'Tico-Tico' Celebration

2007 has been a year of several celebrations regarding choro, notable choro composers like Pixinguinha and Chiquinha Gonzaga have been brought into the spotlight and officially celebrated in Brazil through various events - yet another sign that choro is kept well alive and being a living tradition in contemporary Brazil. However, outside Brazil choro and choro music still is rather unknown to the general public - except for one single composition. Everybody seems to know a version of Zequinha de Abreu's "Tico-Tico no Fubá", which may be the most performed choro ever. If you click on headline, you have the possibility of downloading and listening to 61 different versions of the tune, compiled by an American radio station - a good example of the composition's ability of surviving various musical attempts.

"Tico-Tico no Fubá" was composed by Zequinha de Abreu in 1917, which means the tune has been around for 90 years. It was first recorded in 1931 by the Orchestra Colbaz and later made famous through Carmen Miranda's recordings and performances of the tune in movies and on stage in the USA, introducing a craze for Latin Amerincan music and performers in the States throughout the 40's and early 50's, a decade before bossa nova and the new wave became a trend in the Western world. - Let's celebrate 'Tico-tico' and choro enjoying one of Carmen Miranda's performances of the tune:

Perhaps the most well known recordings of "Tico Tico" in America were those made by the first lady of the organ, Miss Ethel Smith on the Hammond. I found an example of a filmed performance by Ethel Smith:

As mentioned above, "Tico-tico" seems to be a tune known by everybody, the music has challenged all kind of musicians to make their own contribution of the music. Here is a contribution by a performer of the ukulele:

Dutchmen seem to have their own way of performing "Tico-tico" judging from the last video this time celebrating the tune's 90 years. Have a healthy laugh enjoying "The Flying Dutchmen":

Jo