Choro Workshop and Performance at Centrum

Choro Workshop Hits The Mark

37 people from across the US and Canada gathered at Centrum April 22 - 25, 2010 for an exquisite weekend of  learning, playing music and making new friends, all centered around the captivating and  infectious music which is Choro.

          

Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso (Andy Connell, clarinet; Colin Walker, 7-string guitar; and Brian Rice, pandeiro/percussion) served as faculty and performers, and were outstanding in both roles. The workshop included ensemble playing, master classes and group classes.

Each night informal jam sessions featuring students and faculty in Fort Worden's Victorian houses epitomized the character of Centrum's weekend intensive workshops: fun, informal and close up with master artists. 

 Choro Famoso was predictably amazing in a public concert on Saturday night, and a performance by the four participant ensembles on Sunday was the perfect way to wrap up a great weekend of music.

All agreed this was simply too good not to do it again, and indeed it will happen. Stay tuned for information about our next Choro weekend!

Choro Performance Saturday, April 24, at 7:30 pm

Before there was bossa nova, there was choro, a uniquely Brazilian form of high-energy improvisational music that blended European and African traditions.

And on Saturday, April 24, for only the second time in its 38-year history, Centrum will present the music of choro at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater, featuring Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso. (And, to whet your appetite, we've got great videos, below!)

Choro Famoso consists of Andy Connell on clarinet and saxophone, Colin Walker on the 7-string guitar, and Brian Rice on percussion. 

Tickets are available online, as well as at the door beginning an hour prior to the 7:30 start time.  

By the late nineteenth century, choro music was dazzling Brazilian nightlife, says noted clarinetist and ethnomusicologist Connell. 

“Rio de Janeiro burst with inspired choro musicians, and the musical arena was uniquely tolerant of the mixing of classes,” he says. “Slaves and freed slaves played alongside, and often surpassed, conservatory-trained musicians.”

The Music of Mike Marshall

Mandolin ace Mike Marshall will be in residence at Centrum April 22-25, leading a workshop in the choro music of Brazil.

As part of this workshop, he will take to the stage on Saturday, April 24, at 7:30 pm for performance with his legendary band Choro Famoso. Good seats remain for this highly anticipated performance. Order tickets online.

Below, experience the music of Mike Marshall, one of the world’s most accomplished and versatile string instrumentalists in America today. A master on mandolin, guitar, mandocello and violin, he has created some of the most adventurous instrumental music for over 35 years. His concert tours have taken him around the globe.

Whether playing bluegrass with Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, or Chris Thile, Brazilian choro music with Hamilton de Holanda or Baroque classical with German mandolinist Caterina Lichenberg, Mike is able to swing gracefully between all of these musical styles with a unique blend of virtuosity, depth and musical integrity that is rare in today's musical world.

Sample The Choro Stylings of Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso

Choro has been described as "the New Orleans jazz of Brazil." It is a complex popular musical form based on improvisation, and like New Orleans jazz, blues, or ragtime, grew from a formalized musical structure and many worldly influences.

Choro was developed as an almost purely instrumental rather than vocal style because of the musicians' sheer love for playing. All-night jam sessions became very common from the 1920s to the 1940s, and at these gatherings the players formed an almost spiritual connection with their music. To be accepted at the jams one needed to be a good enough instrumentalist as well as understand the musical "code words"—the language of improvisation.

In the hands of virtuosic performers, choro music is sublime. Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso are just such a group of performers. These are the American ambassadors of choro.

Here is video of the group performing "Receita de Samba," by Jacob do Bandolim

Choro Performance April 24

For only the second time in its 38-year history, Centrum presents a performance in one of the most intriguing forms of music in the world: Brazilian choro music. Join us for a special performance on Saturday, April 24, at 7:30 pm at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater.

Choro, a high-energy music that emerged in Brazil in the middle of the nineteenth century, is a close cousin of jazz.

"The Brazilian musical style of choro represents the coming together of European  traditions with African rhythms and sensibilities," says mandolin virtuoso Mike Marshall. "The way this came together in Brazil is particularly exciting. The Portuguese and Italian influence pins a strong romantic feeling to the swinging melodies."

The April 24 concert features Marshall, mandolin; Andy Connell, clarinet and saxophone; Colin Walker, 7-string guitar; and Brian Rice, percussion. Tickets are available online, as well as at the door beginning a half-hour prior to the 7:30 start time.