Brazilian Jazz & Forró Night: The first concert of the festival promises upbeat rhythms and lots of opportunities to dance. The show opens with Brazil Quarter featuring Carmen Sandim and special guest guitarist Alessandro Penezzi playing Brazilian jazz. The second set of the show will be dedicated to Forró, and led by California-based Brazilian singer Dandha Da Hora. Forró music is said to be the “heartbeat of Northeast Brazil.” Born in the sertão, the arid interior of the region, forró was formed by the many traditions, cultures, and musical styles of the Northeast. Forró is danced by couples locked in a sensual embrace and has three main rhythms: baiao, xote (pronounced SHAW-chee), and arrasta-pe.
The Brazil Quarter is Bill Kopper on guitar, Bill McCrossen on bass, Raoul Rossiter on drums, Vincent Gonzales on percussion, and Greg LaLiberte on flute. And joining Brazil Quarter we have Brazilian jazz pianist and composer Carmen Sandim. A side project by members of the Brazilian Samba group Ginga, Brazil Quarter creates high energy, grooving instrumental dance music. Each of the members have spent a lifetime performing and recording jazz, funk, pop, classical, and world music, but they are brought together through their strong passion for the music of Brazil.
Dandha Da Hora: Born and raised in Salvador, Bahia, Dandha Da Hora has been a member of Ilê Aiyê, one of Brazil’s most important musical and cultural institutions, since she was 6 years old. A master dancer, as well as vocalist and percussionist, Dandha invokes the incredible spirit of Ilê Aiyê and Salvador, Bahia, each time she steps onstage. As a lead dancer with Ilê Aiyê, Dandha toured internationally and has shared the stage with many of Brazil’s most renowned artists such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Daniela Mercury. In addition to performing with Ilê Aiyê and SambaDá, Dandha has performed with Casa Samba (New Orleans, LA), SambaDendê and Bateria Alegria (Boulder, CO), Banda Remelexo and Bahia Soul (Bay Area, CA)
Alessandro Penezzi, guitar: Considered one of the greatest Brazilian guitarists of his generation, composer, arranger and guitarist Alessandro Penezzi was born in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Having started his music studies at age 7, Alessandro now performs on 7-string guitar, tenor guitar, cavaquinho, mandolin and flute. His teachers were Carlos Coimbra, Jair T. de Paula, Sérgio Belluco, and João Dias Carrasqueira. Alessandro has recorded over 20 CDs, and has performed with many renowned Brazilian musicians, including Yamandú Costa, Carlos Poyares, Toninho Ferragutti, Oswaldinho do Acordeon, Laércio de Freitas, Caíto Marcondes, Arismar do Espírito Santo, Maurício Carrilho, Pedro Amorim, Joel Nascimento, Conjunto Epoca de Ouro, Rogério Caetano, Caio Marcio, Alexandre Ribeiro and Nailor Proveta. He has been a faculty member at the California Brazil Camp since 2010, and his popularity in the USA continues to grow as one of the virtuosos and more prolific composers of the Brazilian Guitar and Choro music genre. He resides in São Paulo and tours regularly in Europe and Africa.
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