Quick and to the Point: Classical music meets Jazz on gilded Brazilian streets ...   

A recording partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, "Juntos" is a Brazilian choro-inspired musical collage that reinterprets the work of some luminaries such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astor Piazzolla, Heitor Villa-lobos, and other composers. The date´s leader is the main author featured, nonetheless.

Juntos offers a rare opportunity to listen to musicians such as pianist Maria Teresa Madeira and flutist Altamiro Carrilho, although the leading figures are guitarist, composer and vocalist Paulinho Garcia and flutist Julie Koidin. The latter´s breathing, technique, ideas and sound are classically infused however, the Brazilian jest, beauty and flavor are not far behind. Garcia´s Spanish singing as in "Luna Tucumana" leaves much to be desired, nonetheless, as his accent belies a better knowledge of the linguistic hybrid known as "Portuñol". Aside from that, the rest of the work elicits aesthetic pleasure. Garcia and Co. make economically moving music that should be very well appreciated by lovers of such musical endeavors.

Dois no Choro recorded a simple and meaningful work that should attract anyone interested in good music, plain and simple. There are so many memorable moments: the opener´s charming fluttering interchange between Carrilho and Koidin; "Adios Nonino" and its meshing of classical, tangoed jazz and Brazilian undercurrents; the jumpy happiness of "Aruanda", "Chorinho Pra Nos" and "Chorinho Do Paulinho"; the graceful "Vals del Olvido". The key is Garcia"s writing and roles as guitar anchor and vocal enabler, as well as Koidin"s talented flute playing with its alluring understated effect. Their take on Villa-Lobos´s "Bachianas Brasileiras #5" should convince any listener.

Javier Antonio Quiñones Ortiz

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   "Carinhoso" (Jazzmineiro Records, 2000)    

DOIS NO CHORO´S "CARINHOSO" is an exceptional Brazilian jazz CD which should find its way into the home of all jazz listeners, for it is concerned with "Chorinho," one of the oldest and most pure forms of the traditional music of Brazil. It has an intuitive sense of the blues, something felt as well as heard. If you have not heard Brazilian music with a pure blues aspect intermingled into the music, then this will be a welcome surprise for each of you who purchase this fine CD!

Julie Koidin on C flute and alto flute soars high and joyfully with 
her intricate, graceful jazz expressions, as does the ever creative Paulinho Garcia on vocals and guitar, and percussion. A musical match made in heaven to utilize an old expression made ever new by the selections performed by Garcia and Koidin. Selections include "Tico Tico no Fuba," a great song composed by Paulinho Garcia titled "Chorinho da Paula," "Lamentos," "Choro Bandido," "Eu Te Amo," among others. 13 songs with 13 unique interpretations.

For an experience in listening pleasure and enjoyment, give this new release a chance to grow on you, for it is as unique as the performers sharing this Brazilian jazz with you! An excellent gift for a friend!

Reviewed by: Lee Prosser

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    Dois no Choro's "Carinhoso"    

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What pleasure to be able to heap praise on the work of a Saudadeira/o, and even more so when that individual is an American who excels in a uniquely Brazilian genre.

Our own Julie Koidin, whose delightful flute I'm listening to as I write this, teamed up with guitarist/vocalist Paulinho Garcia (yes, he's Brazilian) and recorded the CD 'Carinhoso' (independent), which combines choro with MPB and canciones -- all imbued with an ambience of intimacy, ease, and unmistakable brasilidade. Julie, 
as it turns out, has studied with every who's who of the choro flute: Altamiro Carrilho, Andrea Ernest Dias, Dirceu Leitte, and Carlos Poyares, among others. She performed on stage with Altamiro Carrilho, Mauricio Carrilho & Pedro Amorim, and played in many rodas de choro with aces like Ronaldo do Bandolim, Marco de Pinna, Paulo Sergio Santos, Carlos Poyares, Alvaro Carrilho, and Leonardo Miranda, to name a few.

The above should be sufficient to give you an idea of Julie's credentials. This CD clearly demonstrates her mastery of the idiom. Her partner Paulinho possesses a very pleasant voice (which on occasion is reminiscent of Gilberto Gil's) and does justice to the sung tunes in addition to providing tasteful guitar accompaniments. Particularly enjoyable are the interplays between flute and voice and flute and guitar. The repertoire is nicely varied while maintaining a structural unity and a natural flow:

01. Tico-Tico no Fubá (Zequinha de Abreu)
02. Chorinho da Paula (Paulinho Garcia) -- w/ vocalese
03. Altamiro no Frevo (Altamiro Carrilho)
04. Carinhoso (Pixinguinha/Carlos Braga)* -- sung
05. Tango Etude No. 3 (Astor Piazzolla)
06. Lamentos (Pixinguinha/Vinicius de Moraes) -- sung
07. Balderrama (G. Leguizamón/M.J. Castilla) -- in Spanish
08. Vê se Gostas (Valdir Azevedo)
09. Choro Bandido (Edu Lobo/Chico Buarque) -- sung
10. Chorinho pra Ele (Hermeto Pascoal) -- sung
11. Obsecion (Pedro Flores) -- sung in Spanish
12. Receita de Samba (Jacob do Bandolim) -- w/ vocalese
13. Eu Te Amo (Tom Jobim/Chico Buarque) -- sung

*This is the first time I've seen Braguinha's real name used in the credit rather than his artistic name João de Barro.

Balm for the soul. --

Daniella Thompson- Saudades do Brasil

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