Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Leo Gandelman and Marcelo Caldi at the Festival


In the Festival Vale do Café, many of the performances take place at the grand estates in the region that once were Brazil's most important coffee plantations. In these historic and often lavish settings, musicians play beneath large tents erected on sprawling lawns, large rooms in mansions turn into intimate clubs with 150-year-old decor, and stages arise in the most unusual places -- such as in the corral for milk cows where saxophonist Leo Gandelman performed on Saturday (July 23) at the Fazenda Cananéia, not far from Vassouras. Gandelman and keyboardist Maria Teresa Madeira offered spirited readings of standards by Pixinguinha, Villa-Lobos, Gnatalli, Nazaré, and other giants of the past. The show demonstrated Gandelman's great versatility, of which many fans of his "smooth jazz" side may be unaware.

Leo Gandelman, "A Rã"

The next day (July 24), Marcelo Caldi and his quartet played at the Fazenda São João da Barra near Morro Azul. Caldi, a singer and sanfonista (button accordion player), is in the center of this photo, wearing a black hat. Her performed a tribute to Dominguinhos, the great northeastern composter and sanfonista, now in his 70th year. Caldi's group displayed great proficiency and verve as they interpreted standards such as "Eu Só Quero um Xodó" and "Lamento Sertanejo." It was a great pleasure to hear the forró-style music (xotes, arrasta-pés, etc.) and northeastern-tinged choro played with the instrumentation of two accordions and a mandolin by such competent players.

Marcelo Caldi, Edu Krieger and Rodrigo Maranhão, "Desafio"

Caldi, born in 1980, has already released ten albums and played on stage with the likes of Zeca Pagodinho, Zélia Duncan, Yamandú Costa, Hamilton de Holanda, Simone, and Gandelman. His music is not easy to find on Amazon, but here is one title that is intermittently available:

Leo Gandelman's albums are easier to find: Leo Gandelman on Amazon.

The music festival runs through July 31. Other performers participating include Mart'nália, Ivan Lins, Tira Poeira, Ulissses Rocha, Yamandú Costa, Turíbio Santos, and Cristina Braga.
More info (in Portuguese): Festival Vale do Café.

Photos: Leo Gandelman and Maria Teresa Madeira at Fazenda Cananéia (top), and Marcelo Caldi and group at the Fazenda São João da Barra. Photos © Chris McGowan.


Sunday, July 24, 2011

Digital Editions of "The Brazilian Sound" Coming Soon


Digital editions of our Brazilian music book "The Brazilian Sound," in .pdf and kindle, will arrive on September 1st.

They contain the entire third edition of our book, published in print by Temple University Press, with a few additions in the text and some new photos.

The digital editions will be available through Amazon.com and other online shops (and from us). Please contact us for more information at thebraziliansound at hotmail, or visit The Brazilian Sound book.

Photo of Vila Isabel drummers in the 2011 Carnaval © Ricardo Pessanha. All rights reserved.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Festival Vale do Café Begins


The ninth edition of the Festival Vale do Café (Coffee Valley Festival) begins tomorrow, running July 22-31 in Vassouras and the small towns and country estates of the "Coffee Valley" historic region just north of Rio de Janeiro.

Ivan Lins, Yamandú Costa, Mart'nália, Leo Gandelman, Daniela Spielmann, Ulisses Rocha, Tira Poeira, and Carol Macdavit are among the performers, along with event organizers Turíbio Santos and Cristina Braga. The music is wide-ranging: classical music, choro, MPB, instrumental, and Brazilian folk traditions.

Info (in Portuguese):


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Save a Life / Salvar uma Vida: Register As a Voluntary Bone Marrow Donor




Did you know that bone marrow transplants are successful 70% of the time and if there were more donors tens of thousands more people with diseases like leukemia could be cured? Did you know that the U.S., Brazil, and Germany have the largest donor banks in the world? It's easy to register as a donor. Please read the blog below (click on links for English or Portuguese versions):