São Paulo Big Band

Capturing the vivacity of an entire nation, the complex rhythms of “música popular” are heard constantly all over Brazil. It is impossible to imagine the country without a dance like the frevo from Pernambuco, for example, an essential part of Carnival street parades which since 2012 has been included on UNESCO’s list of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage. The same is true of dances typical of the South, such as the chimarrita and fandango, while since the 1930s the samba has progressively evolved into Brazil’s most widely-recognised national symbol. The São Paulo Big Band aims to share the great musical diversity of Brazilian and Latin American rhythms with the world in polished big band arrangements. The multi-faceted repertoire of this ensemble, with its traditional line-up consisting of saxophones, trombones, trumpets, piano, guitar, double bass, percussion and drums, appears inexhaustible – and includes samba by Dorival Caymmi, frevo by Spok, bossa nova by Antônio Carlos Jobim and many, many more. A particular highlight is provided by the choro of Pixinguinha and Benedito Lacerda, in which European harmonies are cleverly mixed with syncopated African rhythms, lending the whole sound a whiff of melancholy.

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