, including a couple bonafide Brazilians studying at Berklee and New England Conservatory students. Given the obscurity of this music, it's a wonder that we found each other by accident. So the serendipitous discovery was an opportunity too good not to pursue. Our instrumentation is a bit unorthodox, with a ukulele (Andres Ramos) and harmonica breaking new ground in the tradition. But the flute (Danielle Williams), guitar (Ricardo Borsatto), and pandeiro (João Vitor Zacas Petrus) keep the sound authentic. This is technically challenging to play, but the efforts are made worthwhile by jubilant energy that infuses this music.