Conversa Ribeira
Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil | INDIE
Music
Press
“I was very impressed when I first saw Conversa Ribeira. It’s incredible how a new group can, in its first work, have such personality. Listening to Promessa de Violeiro, I thought “but is this piece of music by Raul Torres or their own?”. I had this doubt because the way they perform Zé do Rancho, Celso Adolfo, Teddy Vieira or Torres himself seems to me that the compositions are also by Conversa Ribeira, such identification and personal mark they put in their performance. For some time now I have noticed a certain movement in some artists that have a close connection with a being that I admire: Curupira. This Brazilian myth has strong characteristics: it works hard to protect the forest, the birds, the ant eaters, the Brazilian culture; it lives inside the trees, the centennial ones that carry all the history of the place. Its feet are turned backwards. It always walks forward. But the one who follows its tracks ends up by going back to the past. Conversa Ribeira has a very strong “Curupira feeling”. And they are sincere enough to put their personality in the Brazilian song. Besides being great musicians, the members of the group all feel the same: they understand the way of the country-folk stand. They take the risk of going further in the name of art, going in Curupira’s speed, hiding in the woods worldwide. The joy is even bigger because they can transmit this with emotion. Although their arrangements sound daring and modern, it’s all there: the countryman’s feeling, his love for the land, his passions. When they sing “the heart of the viola player is not like any other/ it’s fragile like the petals of a delicate marigold/ that falls with the wind from the hummingbird wings from a tié bird”...” I feel enchanted with such a beautiful way of making music. Keep on listening…Keep on listening” - Paulo Freire
Discography
CD Conversa Ribeira - 2008
Photos
Bio
Daniel Muller (piano and accordion)
Born in Jundiai (state of Sao Paulo), he graduated in 2001 and mastered in Music in 2005 from UNICAMP (Universidade Estadual de Campinas). As a member of IASPM (Internacional Association for the Study of Popular Music), he presented research papers at the 4th and 5th congresses of IASPM that happened in Mxico City (2002) and in Rio de Janeiro (2005). He is an arranger and musician of Quatro a Zero, an instrumental group that proposes a new reading of choro (typical Brazilian music) and of its tradition through instruments like the electric guitar, the electric bass, the piano and the drums. The group won the second place at Visa Award 2004, released the first cd Choro Eletrico in 2005 and traveled throughout the country in 2006 via Projetos Pixinguinha (Funarte/Petrobras) and Circuito Instrumental Universitario (Petrobras). They have also made shows with A Deriva, a group with a complete musical proposal of contemporary improvisation which released their first cd in 2006.
Joo Paulo Amaral (viola caipira and voice)
Born in Mogi das Cruzes (state of Sao Paulo), he graduated in Popular Music from UNiCAMP (Universidade Estadual de Campinas) in 2001, where he has been doing his Masters. Hes a viola teacher at Centro de Estudos Musicais Tom Jobim (ULM). As a viola soloist he won the first place (category instrumental) at Festival de Pocos de Caldas (2002). Arranger and musician of Trio Carapia (instrumental group of violas caipiras registred on Levante cd, 2007), he has toured with the group on concerts in Europe (Spain and Portugal), invited by the traditional Folk Segovia festival (24th edition). Hes an arranger and musician of Orquestra Filarmonica de Violas (with homonymous cd, nominated for Rival Award-Br-2005) in which he has performed in well-known theaters such as Sala Sao Paulo (2004). He took part in Renato Teixeiras cd, Folias e Cantigas do Povo Brasileiro, (nominated for Tim Award 2004), as well as in recordings and in shows with names like Robertinho Silva, Natan Marques, Ana Luiza, Luiz Felipe Gama, Juliana Amaral, Alberto Luccas, Nene, Ivan Vilela, Paulo Freire and Pena Branca.
Andrea dos Guimaraes (voice)
Born in Tupaciguara (state of Minhas Gerais), she graduated in Popular Music (2000) and mastered in Music (2004) from UNICAMP (Universidade Estadual de Campinas), where she has developed research contrapuntist techniques applied to popular music arrangements. As producer, arranger and singer, she participated in the 20th anniversary of pera do Malandro, by Chico Buarque, that took place at Centro de Convivencia Cultural de Campinas (1999) with grand public appearance. In 2004, she was the musical director of A cancao no tempo - da Epoca de Ouro a Bossa Nova, as final project of the extension course that she taught in the city of Americana. She is a teacher of popular music singing at the important Conservatrio Dramatico e Musical de Tatu (state of Sao Paulo) and at escola Canto do Brasil (Sao Paulo), and also a specialist in the singing of popular music. She is a member of group Cair that develops contemporary rereadings of folk music and Brazilian songs, using arrangements and vocals without lyrics, contrapoints, re-harmony, polyrhythmics and improvisations. She has presented together with great musicians like Chico Saraiva, Rafael dos Santos, Rogrio Botter Maio and Nene.
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