"In my previous music documentary, Moro no Brasil, I chose rather a social point of view, I showed music's role as kind of a social survival ritual of the people. In Brasileirinho, my approach was slightly different. This time, I used music, Choro, to present how musical expression and performance reflect in everyday life and vice versa.

I tried to capture the 'soul' of Choro, the magic feeling and the unique emotional bond, the musical brotherhood, between all the involved - musicians and audience - of any successful Choro performance."

– Mika Kaurismäki, director

Sound Of Rio - DVD

With the sounds of Moro no Brasil still hot in the minds of fans worldwide, Mika Kaurismäki has made another bold statement on Brazil.

The Sound of Rio: Brasileirinho is a 90-min musical documentary film about CHORO, the first genuinely Brazilian urban music. It was back in the late 19th century in Rio de Janeiro when Brazilian musicians started to blend European melodies, Afro-Brazilian rhythms and the melancholic interpretation of the Brazilian Indians' music to create Choro. Choro is credited as being the first musical expression of Brazil's melting pot and had a prominent place in the development of Brazil's cultural identity. Choro remained a major popular music style until the 1920s, leading directly into Samba and later to Bossa Nova. After a slight decline in popularity, Choro music has made a remarkable comeback over the past few decades.

The film remembers the history but shows, above all, a colorful picture of Choro's vitality today. The guiding line of the film is the combo "Trio Madeira Brasil" composed of three of Brazil's outstanding Choro musicians, Marcello Gonçalves (7-string guitar), Zé Paulo Becker (guitar) and Rolando do Bandolim. During a "Roda de Choro," a traditional Brazilian kind of private jam session, the Trio brings up a concert project. During these sessions or at their homes, some of the most interesting Choro musicians play and remember key events in the history of this Brazilian urban music. A look into a Choro workshop with over 450 participants of all ages illustrates the off-hand genuine Brazilian way to play. "Playing" interviews with well-known Samba and Bossa Nova artists like Zezé Gonzaga and Guinga illustrate the reciprocal inspiration with Samba and Bossa Nova music. A final show of the "Trio Madeira Brasil" with their guests in one of Rio's traditional music halls show once more the opulence of rhythms and melodies in Choro that has evolved over the past 130 years into a fascinating form of modern tropical sound.

View the Trailer
(Requires the latest version of Quicktime).

Buy it Now

Sound Of Rio - Soundtrack

Just as with Moro no Brasil, released earlier in 2006, The Sound of Rio: Brasileirinho deserves a soundtrack as well. This fabulous look at Brazil's best kept secret genre, CHORO, has gone relatively unnoticed. This is what the world music listener base has been waiting for.

The soundtrack captures the best moments, in full-length songs to bring them out of their film roots and assemble them into a meaningful Choro compilation album. This includes a feature on the established Trio Madeira Brasil, comprised of Ronaldo do Bandolim, Marcello Gonçalves and Zé Paulo Becker. Trio Madeira Brasil is one of the most exciting groups to emerge in the world of instrumental music in recent years. It brings together three virtuosos with the idea of making music that is both energetic and refined. Their repertoire includes the classic as well as the eclectic, representing the best of Brazilian culture, while also attentive to influences from other cultures. And, of course, there is much more.

Tracks
01. Machucando (Adalberto De Souza) Trio Madeira & Guests
02. Santa Morena (Jacob De Bandolim) Trio Madeira
03. Um Calo De Estimacao (Zé Da Zilda/José Thadeu) Grupo Semente
04. Brejeiro (Ernesto Nazareth) Yamandú Costa
05. Assanhado (Jacob De Bandolim) Trio Madeira
06. Chorinho Pra Voce (Severino Araujo) Paulo Moura & Soloists
07. O Bom Filho A Casa Torna (Bonfiglio De Oliveira)Trio Madeira & Guests
08. Falando De Amor (Antonio C. Jobim) Zezé Gonzaga & Trio & Guests
09. Chorinho De Gafiera (Astor Silva) Paulo Moura & Soloists
10. Aguenta Seu Fulgencio (Pixinguinha) Trio Madeira
11. Degenerado (W. Rocha Ferro) Fred Dantas, Joatan Nascimento & Soloists
12. Papo De Anjo (Radames Gnattali) Mauricio Carrilho, Luciana Rabello
13. Formosa (Baden Powell,V.De Moraes)Yamandú Costa & Marcello Gonçalves
14. Bole Bole (Jacob De Bandolim) Trio Madeira & Guests
15. Carinhoso (Pixinguinha/J.De Barro) Yamandú Costa
16. Barracao (Luiz Antonio/Oldemar Magalhaes) Choro Allstars
17. Choro Da Bisa (Zé Paulo Becker) Trio Madeira & Guests
18. Foi Uma Pedra Que Rolou (Pedro Caetano) Grupo Semente
19. Cochichando (Pixinguinha/A.Ribeiro/J.De Barro) Choro Allstars

Buy it Now