Thoughts on Choro as we finish the 2013 Choro Workshop
As we prepare for what may be as fine a superb choro concert with a fabulous faculty, here are some thoughts that I captured during the week. Especially poignant was the piece written and read to us by Henrique Neto. Enjoy, and I only wish all of you could have been there this week. It was, at least in my opinion, over the top wonderful.
One thought I heard from Anat Cohen I believe, was that when asked when she first remember hearing Choro, and she said,'I think it's always been in my DNA. When I found out about choro I ended up spending a huge amount of time in Brazil learning the music. Jazz is music that seems to have become music for musicians, Choro seems to be music for and by the people. Regular people play it, dance to it and sing it Brazil, and everywhere it's played".
Jovino Santos Neto said, "Choro is a coming together of the influences of the European court music, West African rhythms, American Jazz, Eastern European Polkas and Klezmer music, Italian mandolins, Russian 7 String guitars, Marching Band music. It was and is played by marching bands, dance bands, acoustic musicians singing to each other. It is very flexible."
However, perhaps the most eliquent on the issue is 7 String guitar player, Henrique (pronounced neeke the h and r are silent I'm told) Neto. Henrique Neto is dedicated to research and study of Brazilian music. His interest in music came from his father, Reco’s Mandolin, President of the Brasília Choro Club and founder of the Brazilian School of Choro. In addition to making appearances as a soloist, Henrique has shared the stage with musicians such as multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal, the mandolinist Hamilton de Holanda, Paulo Moura, accordionist Sivuca, the mandolinist Macedo, guitarists Sebastião Tapajós, Manasseh and Guinga, and accordionist and Dominguinhos clarinetist Paulo Sergio Santos.
Talking about Choro – by Henrique Neto
In times of blatant vulgarity on TV, where reality shows have made it natural to trade human humiliation for fame and money prizes, I believe it is important to reconsider what kind of people we want to be. Our hope, amidst such a turmoil of futility, is our culture. Indeed what we best have, it is fundamental to preserve our roots. As a reaction to all the rubbish brought to us by the media, I decided to share some reflections on Choro, based on what I learned from books and heard in stories, as well as on my playing both amateur and professional gigs, sharing the stage with some of the greatest musicians of the genre.
Many people ask: “What is Choro?” It is, historically, a musical style born of European and African descent and gradually transformed by the mixed people originated in Brazil. From Europe we inherited harmonic structure, outline and the esthetic finishing. From the black people, rhythm, swing, power and humor. These cultures mingled, and from such Brazilian mix emerged the essence of Choro. But this information is not enough to answer the question. Much more than grasp the historical data, we need to feel the music in its vast meanings and the messages hidden in its melodies.
Choro goes beyond playing perfect notes on the instrument. Actually, technical perfection is not what one primarily seeks, even though it is fundamental for the execution of a piece. The melodies are difficult and the harmonic paths, intricate, what demands high technical level from the player. However, no “wrong note” is capable of dimming the brightness of an execution which has brought along the elements that give sense to so Brazilian a musical style.
In order to interpret Choro with soul or even to listen to it, it is necessary, above all, to have your heart willing to discover the mysteries of the rhythms brought by black slaves to Brazil, still echoing in the hills of Rio and Bahia; to be in love with the moreno color of our skin, feel the aroma of our cuisine, catch the happiness present in the wiggles and looks of our women; feel the pleasure of an authentic roda de choro, where free-hearted friends will play not for money, but to celebrate life, with gratitude for sharing that moment of unique beauty. A Choro artist must pass along, through his music, the message that our people has to the world; he must lead the way to joy, communion, accepting of differences, warmth and beauty. For it is necessary, even if for a few moments, to escape the cruel traps of modern society, all about the amassing of power, money and success. One has hence to avoid the recipes that deprive us from the precious time that should be dedicated to understanding and valuing the spirit of man. Whoever opens his heart to live this art expression to its full extension, considering the musical, social, historical and cultural spheres, will experience, besides the enchanting universe of Choro, a true synthesis of Brazil. How is it possible to listen to Pixinguinha and not feel the calm present in pieces like “Cinco Companheiros” and “Vou Vivendo”? Or listen to “1 x 0” and not be captured by a sudden joy provoked by the piece, which brilliantly reflects the liveliness and humor of a people? Pixinguinha’s choros are true chronicles, where he profiles the soul of Brazil in a way no other composer has.
The subtleties to which I often refer may not be so noticeable to those not used to rodas de choro or not familiarized with the style. Comparing the aura of Choro with that of other musical styles, we notice that what distinguishes it is not the rough vigor of Flamengo, the extreme formality of classical music, the piercing sufferance sung in Fado or the dramatic load of Tango. It may actually be a little bit of each, depending on the occasion. If I could summarize the essence of Choro, I would say there is in it a certain “restrained joy”, but also a touch of tenderness, even in moments of sheer delight.
Humor and swing are in the DNA of Choro. Its lineage was conceived by the heart and mulatto hands of Joaquim Calado, who granted grace to a music once solemn, stern and lacking the warmth to depict, in a reliable way, the people of an emerging new world. Combining virtuosity, lyricism, humor and sensuality, Calado was the headspring of a river that would be fed by tributaries of great expression: Chiquinha Gonzaga, Ernesto Nazareth, Anacleto de Medeiros, Henrique Alves de Mesquita, Irineu Batina and many others. Such musical stream would flow into the sea of Pixinguinha, who was able to combine the influences of his predecessors, adding the last touch to what would become the first Brazilian urban music.
Choro was the creation of many hands. Every corner of the country has given (and still gives) its contribution through different accents and visions that all artists add to it. As a result, there is an outstanding variety in the way this musical style is played in each part of Brazil today. In Rio it is cooler and more rhythmical, with an involving swing that catches the listener from the beginning. In the Northeast of the country, what cries to our ears is the virtuosity inherited from Frevo. Mingled together with Choro, it sped up the pace, while keeping the romanticism of the melodies. In São Paulo, much technique and modern unusual harmonic paths. In Brasília Choro develops itself with a free, experimental spirit, introducing new ideas that revolutionize the genre. And so it is in each part of the country. More than an accomplished, unchangeable musical style, Choro is a way of playing that opens its doors to the free interpretation of those able to navigate its waters.
©Henrique Lima Santos Neto
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by alb
Re: Thoughts on Choro as we finish the 2013 Choro Workshop
Bookmarks