Customer Reviews

Mike Marshall & Choro Famoso

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Following a trip to Brazil in 1995, newgrass mandolin whiz Mike Marshall decided to tackle an entire album of Brazilian "choro" music, the zippy, propulsive instrumental style pioneered in the late 1800s, alongside it's better-known musical cousin, the samba. This is the latest in a series of choro albums by Marshall, and is perhaps the most mellow set to date... Nice, relaxing stuff, but with enough of a bite and enough virtuoso picking to keep even the grumpiest of us from thinking it's just an ez listening set... Nice stuff, very true to the style with warm versions of classic choro themes by Paulinho Da Viola, Jacob Do Bandolim, and others. Recommended!

MIKE MARSHALL & CHORO FAMOSO is gentle but danceable Brazilian music that harkens back to the 1940s when Jacob Dobandolin was giving Django Reinhardt a run for his money (albeit playing mandolin.)
 Some would describe this music as 'soft jazz', others as 'new acoustic music': both descriptions would be right, even though some of the tunes are over fifty years old.

Ethnomusiciologists Tamara Livingston-Isenhyour and Thomas Caracas Garcia in their book "Choro" mentioned Mike Marshall in discussion of the increasing spread and acceptance of Brazilian choro in the world. It was not a big leap for Marshall to immerse himself in this music since he was with David Grisman's jazzy dawg bluegrass band. Marshall plays his mandolin with precise technique, which came in handy in the faster tracks. By and large, however, this album gives us somewhat soft-edged choros, a tempered and smoother sound, leapfrogging samba to anticipating Gilberto's bossa nova. As Marshall himself was involved with sonic engineering and mixing, this feeling was intended. Classic choros of Jacob do Bandolim, including Nortes Cariocas, and more contemporary works by Paulino da Viola are featured, along with band member Carlos Olivera's own composition. The album is divided into two sections with different musicians. In the final three tracks, clarinetist and saxophonist Harvey Wainapel takes the place of reed Andy Connell. Percussionists also are changed and augmented. This 40-minute brief encounter with an early form of hot Brazilian jazz recast as relaxing, sweeter dinner music was interesting and pleasant. The hear choros by American artists is also worthwhile, as we witness the evolution of the musical form.

I enjoy this recording. The group is very tight and all of the compositions are beautiful. My one complaint? It's too darn short. Only about 40 minutes in length. Not a lot of bang for the buck.