Event

Aquarela do Brasil

This innovative concert will celebrate the profound impact Brazilian music has had on the international music scene while also celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the release of Chega de Saudade, the single that launched the worldwide Bossa Nova phenomenon.

The concert will feature guest musicians and dancers within a larger historical backdrop of visual images and design that will evoke the fusion of modernism and tradition in Brazil.
The music will range from Rios exhuberant carnaval music to Bahias infectious samba-reggae to the hyper-driven steps of Recifes frevo, the melancholic choro and finally to the modernist and highly intimate Bossa Nova.

Brazilian music is a fascinating blend of European and African music tinged with a strong element of pop and jazz. It captured the worlds musical imagination early in the twentieth century catapulted by an internationally renowned street carnival, yes, but also by the film appearances of Carmen Miranda and her ensemble Bando do Lua in a variety of Hollywood films, the festive characters of Walt Disneys Aquarela do Brasil and the exotic work of Marcel Camus Cannes-film-festival winning film, Black Orpheus. They all contributed to and profoundly transformed global contemporary music in the twentieth century.

Vancouver-based world music percussionist-producer Sal Ferreras will lead an ensemble of award-winning performers including Brazilian guitarist Celso Machado, saxophonist Tom Keenlyside, bassist Jodi Proznick, pianist Miles Black, Brazilian tambourine sensation Liam MacDonald, trombonist Rod Murray, trumpeter and band leader John Korsrud, and the wonderful dancers and drummers of Ache Brasil.