With Paul Korsmo and KTzinha of Choro Tocando and Peter Fung of the Brazillionaires

Bio:
Come learn the history of choro music; find out about the principal instruments used in choro and their roles in a choro ensemble; and hear demonstrations of selected choro styles from some of the great choro composers. You’ll hear typical choro instruments, such as flute, cavaquinho, 7-string guitar, and pandeiro. The fusion of African rhythms with European dance music resulted in Brazilian choro with its catchy melodies over a syncopated beat. Fostered in the streets and cafes of Rio de Janeiro in the 1880s, choro is Brazil’s original popular music, the ancestor of samba and bossa nova and a cousin of ragtime. Its early performers worked day jobs, even many of the greatest players and composers. Today, working people continue to enjoy playing this captivating folk music, keeping it close to its roots. The presenters Paul, KTzinha and Peter are Northwest musicians carrying on this special world music tradition. Between them, they have nearly a century of performing while holding down their own day jobs. In the past several years, they have been intensively playing choro and participating in choro workshops at Centrum and in California. KTzinha began playing flute when she was 10 and focused mainly on classical Baroque music and jazz. She has given private lessons intermittently. Paul brings many years of playing in bands of a variety of musical styles. For the past decade, he has played Brazilian MPB and jazz with Grupo Amoroso. At the start of his career, Paul taught at high school and college levels. He has composed dozens of songs and recorded several albums. Together we have learned choro music from Brazilian masters of the style. Besides performing, we sponsor and participate in rodas de choro with a growing circle of musicians from Portland to Port Townsend, to nourish and support the choro community.

Website: http://www.choro-tocando.com

Get Recordings: www.soundcloud.com/choro-tocando