Antonio Adolfo

During the past week I have enjoyed listening to a couple of cds featuring music by Chiquinha Gonzaga and João Pernambuco to celebrate the anniversaries of two important composers who were pioneers in creating and shaping the Brazilian choro. Both Chiquinha Gonzaga and João Pernambuco are still important names in Brazil, their works as composers continue to inspire and challenge contemporary musicians to re-create the music in new versions, which underlines the durable quality of the compositions.

One of the contemporary musicians in Brazil, who has recorded new versions of music by both Chiquinha Gonzaga and João Pernambuco, is pianist Antonio Adolfo (b 1947). In 1983 Antonio Adolfo recorded an album together with the Nó em Pingo d'Agua choro ensemble dedicated to the music by João Pernambuco celebrating the composer's 100th anniversary. I have commented this album in an erlier blog entry. However, I encourage anybody interested in choro to listen to these marvellous renditions of João Pernambuco's compositions. The cd is available in full audio version at Canal Funarte

The secound cd by Antonio Adolfo I have been enjoying this week is his 1997 recording of music by Chiquinha Gonzaga, "Chiquinha com Jazz" (Artezanal/Kuarup ARCD 3002), a contemporary reading of 11 compositions by Gonzaga in a jazz setting celebrating Chiquinha Gonzaga's 150th anniversary. The music is updated with jazz you may say, however, as ragtime in the US was an important element in the evolution of jazz and as such is still a source generating new inspiration in mainstream jazz, so the choros and waltzes by Gonzaga from a bygone era contain material suited well for adding jazz harmony to sound contemporary when taken care of by an accomplished arranger like Antonio Adolfo. All 11 compositions by Gonzaga have arrangement by Adolfo, who performs the pieces on piano together with a skilled trio, Gabriel Vivas (acoustic bass), Ivan Conti (drums), Claudio Spiewak (acoustic guitar). The cd may be hard to find, but it's defintely worth searching, tracklist inserted below:

1) Atraente; 2) Cordão carnavalesco; 3) Lua branca; 4) Angá; 5) Gaúcho (Corta-Jaca); 6) O Forrobodó; 7) A côrte na roça (balada romântica para A côrte na roça); 8) Satan; 9) Ismênia; 10) Faceiro; 11) Ô Abre Alas

Learn more about Antonio Adolfo from his offical website, click headline or here

Jo