Um a Zero

[Bruce Clausen]

As I'm new around here, I thought I'd introduce myself with a tune. Um a Zero (One to Nothing) is one of the most famous choros by Pixinguinha, who wrote hundreds of them. I usually play this with a six-piece band (flute, mando, two guitars, two percussion), but this is a duo version I did last Fall with bassist Danny Parker. I flubbed the ending, but the rest is not too bad. And Danny is (as always) sensational. Link:
http://www.laughlinguitars.ca/umazer...n-mandolin.wma
This and another at:
http://www.laughlinguitars.ca/mp3.htm
BC

[groveland]

Great! I listen to Mike Marshall's version a lot... Did get this off a sheet or work it out by ear? If sheet music, where did you get it? Mike Marshall's book, perhaps? What are other good choro sheet music sources? If by ear, what recording?

Love that stuff...

[Bobbie Dier]

WOW!Great. I really enjoyed both tunes.

[Bruce Clausen]

Thank you both. I don't know the Mike Marshall recording or book. The original record has Benedito Lacerda playing the lead on flute while Pixinginha noodles on tenor sax. (A compilation of these old recordings may still be available on Iris Music.) A similar version is on the first Cafe Brasil CD (Teldec). My favourite is the Paulo Moura live version (CD titled Pixinguinha on Blue Jackel); Moura plays the lead on clarinet, with comments from trombone (Ze da Velha) and mandolin (Joel do Nascimento). This CD would be ideal for anyone getting interested in Choro. The tattered lead sheet I have seems to come from a Brazilian publication. BC

[groveland]

BC - Thank you VERY much for the info - That's excellent information I will use. #For your choro listening enjoyment, Mike Marshall's version (from CD Baby clips...)

What astonishes me is there was this musical explosion going on in Brazil that seems to rival anything that was happening in North America at the time - And generally we hear so little about it! #(I took jazz history in college - Hey, nobody mentioned choro! #Okay, so it's not jazz...) And finally, you're gonna love this, you can get the "Pixinguinha" by Paulo Moura & Os Batutas at WALMART! Where have I been?

[Will Patton]

I've been working on this tune for the last month - it's like the final exam of choro....just a terrific tune, with enough finger twisters to serve as a semester's worth of mando exercises. All these choros are available from a great on-line company: http://www.brazmus.com - 3 volumes of O Melhor do Choros Brasileiros, and a Pixinguinha book as well.
One of the highest expressions of mandolin literature. I've been obsessed with choros for the last year, with my new group, Estrela do Norte - flute, pandeiro, 7 string guitar, bandolim (sorta - my ol' Gibson) and percussion. A life's work!
-Will Patton

[groveland]

My challenge has been "Espinha De Bacalhau(codfish Bone)" by Choro Famoso, that passage of 16ths up to speed - And it has been the best workout for my picking that I can imagine. The best part is that it's great to have in your repertoire.

I just ordered Mike Marshall's choro book. The best is yet to come!

[Jim Garber]

I also like that Italian tune. Bruce do you have the sheet music for Rivalité?

Jim

[Bruce Clausen]

Thanks, Jim. Editions Paul Beuscher in Paris has a 6-volume set of Musettes with 110 tunes in EACH. I have only the first volume (which contains Rivalite and plenty more), but an accordion player I sometimes work with has them all. I think they can be found in shops catering to the accordion crowd. And thanks for the link to Mike Marshall, groveland; cool playing, though I'm not too sure the gospel groove suits this tune. BC

[groveland]

Oh - Got the Mike Marshall Choro book today, which is, of course, priceless.

Had I seen the music first, I would have been intimidated. Regarding "Espinha de Bacalhau", turns out that those "fast 16ths" I learned off the recording are written as 32nds.

[mandolooter]

That accordian tune is just soooo sweet...thanks for putting up the link! The choro is also great but the Rivalite song is just a perfect fit to my ears!

[groveland]

I've been working on this tune for the last month - it's like the final exam of choro....just a terrific tune, with enough finger twisters to serve as a semester's worth of mando exercises. All these choros are available from a great on-line company: http://www.brazmus.com - 3 volumes of O Melhor do Choros Brasileiros, and a Pixinguinha book as well.
One of the highest expressions of mandolin literature. I've been obsessed with choros for the last year, with my new group, Estrela do Norte - flute, pandeiro, 7 string guitar, bandolim (sorta - my ol' Gibson) and percussion. A life's work!
-Will Patton

If that's the final exam, I passed! But it's only the beginning, really...

I learned Um a Zero a couple months ago from the Mike Marshall duet with Andy Narell on piano. I had visions of doing it with my daughter on piano, so I arranged a somewhat simplified version for her based on Narell's performance. She was intimidated by it and hasn't tried it yet, but it's really not that bad. Maybe some other time. But at least I passed that part of the exam. Kindof...

I got to listen to other versions. It's funny how one can overlook some really sophisticated playing when it's performed effortlessly, like matter-of-factly. In particular I find the 7-string guitar parts impossible to get right. I mean, I can hear the notes, cliches and idioms, but the Brazillian pocket is somehow elusive to these northern ears. I don't think there are any shortcuts - You just gotta be steeped in the culture.

So I'll just have to (for now) be happy I can pull off the mando part at 110 bpm. And then hope to live to 120 years old so I can steep in the culture.

Can anyone relate?

[Larry S Sherman]

Can anyone relate?

I can totally relate. Um a Zero is one of my favorite Choros to play.

And Choro is really all I'm interested in playing right now. I'm currently working on getting "Santa Moreno" to sound dramatic. And try as I might I can't get close to the speed that Jacob can play this at.

Receita de Samba is a fun tune too.

Larry

[John Kasley]

FYI,
A good source for choro books is Atlantico in New York City, in addition to books published in the U.S they will also import books from Brazil for you.
If you don't see what you want on their web site, phone or email and tell them what you want. It's likely they can get it.
http://www.atlanticobooks.com/Catalog5_Music.html

The Beuscher Musette series are available from Djangobooks.com. Look for the Accordion Music section. They are out of stock on some of the Musette books from time to time.
https://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com...ion_books.html

[ElenawithAtlantico]

Obrigada, (Thank you) John Kasley!

I just wanted to pass along the new URL for Brazilian music books from Atlantico:

http://atlanticobooks.com/index.php?...mart&Itemid=21

In addition to music books, we're also getting a lot of CDs in from Brazil. I have some of Mike Marshall's books here too. It's always a pleasure to work with musicians.

Um abraço, (A hug)
Elena
www.AtlanticoBooks.com

[Al Bergstein]

Not um a zero, but related...After coming back from the Mando Symposium, I broke out the "play along" book for Jacob, and the CD sort of caught me by surprise. I had not understood that these cuts were different than the ones on the Grisman collections of Jacob. Apparently they are. (am I wrong?). Jacob's isolated playing on them, especially I notice on Benzinho, is simply beyond his usual spectacular playing. Worth a relisten if you haven't lately.

Danilo Britto said that the Jacob play along is his favorite way to learn Jacob's tunes, and play to the fabulous backup band. Since he doesn't read music, but plays by ear, I would assume it's easier to do it that way!

The Pix. CD is fabulous because it seems to show how this music might have been played in the 20s, with a very ragtime feel to it.

[Brad Weiss]

Here's me on this grrrrreat tune! Well, I'm trying...

[neal]

That sounds fun to play, good work-

[ElenawithAtlantico]

Hi again! For all lovers of Brazilian music, I have 2 suggestions:

1) New CD http://atlanticobooks.com/index.php?...hk=1&Itemid=18 "Tudo Azul"--it's the samba school Portela! It's a great recording.

2) New DVD http://atlanticobooks.com/index.php?...mart&Itemid=18 "O Misterio do Samba" (The Mystery of Samba). This is a wonderful documentary, kind of similar to "Buena Vista Social Club", also about the Velha Guarda (old guard) of the Rio samba school, Portela.

Both are beautiful! Happy 2010!

Abraços,
Elena

[Amy Burcham]

Hamilton de Holanda and Marco Pereira did a phenomenal version of Um a Zero, with on-the-money counterpoint running around each section. You can check it out here http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...-4vq6nuxUe-fyA - the clip doesn't include any of what makes it amazing, but it's there for the download.

[bobby bill]

All these choros are available from a great on-line company: http://www.brazmus.com - 3 volumes of O Melhor do Choros Brasileiros, and a Pixinguinha book as well.

Thanks for this link. I had gotten Volumes 1 and 2 about ten years ago after an article by Marilyn Mair in the old Mandolin Quarterly provided a link. The site was completely in Portuguese but Mair provided the key words to click on to order the books. Those two books got more use than the rest of my library (50-60 books) combined. I was playing out of one them at midnight last night. I particularly like how they (usually) get all the information for a song on one page.

I never knew there was a third volume. I just ordered it and can't wait to get it.

[marcos p]

I can totally relate. Um a Zero is one of my favorite Choros to play.

"Santa Moreno"

Larry

larry is " Santa Morena" with an A in the end

enjoy my friend