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| Performing at one of the fazendas. |
A unique Brazilian music event, the Festival Vale do Café (The Coffee Valley Festival), began on July 7 and runs until July 27 in the small towns and old coffee plantations of verdant, historic areas in and around the city of Vassouras, about two hours from Rio de Janeiro. The focus is primarily on jazz, choro, bossa nova, regional styles and classical music. Concerts are free in the public squares and churches of Vassouras and nearby cities, while tickets are required for the intimate music shows staged at stately fazendas (plantations).
Singers Fafá de Belém and Joanna will perform this year in free concerts, while the Bianca Gismonti Trio, Duo Santoro, Nicolas Krassik e os Cordestinos, Gabriel Grossi, Orquestra Carioca do Choro, Turibio Santos, Carol MacDavit, Gilson Peranzzetta, Mauro Senise, Cristina Braga, Bia Bedran and Trio Madeira Brasil will also make appearances. During the festival, many free music classes are offered for children. One night (the Cortejo de Tradições) is devoted to folia de reis, capoeira, jongo, cana-verde and other folkloric traditions, peformed by local groups. This is the 12th year of the festival, which was created by harpist Cristina Braga. Guitarist Turibio Santos and Paulo Barroso are the event's artistic directors.
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| The main house of an old fazenda. |
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| Turibio Santos (guitar) and Cristina Braga (harp). |
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| The main square of Vassouras during the festival. |
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| João Bosco at the festival in 2013. |
More info (in Portuguese): festivalvaledocafe.com
Read about Brazilian Music
Read about Brazilian Music
The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova
and the Popular Music of Brazil
by Chris McGowan and Ricardo Pessanha (Temple University Press)
and the Popular Music of Brazil
by Chris McGowan and Ricardo Pessanha (Temple University Press)
(the leading guide to Brazilian music in English;
available on Amazon worldwide)
by Chris McGowan
(interviews with iconic figures from Jobim
and Airto to Djavan and Gal Costa)
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