3:00 PM, Doors at 2:30 PM
$22
“Both Amilton and Léa mix experience with boldness and, far from resting on their fame and recognition, travel down adventurous paths…with one foot in tradition and another in the future. Worth every note.” -Brazil’s Forum Magazine
Enjoy the sounds of Brazilian musicians Amilton Godoy and Léa Freire, as they play with the Berkeley Choro Ensemble on August 19, as part of our occasional Sunday Afternoon Jazz series. Clarinetist Harvey Wainapel will join Godoy and Freire for part of their set.
São Paulo pianist/composer/arranger AMILTON GODOY founded the iconic Zimbo Trio at age 23. Combining the rhythms of samba and bossa nova with jazz, this became one of the most influential Brazilian instrumental groups in the second half of the 20th Century, making 51 recordings and playing in 40 countries over the years. At age 77, Godoy is still playing with the energy and enthusiasm of a teenager (a very experienced one)!
Flutist/pianist/composer LÉA FREIRE, also from São Paulo, is a major force in creative Brazilian music, as a performer, composer, and producer. Singer/composer Joyce Moreno calls Léa Freire “a hidden Brazilian treasure.” In 2011 Léa invited Amilton to record a solo CD of her compositions, an invitation he accepted with pleasure. When it came time to release the CD, Amilton suggested forming a duo, which went on to record a CD called “A Mil Tons” (2017), consisiting of Godoy’s compositions and arrangements. This unique duo has toured throughout Brazil, Argentina, and the US, combining the freedom of popular music and improvisation with the elegance of chamber music, all performed with that great rhythmical, lyrical, and charming Brazilian “accent.”
The BEREKELEY CHORO ENSEMBLE, formed in 2010, has dedicated itself to the performance of choro, Brazilian popular music which is a captivating blend of European chamber music with Afro-Brazilian rhythmic energy and a touch of jazz. Ensemble members HARVEY WAINAPEL (clarinet) and BRIAN RICE (percussion) have previously performed at the Palms with Brazilian string master Almir Côrtes; the Ensemble was founded by flutist JANE LENOIR, and the fourth member is RICARDO PEIXOTO (7-string acoustic guitar), from Rio de Janeiro. “The Berkeley Choro Ensemble is one of the few groups playing outside Brazil that has the deepest understanding of what it means to play a ‘chorinho.’ –World Music Report, April, 2018