São Paulo – Choro music is about to take the spotlight in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and in Kuwait City in the best of ways. Between November 14 and 19, musician Reco do Bandolim and the Choro Livre group will perform for the first time in the capitals of the UAE and Kuwait. The Brazilian instrumental music tour will also include Tehran, in Iran – the Persian neighbor of the Arab countries of the Gulf – on the 12th and 13th. Pictured at the top of this story are, left to right, Henrique Neto (seven-string acoustic), Reco do Bandolim (mandolin), Valério Xavier (pandeiro), George Costa (six-string acoustic) and Marcio Marinho (cavaquinho).
The concert Reco do Bandolim – The Roots of Samba in will be played at the Abu Dhabi National Theatre on the 19th, organized by the Embassy of Brazil in Abu Dhabi. The Kuwait City concerts were organized by the Embassy of Brazil in Kuwait. The group will play at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel on the 15th. The concert on Sunday, 18th will be entitled Waves of Brazil – with Reco do Bandolim & Choro Livre, at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre. The venues of the performances on the 14th and 16th have not been disclosed.
Reco do Bandolim told ANBA that he’s really happy about the invitation, which came from his friend the acoustic guitarist Yamandu Costa, who had performed in the UAE earlier this year. “The ambassadors asked Yamandu for referrals of musicians, and luckily he told them about our group. In about three months’ time, we scheduled the performances in the three countries,” he said.
Reco said his expectations are high. “This will be an extraordinary opportunity for us to perform as well as to see the region, which is really interesting, really rich from a musical and cultural standpoint.” Besides playing music, the artist is planning to tell audiences a bit about the history of Choro music in Brazil. “We intend to play a set exalting Brazil and the Brazilian people, covering a gamut of Brazilian musical genres, like choro, samba, bossa nova, waltz, forró and frevo,” he said.
The setlist will comprise instrumental versions of internationally known Brazilian composers like Ary Barroso, Pixinguinha, Jacob do Bandolim, Ernesto Nazareth and Tom Jobim, and songs like Aquarela do Brasil (Toquinho), Canta Brasil (Alcyr Pires Vermelho and David Nasser) and Brasileirinho (Waldir Azevedo).
While speaking with ANBA, the artist recalled that he performed in Dubai about ten years ago, during a music festival on the desert that lasted about five days. “But this will be our first time in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Tehran. We’ll get the chance to see a bit more about those countries and even do a bit of tourism in between performances,” he said.
Besides Reco, who plays the mandolin, the group comprises George Costa on six-string acoustic guitar, Marcio Marinho on the cavaquinho, Valério Xavier on pandeiro, and Reco’s son Henrique Neto on seven-string acoustic. “My son is pursuing a master’s in Music in Portugal and we haven’t seen each other in a few months. He will meet us up in Iran, our first stop. He played with the group for many years and took a break in order to go study. This tour will also be a family reunion,” the father said on the verge of tears.
“Brazilian music is the best product the country has to offer, and it can bridge the gap between Brazil and Arab countries, especially considering all this diplomatic tension in the wake of the elections,” said Reco.
Grupo Choro Livre
Henrique Filho – aka Reco do Bandolim – was one of the founders and the current chair of Clube do Choro de Brasília, established in 1978. A disciple of Jacob do Bandolim and Armandinho Macedo, Reco has four albums out, including Reco do Bandolim & Choro Livre, which has sold over 5,000 copies.
Grupo Choro Livre has toured Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and North America, with stints at music festivals and solo concerts in Germany, Argentina, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, the UAE, Spain, the USA, France, Italy, Peru, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Suriname, Tunisia and Uruguay.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
