Brazilian Serenade: Ricardo Frota and Maurice Cahen
The duo Brazilian Serenade (guitarist Maurice Cahen and violinist/percussionist Ricardo Frota) performs standard classics of Brazilian Bossa Nova, Samba and Chorinho. Internationally known, Cahen and Frota have a multifaceted collaboration; since 1998, they have performed original compositions along with a traditional Brazilian Jazz repertoire. Their repertoire include music written by Pixinguinha, Luiz Bonfa, Waldyr Azevedo, Garoto, Cahen, and Frota.
The chorinho, or choro style, fuses elements of Brazilian folk tunes and native dance rhythms with the classical styles of Western Europe; it flourished in the last two decades of the 19th century. Choro literally means to cry in Portuguese; it is a passionate, melancholy, nostalgic folk music style. The harmonic sophistication of chorinho has influenced all forms of modern Brazilian music.
