Focusing The Spotlight: More About Grupo Falso Baiano
Our current Spotlight Artist, Grupo Falso Baiano, digs deep into Brazilian culture and music history to build their rich sound on Viajando: Choro e Jazz. The group’s repertoire pulls from some of the country’s great composers, instrumentalists, and jazz players, basing their ideas upon the deeply engrained tradition passed through generations. There’s the well-known samba style, but it resonates with a more authentic flavor, as a result of the group’s performance and their background knowledge. Their strong connection to choro drives the repertoire, providing a harmonic and melodic foundation as well. They integrate a jazz edge into the music, balancing the adherence of tradition with a firm dose of creativity. With each classic arrangement that the group follows, there’s a flash of improvisation or a bluesy lick. There’s a reason for this well-defined performance approach – each group member has spent a good deal of time honing their craft, playing jazz and Brazilian music, and studying with Brazilian musicians. Each member of the quartet’s background reads like a dream resume with time at prestigious colleges, study in Brazil, and experiences with well-established mentors. The combination of a strong repertoire, a carefully planned performance approach, and solid musical foundation makes Grupo Falso Baiano a Brazilian Jazz group that music be heard.
There’s plenty of places to check out Grupo Falso Baiano online. There’s photos, music, videos, links, and more at the Grupo Falso Baiano website. You can purchase the CD Viajando: Choro e Jazz at their website as well. You can become a fan of the group on their Facebook page or become the group’s friend on their MySpace page. Take the opportunity to connect with the group; you’ll enjoy the sound.
I’ve gathered some background information on Grupo Falso Baiano and each of its individual band members; take a minute to look through the info and learn a little bit about the group. Once you do, follow one of the links above and check out their music – if you like Brazilian Jazz, you’re going to love this group. Enjoy!
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Grupo Falso Baiano is a choro group that offers a window into the history and diverse culture of Brazil. Choro is one of Brazil’s earliest popular musics, dating back to the late 1800s, and, similar to jazz, it reflects the melding of African rhythms with a melodic and harmonic structure closely resembling Baroque Classical music.
G.F.B.’s exploration of choro spans nearly 100 years, including everything from the traditional to more contemporary versions and jazz influenced reinterpretations. In addition to performing and touring, Grupo Falso Baiano has worked in collaboration with the Pasadena Pops and Around the World Music Program to bring choro and Brazilian music to students throughout the Los Angeles County Unified School District.
Grupo Falso Baiano takes its name from the famous Geraldo Pereira song “Falsa Baiana,” made famous by Joao Gilberto, among others. A “falsa baiana” (or falso baiano) is a fake Bahian: one who claims to come from the state of Bahia, named after its famous bay. Hence the play on words as it applies to Grupo Falso Baiano: since we hail from the San Francisco Bay Area, we are Bahians of North America, but are “fake Brazilians”.
“We picked the name to honestly reflect our love and respect for the music we play. Our take on choro is to preserve the traditional sounds and instruments while incorporating our own influences and heritage.”
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Brian Moran
7-string guitarist Brian Moran hails from New Jersey, where he grew up playing piano and clarinet before deciding to focus on guitar. As a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Brian worked as a jazz guitarist and composer before discovering the rich tradition of the Brazilian 7-string guitar. Since then, he travels often to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, expanding his studies of the 7-string guitar, Brazilian mandolin and cavaquinho, a type of ukulele with Portuguese origins used in many styles of Brazilian music.
Zack Pitt-Smith
Woodwinds player Zack Pitt-Smith began his musical journey by playing a drum set at age 6. By age 11 the New York native was performing on the saxophone and studying woodwind technique and music theory at Eastman School of Music and later at Berklee College of Music. He went on to earn a degree in Ethnomusicology from Brown University. Zack has found his richest inspiration in several of Brazil’s traditional music styles.
Jesse Appelman
A Bay Area native, Jesse Appelman continues to split his time and his passion between Brazilian music and bluegrass. Originally a bluegrass mandolinist and guitarist, Jesse first heard a recording of the great Brazilian mandolinist Jacob do Bandolim during a lesson and “fell into the deep well of Brazilian music.” Jesse is a graduate of Wesleyan University and spent six months studying Afro-Brazilian cultural history at the Universidade Catolica de Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Jesse spent the first half of 2008 living in Rio de Janeiro, studying at Brazil’s best-known choro institute (the Escola Portátil de Música) with some of the country’s greatest musicians, including Pedro Amorim, Maurício Carrilho and Luciana Rabello.
Ami Molinelli
Based in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, Ami Molinelli is currently a freelance musician, artist-in- residence for the Los Angeles Music Center, and currently plays percussion for Grupo Falso Baiano where her lyrical less-is-more approach, coupled with extensive research of traditional rhythms and styles both in Brazil and abroad, has earned her audience admiration and the respect of colleagues. She has studied Pandeiro and percussion with artists Guello, Marcos Suzano, Claudo Bebbiano, Randy Gloss, Michael Spiro and Durval Poeira to name a few.
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Check Out These Related Posts:
Spotlight: Blue Mambo, Blue Mambo
Spotlight: La Belleza . . ., Craig Enright
Spotlight: Sonando Vuelos, Anna Estrada
Spotlight: In The Middle, The Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project
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Cupid’s Hunt: 2009
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By N2H