A bit of Brazilian music

A few weeks ago, I flew to Denver to see the Hamilton de Holanda Trio. He’s a four-time Grammy winner; the latest for Live in NYC (2025) which won Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album. I believe this is the first Latino album to not only win the Latin prize but also to cross over to win the general “jazz” category as well. He’s a master of the ten-string mandolin, playing what I’d call choro-based improvisational jazz fusion that incorporates many Brazilian rhythms including samba, forró, bossa nova, and baião.

However, the real reason for the trip was to see his keyboardist, Salomāo Soares. I haven’t spent as much time here for a while because I’ve been working through Soares’s Piano Rítmico. It’s challenging, especially since it’s in Portuguese. :sunglasses: At times his approach clearly shows why the piano is classified as a percussive instrument.

He’s quite active, playing, touring, and recording with his own groups as well as with Hamilton de Holanda. I would particularly recommend his duo albums with Vanessa Moreno. It’s amazing the sound they create with just piano and voice. They’re easy to find on YouTube.

And here are the clips. Enjoy!:musical_keyboard:

Sol e Luz

Doidinho

Correnteza

Estrela

Forró—an isolated solo

IMG_2657

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What is Soares’s “Piano Rítmico”? Is that a piece of music? My Portuguese is lacking - well, non-existent.

@BogusPomp

Piano Rítmico is a course of studies focusing on nine Brazilian rhythms adapted for piano, along with a look at the styles of César Camargo Mariano and João Donato. It goes progressively from the simplest to the most complex of rhythms: bossa nova, xotê, baião, forró, choro, samba, partido alto, frevo, and maracatu.

There is a module for each topic with a video and 14+ PDF pages treating such things as the rhythm´s characteristics, its use in comping and soloing, and exercises in right-hand/left-hand independence.

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I see! Thank you! Is it in English or are you translating it?