Piedmont Piano Company is pleased to present
Duo Violão Brasil & Ami Molinelli, featuring Harvey Wainapel
The Music of Pixinguinha
Duo Violao plus 1 – Rogerio Souza, Edinho Gerber, Ami Molinelli – will play music by Pixinguinha from their album Historia do Choro released last year. They will also explore more music of this brilliant composer, arranger, flautist, and saxophonist born in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, considered one of the greatest Brazilian composers of popular music, particularly within choro. By integrating the music of the older choro composers of the 19th century with contemporary jazz-like harmonies, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and sophisticated arrangements, he introduced choro to a new audience and helped to popularize it as a uniquely Brazilian genre. He also wrote sambas, maxixes and several other styles of music and is considered the godfather of this genre.
$20 General Admission
$15 Student Admission
Duo Violão Brasil is the result of guitarists Rogério Souza and Edinho Gerber's reverence for Brazilian guitar, the “violão”, and their desire to explore and expand the musical possibilities of putting two “violões" together. On last year's recording, “A História do Choro”, the duo joined forces with Bay Area percussionist, Ami Molinelli, to survey the musical history and evolution of Brasil’s greatest art form, Choro, while revealing its rhythmic and harmonic permutations and, in the process, create a unique musical statement, coherent in timbre and vision while marvelously varied in its nuances.
A master of both 6 and 7 string guitars, Rogério Souza is one of the foremost representatives of the music of Rio de Janeiro. He has worked with a multitude of world class Brazilian Musicians as musical director and producer for concerts, TV shows, CDs, and DVDs from Baden Powell, Paulinho da Viola and Sivuca to Elza Soraes and Zeca Pagodinho. Rogério Souza is a pioneer in developing the style of music that is known today as “choro novo” – innovative interpretations of traditional Brazilian instrumental music while remaining true to the roots of the music. He performs regularly in music festivals, concerts, and workshops throughout Latin America, Europe, the United States, and Asia.
Edinho Gerber possesses a rich musical vocabulary developed in the two countries where he was raised: the United States and Brazil. Navigating effortlessly between the genres of choro, jazz, samba, and blues, he is always in search of the intersection points within his dual cultural identity. A staple in the Chicago music scene for many years, he was a highly in demand sideman having played with countless U.S. based Brazilian groups, including Som Brasil, Renato Anesi Trio, A Cor do Brasil, and led the samba-jazz group Zona Sul. He has performed in prestigious festivals and concerts in throughout the United States, Russia, and Japan,
Ami Molinelli is a professional percussionist and educator specializing in Brazilian and Latin percussion. She co-leads the Brazilian and Jazz ensemble, Grupo Falso Baiano with three albums to their credit: “Depois” released in 2017, “Simplicidade – Live at Yoshi’s” and “Viajando em Choro e Jazz.” Grupo Falso Baiano have been featured on NPR’s the California Report, Radio Latina and Pandora LIVE! Her performance and recording credits include, recording, theater, and television (NBC). She is endorsed by Latin Percussion (LP) and Rhythm Tech.
Saxophonist/clarinetist Harvey Wainapel has his feet firmly planted in two musical worlds. His jazz experience has led to performances and/or recordings with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, Joe Henderson, Johnny Coles and the Metropole Orchestra. He has toured internationally with Ray Charles, Joe Lovano, and Airto Moreira & Flora Purim. Wainapel’s deep love for and research into Brazilian music has resulted in performances and recordings with Guinga, Jovino Santos Neto, Marco César, Spok, Filó Machado and Paulo Bellinati, among many other notables from that country. To date Harvey has presented his work in clubs, festivals and studios in 22 countries.