Saturday, September 06, 2008

Roda de Choro

( Naar de Nederlands / Vlaamse vertaling.) 2008 IAJRC CONVENTION AHMAD JAMES - AHMAD'S BLUES
Some times ago, Jo, editor of the Choro Music blog pointed us to the typically way Choro music use to play their music while sitting in a circle at a Roda de Choro. In the mean time I loved to share with you two fragment of the Choro Brasil Scandinavia band - the band who introduced me to the Choro music in Copenhagen in the summer of 2005: so I kill two birds with one stone !!
Jo wrote:
One of the characteristics of the traditional choro performance is the fact that the participating musicians usually are seated in a circle or around a table to create an intimate atmosphere and leaving the opportunity to watch each other while playing. This was the ideal setting for a Roda de Choro, and this is continued to this day in small clubs or at private gatherings whenever choro musicans get together to play for their own pleasure. You could say that the mentioned setting of a Roda de Choro is well suited for this kind of chamberish music that demands concentration, great technical skills and the presence of a common feeling to recreate the spirit of choro as a multi-voiced unity.- However, today a choro performance often takes place in a concert setting with the musicians placed on a stage fronting an audience, which usually excludes the possibility of a traditional Roda de Choro setting, as all participating musicians are supposed to be fronting the audience.


On the other hand, the stage setting leaves the opportunity of individual solo performance a better chance to reach the audience, a fact to be taken advantage of whether it may be a classical symphonic orchestra with a soloist performing, or a band performing popular music with changing solo voices. The world is a stage according to Mr. Shakespeare and especially a younger generation of musicians has understood this dictum as a demand of acting as an individual soloist when the music plays, the success of a performance depending on the abilities of the individual fronting the audience and supported by a band in the background. The soloist's role has become the most important part of the act on stage. This is truly a phenomenon reflecting the ideological and social values of modern Western society, expected to be the norm by audiences and accepted as such by musicians, who go for a successfull career in music business. In fact, the success of a modern jazz or rock 'n' roll concert seems to depend on the soloists' personal abilities, the reputation and stardom often applied to the musician's ability to invent and create surprising personal solos by mastering the instrument with special effects and unexpected improvisation skills. This is the constant demand resting on the career of individual musicians heading for a star role on-stage today.
The traditional Choro music, as played in a circle, still is the most pure form to enjoy the spirit of Choro. (Jo )

Finally I love to share with you two fragments from the band Choro Brasil Scandinavia, a group of musicians from both continents featuring Marcilio Lopes on bandolim, Jayme Vignoli on the cavaquinho and Oscar Balao on the pandeiro. These three men are from Brasil. Mats Andersson (from Sweden) plays the guitar and Martin Heap (from Denmark) the 7-string guitar. They play two tunes, while sitting in a circle, like a Roda de Choro: Noites Cariocas and Um a Zero, a Jacob do Bandolim and a Pixinquinha composition. Enjoy !!

Joergen Larsen: on Armandinho - Retocando o Choro one of the contributions in this great Choro Music blog. Enjoy his contribution for this week: Tempo De Criança
2008 ANNUAL MEETING of the IAJRC.


At this moment the 2008 Annual Meeting by the members of the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors is scedulded in Louisvile, Kentucky (USA). This internationally group of jazz record collectors gathers in the Holiday Inn Hurstbourne for four days ( 4th up to the 6th of September) to discuss music, to listen to presentations and live performances and to strengthen the ties with other collectors world wide. I have visited two conventions ( Hamburg 1999 and Copenhagen 2005) and on the latter we could introduce our El Redescubrimiento de Oscar Aleman project in a presentation at the Palace Hotel, in which we introduced the listeners to the special relation between Oscar Aleman and Copenhagen.

DE JAARLIJKSE IAJRC CONVENTIE
Op dit moment vindt de Jaarlijkse Conventie (2008) plaats van de International Association of Jazz Record Collectors in Louisvile, Kentucky (VS). Deze internationale groep van jazzplatenverzamelaars ( drie maal de woordwaarde) is vier dagen bij elkaar in het Holiday Inn Hurstbourne om naar muziek te luisteren, naar presentaties, gramofoonplaten te bediscussiëren en banden met andere verzamelaars aan te halen. Zelf heb ik twee conventies bezocht ( Hamburg 1999 en Kopenhagen 2005) en heb dit als heel waardevol ervaren. Op de laatstgenoemde conventie mochten we ons El Redescubrimiento de Oscar Aleman project (= De herontdekking van Oscar Aleman) introduceren tijdens een presentatie in het Palace Hotel en de speciale relatie van Oscar Aleman met Copenhagen belichten.

RODA DE CHORO: MUZIEK IN EEN KRINGETJE:
Een week geleden wees Joergen, samensteller van de wekelijkse Choro Music blog zijn lezers op de traditionele typische cirkelvormige opstelling van Choro-muzikanten: de Roda de Choro. Omdat ik zelf graag de Choro-band Choro Brasil Scandinavia nog eens wilde laten zien, waarmee in Kopenhagen in de zomer van 2005 de fascinatie voor Choromuziek begon, kon ik zo twee vliegen in één klap slaan. En bovendien ..... het stukje van Joergen was te interessant om onvertaald te blijven. Lees morgen: Roda de Choro: Muziek in een kringetje.

AHMAD'S BLUES - AHMAD JAMAL TRIO
Op 6 september 1958, nu vijftig jaar geleden, vond een schitterende concert plaats in de Spotlite Club in Washington waarin h
et Ahmad Jamal Trio, bestaande uit Ahmad Jamal achter de piano - Israel Crosby op bas en Vernel Fournier op slagwerk, voor het voetlicht trad. Dit concert werd vastgelegd op de plaat Ahmed's Blues. Een plaat om naar uit te kijken.

Ahmad's Blues - Autumn in New York - Autumn Leaves - Cheek to Cheek - Gal in Calico - Girl Next Door - I Wish I Knew - It Could Happen to You - Let's Fall In Love - Secret Love - Seleritus - Should I - Squatty Roo - Stompin' at the Savoy - Taboo - That's All.

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1 Comments:

Blogger Jo said...

Thank you, Hans, for quoting my small survey on the difference between a traditional roda de choro and stage performance. The essential issue to me is to point out that the spirit of choro may be threatened, if the virtues of a true roda de choro is absent - it's about social values and behaviour among the participating in a roda, of course. Luckily, we experienced the spirit of choro at the great concert in Copenhagen mentioned in your text, unforgetable. Thanks for pointing to this event, a unique meeting of Northern moods and Brazil passion.

Jo

10:36 AM  

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