Recently at the University of Richmond I heard the Assad Brothers Sergio and Odair play a program they called De Vola As Raizes or "Back to our Roots," featuring music from Brazil but also Arab-influenced music. Wow. I have two albums from the brothers, featuring Piazolla tangos and another featuring baroque works. The pair were joined by another singer, Sergio's daughter (who sang and played piano), and a percussionist. They played "in concert" with one another for sure, and every contributor offered a dazzling performance. The stand out was Clarice Assad, whose talents were all over the place. Her vocalizations were articulate and impressive. And only an opening Piazolla number was known to me (Bandeon), the rest being an inventive journey which the artists hoped told a story. Much of the music was toe-tapping, and some was definitely exotic. Not often to you get to hear real masters at their craft. These folks were all masters, especially the brothers Assad. If you ever have the opportunity to hear them, I can only recommend it.
I love music.
I write about the music I like and have purchased for the benefit of better understanding it and sharing my preferences with others.