This is the third page in a brief guide to Brazilian choro music, including reviews of old artists and new... It is part of a larger Brazilian Music Guide on the Slipcue.Com website... Please feel free to write if you have any suggestions or recommendations.

This page covers artists under the letters N-R.

Joel Nascimento - see artist discography

Oitos Batutas - see Pixinguinha

Orquidea "Choro E Samba Em Niteroi" (Rob Digital, 2001)

Joao Pernambuco was one of the principal pioneers of choro... Here's a link to an external site, www.joaopernambuco.com, that can give you more info about his life and work... I'm not sure if any recordings are available, or if his work predates the dawn of the Brazilian recording industry... Anyone know for sure?

Pixinguinha - see artist discography

Baden Powell - see artist discography

Qu4tro A Zero "Choro Eletrico" (Rob Digital/Zazumba, 2005)
A modernized, lightly electrified spin on the classic choro sound. The picking is fairly reserved, considering how fast and flashy choro playing can get; this probably was a good choice, since these plugged-in instruments might sound pretty tacky played at a breakneck pace. There are echoes of artists such as Les Paul and Bucky Pizzarelli here; it might not appeal to many choro purists, but if you wanted to hear these songs played on non-acoustic instruments. But even then, this may sound a little too delicate for listeners used to the more adventurous, dynamic playing of more traditional ensembles. Sounds a little more soft-jazz than choro, to me.

Quarteto Novo "Quarteto Novo" (EMI Odeon, 1967)
An impressive late-'60s Braz-Jazz album, featuring early work by percussionist Airto Moreira, multi-instrumental madman, Hermeto Pascoal, and the politically-inclined MPB songwriter Geraldo Vandre, along with guitarists Theo De Barros and Heraldo Do Monte. The album opens with "O Ovo," a brisk update of the turn-of-the-century choro sound popularized by Pixinguinha, Dunga and other Brazilian musical pioneers. The album gradually progresses into more modern, straightforward jazz material (which isn't as much fun) and even a Luiz Gonzaga forro tune. The playing throughout is very rich, well recorded, and vastly superior to many of their more jittery jazz contemporaries, even dipping into a mellow Vince Guaraldi-style vibe. This isn't just a cool footnote into the early careers of several of Brazil's most important musicians, it's also a very enjoyable, well-performed album. Recommended! (Note -- a reconstituted version of this ensemble backed Edu Lobo on his classic 1972 album, Cantigua De Longe)

Luciana Rabello "Luciana Rabello" (Acari, 2000)

Raphael Rabello - see artist discography

Dilermando Reis "Dilermando Reis Interpreta Pixinguinha" (Continental, 1972)
An absolutely beautiful solo acoustic guitar album. This tribute to choro pioneer Pixinguinha takes the normally manic pace of these well-known instrumental tunes and slows them to an elegant, sensual pace, bringing it into the more relaxed, resonany tempo of the classical world. It shows just as much virtuosity, just with a very different feel. I love this record: it's very listenable and very lovely, and very unlike most of the other Brazilian music I've heard. Highly recommended! (Reissued on CD as Dilermando Reis Toca Pixinguinha.)

Dilermando Reis "Violao Brasileiro" (Continental, 1975)
Although I didn't find this album as striking as his Pixinguinha tribute, this is still a lovely record, with delicate, delectable guitar work. If you like Baden Powell or Luiz Bonfa, you might wanna check this out as well. Recommended.

Deo Rian - see artist discography

Paula Robison "Brasileirinho" (Omega, 1993)
Classical flautist Paula Robison does a great job with choro oldies by Pixinguinha and Jacob Do Bandolim, as well as some Luiz Bonfa tunes and a couple of brief passages of Bach. Beautiful, deft, flowery melodic flourishes match the musical acrobatics of the original Brazilian recordings of the 1920s and '30s. Along with her are guitarists Romero Lubambo and Tiberio Nascimento, as well as Sergio Brandao on cavaquinho and percussionist Cyro Baptista. The best tracks are the openers, bouncy renditions of "1 X 0" and other choro standards; when Robison plays unaccompanied, the album loses some steam, despite her beautiful tone and restrained lyrical style. For a beautiful, clean sounding update of the old choro style, this is a pretty good record, worthy of comparision to Paul Moura's well-known Pixinguinha album.

Paula Robison "Rio Days Rio Nights" (Arabesque, 1998)
A more modern take on the Brazilian sound, with accompaniment by percussionist Cyro Baptista and guitarist Romero Lubambo...