Global Roots Festival 2009 presents Bajofondo and Forró in the Dark
Bajofondo (Argentina, Uruguay): The Global Roots Festival is pleased to be one of a very limited number of US centers to gain an appearance by Argentine-Uruguayan collective Bajofondo. Led by the two-time Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning composer of Brokeback Mountain and Babel, Gustavo Santaolalla, the group's latest project is Mar Dulce (Sweet Sea). The new album sees Bajofondo’s seven virtuosic musicians lead listeners through a sensual soundscape of tango, trip-hop, drum & bass and pop elements that redefine the essence of tango for the 21st century. “With Bajofondo,” says Santaolalla, “we don’t like the label ‘electronic tango’ because we try to make a contemporary music of Rio de la Plata (the river that forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay) music from Argentina, from Uruguay. Obviously, if you want to do music that comes from there or represents that part of the world tango is going to be part of it – but, in our case, so is rock ‘n’ roll, electronica and hip hop. Hopefully a new language, not pure tango.”
The irrepressible energy of Mar Dulce also translates live. The Financial Times describes a Bajofondo performance at London’s Barbican Center like this: ”DJ Juan Campodonico triggered drum loops and samples that cross-fertilised with the more traditional tango ensemble of violin, bandoneón…and double bass, all of which were brilliantly played by masters of their instruments. The crowd went wild for it, invading the stage at the end and cheering for more with a standing ovation…”
Forró in the Dark (Brazil): For those who don’t already know, forró is the hip-swiveling, dancefloor-filling, rural party music of Brazil’s northeastern states. And Forró in the Dark is the collective of four New York-based Brazilian ex-pats –Mauro Refosco (zabumba drum and vocals) Davi Vieira (percussion and vocals) Guilherme Monteiro (guitar and vocals) and Jorge Continentino (pifano flute, sax and vocals) - who are updating this traditional sound for the 21st century.
“In Brazil, forró literally means party,” says Mauro. “It’s a gathering, a good time. The objective is to make people dance.” Which is exactly what Forro In The Dark have been doing since 2005 at their weekly residence at East Village nightspot Nublu, where their signature blend of down home forró and urban cool have made them one of the city’s must-see buzz bands.
The skeleton of the band’s sound is the syncopated rhythms of forró, - xote, baião and arrasta-pé - which are familiar to Brazilians as the toe-tapping backdrop to a long workday, a folk party in the Northeast, and the sound spilling out from dance halls in the wee hours. The upbeat tunes contrast with the lyrics’ serious themes: Forro songs romanticize the harsh and unforgiving sertão of Brazil’s northeast, giving voice to the migrant’s melancholy lament and the country bandit’s ballad. Forro in the Dark pays homage to this playful and emotional genre’s rich history, while also making party music for today’s global village. They update the traditional accordion, zabumba, and triangle instrumentation popularized by the great forró artists like Luiz Gonzaga and Jackson do Pandeiro. Abandoning the accordion, they’ve added Jorge’s pifano, a wooden flute from the Northeast of Brazil, Guilherme’s twangy guitar, and Davi’s timbau, a Bahian drum. The new additions float between the beat of Mauro’s zabumba, a drum with both snare and bass pitches, and the tweet of Davi’s triangle. The result is a musically omnivorous signature sound that grafts dub, indie rock, funk, jazz and even country & western swing onto forró’s sturdy roots. It’s a sexy, globalized groove that’s entirely their own – and which has been seducing New Yorkers onto the dance floor for years now.
Forro In The Dark’s newest release, Light A Candle is the group’s first full-length release since 2006’s acclaimed Bonfires of Sao Joao. Taking inspiration from a Neil Young song, Guilherme explains how Light A Candle’s title track is about the power of hope and faith in dark times. “Coming from a Catholic country like Brazil,” he explains, “lighting a candle has a spiritual connotation – and not just in Catholicism, but in Candomble and other Brazilian spiritual practices, too, the idea of illuminating a space is very powerful. For me it’s about using music to transform the darkness of the times we just came out of into something positive.”
Please note: Terakaft, originally scheduled to perform tonight at the Global Roots Festival, have canceled their US tour, and will NOT be performing this evening.
Tickets are on sale now from the Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), Cedar outlets, and online at Ticketweb.
STANDING ROOM ONLY
Festival passes (admission to all six Global Roots Festival shows, plus opening night beer and sushi reception) are available for only $79 from The Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), and Ticketweb.
Bajofondo, formerly Bajofondo Tango Club, is a South American music band consisting of eight musicians from Argentina and Uruguay. The change in the name, more inclusive and with an immediate impact, mirrors the path Bajofondo’s music has followed. Often...
For those who don’t already know, forró is the hip-swiveling, dancefloor-filling, rural party music of Brazil’s northeastern states. And Forró in the Dark is the collective of four New York-based Brazilian ex-pats –Mauro Refosco (zabumba drum and vocals) Davi...
