AGEMADUOMI REGIONAL DE CHORO

Brief History of AGEMADUOMI Regional de Choro

AGEMADUOMI? This is the first question for who hears the name of the band for the first time. In a first moment, nobody understands the meaning of that word exactly. But, after hearing some few minutes of the music played by Thimoteo Lobreiro, Marco Antonio, Attila Gomes, Orlando Brito and Adriano Praça any one forgets the enigma of the word to concentrate in the perfection of the melody played by the five friends. The income that originated the band was simple, but it is not easy to copy. Talent, friendship, some irreverence joined the six friends Thimoteo Lobreiro, Attila Gomes, Marco Antonio Alexandre Pacheco, Herbert Ghersel and Heitor Correia that created the original formation of AGEMADUOMI in 1995. To research and to spread the choro  has been the main proposal of AGEMADUOMI. Genuine style of Brazilian music, the Choro was born in the end of 19th century. AGEMADUOMI recorded the first CD in 2002 and innovated with new arrangements  the original music of great masters as Pixinguinha, Chiquinha Gonzaga and Jacob do Bandolim. For all those years, AGEMADUOMI changed some of the components, without leaving aside the musical quality. Alexandre Pacheco, Celso Cordeiro and Heitor Corrêa left, and Adriano Praça and Orlando Brito came. To define accurately the origin of Choro  is a task, at least, very controversy. Musical talents like Chiquinha Gonzaga, Joaquim Antonio of Silva Callado, Ernesto Nazaré, followed by Pixinguinha, Zequinha of Abreu, Jacab do Bandolim and Waldir Azevedo consolidated the Choro as musical gender. This genuine Brazilian music began to be played in the bottom of the back yard houses  of  Rio de Janeiro in the end of the 19th century. It then won the whole Brazilian territory and today is executed all over the world. The origin of the name Choro is still controversial. As it started, in 1880, the Choro was more one form of playing than a musical style, as considered today.  Joaquim Antonio da Silva Callado, flautist and author of the acquaintance "Flor Amorosa"  is one of the marks and obligatory execution of the Regionais de Choro. Callado was of great importance as support for Chiquinha Gonzaga, recognized as the first woman who played publicaly Choro.

Rhythm from the People

According to historians as Danuzio Lima, the first “choroes”, those who play Choro, were hard-workers of the customs of the port of Rio de Janeiro and of other public services that, during the night, used to play for fun. To know to play an instrument was the only ticket to enter in the wheel of Choro. Rules and scores didn't exist and the original instruments were flute, cavaquinho (4 strings Ukulele like guitar) and classical guitar.  Basically, the Regional of Choro is formed by a solo instrument as flute or mandolin, harmony instrument as classical guitar with 6 or 7 strings, cavaquinho that supports the harmony and rhythmic divisions of the harmony, and the pandeiro (tambourine like) for the percussion. The improvisation is one of the characteristics of the Choro and a registered mark of authors as Pixinguinha, Valdir Azevedo, Jacob do Bandolim and Zequinha of Abreu that produced classic Choros as Carinhoso, Brasileirinho, Vibrations, and Tico-tico no fubá, respectively. Tico-tico no fubá is a mark of the Choro with lirics, because  at that time, the Choro was a typical instrumental music. As musical gender, the Choro is more than 130 year old and its popularization grows every day with Choro schools being implanted in many Brazilian cities. On April 23rd the National Day of the Choro is commemorated. Internationally, musicians play Choro in the five Continents. In contries such as Australia, United States, Japan, Nigeria, New Zealand, France, Italy, among others Choro is becoming known. In Brazil, Regionais de Choro as AGEMADUOMI, Galo Preto, Rabo de Lagartixa, Choro na Feira, Choro Carioca, among others, take to the new generations all the preciousness of the style. In the main Brazilian capitals, Clubs and Choro Schools already exist, where lovers of that music meet to play, to hear, to learn and to change musical experiences. After all those evolutions, the Choro is considered today as one of the most sophisticated ways of Brazilian instrumental music.

Flavia Lima
Jornalista

(Translation: Thimoteo Lobreiro)