Nicolas Krassik - Caçuá

Caçuá, a word with Tupi (Indigenous Brazilian Language) origins, is a wicker or vine basketused to carry provisions and is transported by beasts of burden in the inland parts of theBrazilian Northeast. It is also an inspired baião by João Lyra and Maurício Carrilho whose name Caçuá baptizes the second CD by French violinist settled in Rio since 2001, Nicolas Krassik.

These words by Luís Filipe de Lima introduce a review of the cd "Caçuá" (Rob Digital, 2007) quoted at the official web of Nicolas Krassik.

I have now had an opportunity to listen to this cd and I highly recommend it to others interested in Brazilian roots music - it's a thrill and an engaging experience to be listening to. Krassik is accompanied by his regular trio: Nando Duarte (7 string guitar), João Hermeto (percussion) and Fabio Luna (drums) - the quartet is expanded with guest performance on some tracks by Carlos Malta, Chico Chagas, Eduardo Neves and João Lyra a.o..

The repertoire of the performed music is a mixture of genres like choro, samba, baião and xote, framed by arrangements that highlight the sound of the quartet. One of the CD’s highlights is the participation of Seu Luiz Paixão, a rabequeiro (= rural folk fiddler) from Pernambuco who dialogues with Nicolas’s violin on the last track of the CD, recreating the atmosphere of a Northeastern fair. The repertoire of "Caçuá" is also the first registration of Nicolas Krassik as a composer in the cheerful "Meu Maxixe" and in the dense and slow samba, "Petite Maman", dedicated to his mother. Among the remaining repertoire is a reading of Jacob do Bandolim's waltz, "Santa Morena", introduced through exerpts of traditional Turkish music. Further, performance of choros like "Murmurando" by Fon-Fon, "Um Choro em Cochabamba" by Eduardo Neves, a baião "Na Casa do Zezé" by Chico Chagas and Noel Rosa's "Último Desejo".

Full tracklist and sound clips available clicking here

To give you an impression of Nicolas Krassik as a performer, I found two short fragments inserted below. The first is from a live-performance with his quartet playing "Ginga do Mané" by Jacob do Bandolim

The secound fragment is from a live concert with singer Beth Carvalho, a performance of "Folhas secas" by Nelson Cavaquinho

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