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Overview
With the Recuerdos (Memories) series on a brief pause, Music of the Americas continues its online video series En Casa (At Home) of original daily performances with a week spotlighting talented musicians from Brazil.
Follow Music of the Americas on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to watch and receive notifications of all the performances. We also publish weekly calendars here on our website, including all the videos, so you can return to this page to catch up on any performances you might have missed.
This week's En Casa is dedicated to Brazilian musicians selected by our friend João Luiz, who launched the series in April. Born in São Paulo, João Luiz is one of the leading guitarists of his generation who now lives in NYC, teaches at Hunter College, and (before COVID) maintained a busy live concert schedule. He is a member of the Brasil Guitar Duo and also a composer and arranger. He recently gave the online premiere of Leo Brouwer's “Los guardianes de la magia,” which was dedicated to him by the Cuban composer.
”Los Guardianes de La Magia” (Leo Brouwer)
João Luiz Rezende, guitar
Monday, September 7, 10 a.m.
En Casa: Danilo Brito
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Danilo Brito is an award-winning mandolinist and an expert in choro, the Brazilian instrumental music genre. As an instrumentalist, his repertoire spans more than a century, from the beginnings of choro to new music; as a composer, he infuses the style with his command of the instrument. From home in Rio, he sent us his "Madrigal merencório" (Melancholy Madrigal), a lyrical piece that shows the expressive potential of the mandolin.
En Casa: Danilo Brito - "Madrigal merencório" (Brito)
Tuesday, September 8, 10 a.m.
En Casa: Ilana Volcov and Alexandre Ribeiro
Facebook: Volcov
The duo of Ilana Volcov and Alexandre Ribeiro was born of a longstanding friendship and musical admiration. They have collaborated in several projects, including Volcov's album Banguê, released in 2010. They sent us their witty transatlantic version of Paulinho da Viola's "Encontro" (Meeting); Volcov sang in Portugal, while Ribeiro played in Brazil.
En Casa: Ilana Volcov and Alexandre Ribeiro “Encontro”
Wednesday, September 9, 10 a.m.
En Casa: Alexandre Gismonti
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Guitarist and composer Alexandre Gismonti released his first solo album Baião de Domingo in 2010, which was nominated to the major Brazilian Music Award. He has toured the world with his father Egberto and the International Guitar Night project. His teaching work focuses on Brazilian rhythms and harmonies. From his home in Rio, he sent us an improvisation on his own "Estudos de polirritmia" (Polyrhytmic Etude).
En Casa: Alexandre Gismonti: “Improvisation on Polyrhythm Study”
Thursday, September 10, 10 a.m.
En Casa: João Nepomuceno
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Guitarist João Nepomuceno plays jazz guitar and is the director and arranger for the Big Band Carambolá, which was created in 2007 and recently released its debut album, Trilha Aberta, on digital platforms. He has played in Jazz, MPB, and solo groups in Brazil. From home in São Paulo, he sent us a solo electric guitar version of his "Espontânea."
En Casa: João Nepomuceno - "Espontânea" (Nepomuceno)
Friday, September 11, 10 a.m.
En Casa: Vitor Gonçalves
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Vitor Gonçalves is a pianist, accordionist, composer, and arranger from Rio, currently living in New York. He has become an active participant in the city's musical scene, performing with artists like Anat Cohen and Yotam Silberstein. In 2017, he released his debut album on Sunnyside Records, Vitor Gonçalves Quartet, and currently plays in several groups, including Regional de NY, one of the leading choro groups in the United States. From home in New York, he sent us his at times otherworldly version of Carlos Aguirre's "Milonga gris" on the accordion.
En Casa: Vitor Gonçalves -"Milonga gris” (C. Aguirre)