Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Songs of Brazil:
Choro das 3 returns with Brazilian instrumental music
Buddy Shirk has been on a couple of missions the last couple of years. A longtime member and current second vice president of the Chattanooga Music Club, Shirk has been lobbying to get the club to break from some of its traditional programming. He’s also been trying to bring Choro das 3, “the first family of choro,” Brazil’s traditional music, back to town, and he’s managed to merge both efforts into one.
Choro das 3 is made up of members of the Ferreira family. The group features sisters Corina on flute, Elisa on mandolin, Lia on seven- string guitar and their father, Eduardo, on pandeiro (similar to a tambourine) and percussion. They began playing together in 2002 when the girls were 14, 12 and 9, respectively, and have toured the world.
They played to a small crowd here a couple of years ago, and Shirk has been working since then to bring them back and get the word out to more peo- ple that they are a must-see act. The club is partnering for their return show on Friday, July 29, with the city of Chattanooga, the Tivoli Foundation, Cultural Ambassadors and International Achievers and Jazzanooga.
The Chattanooga Music Club, which began in 1896 and is the oldest such club in the state, primarily focuses on the care and maintenance of the pipe organ at the Tivoli Theatre and the administration of several annual music scholarships. It has presented organ concerts at the Tivoli and elsewhere over the years.
“This is the first time in the long history of the Chattanooga Music Club that it has partnered with other people and that we have done something other than just organ concerts,” Shirk says. “We need to think outside of the box — and this group is just incredible. Kids need to be exposed to this kind of music. I’m just really excited about this and hope people come to see it.”
Choro das 3 has released three albums of traditional Brazilian instrumental music. Choro music has been described as “the New Orleans jazz of Brazil” and like the American art form, as well as blues and ragtime, is based on influences from around the world. It starts with a nod to European classical music then goes into new places, including improvisation.