Bate Calado

We attended a terrific performance last night at the Iron Post from the Brazilian band Bate Calado. This group just keeps getting better and better each time we hear them. Check out their Facebook site for information about upcoming gigs.

The singer, Gina Reynolds, is a beautiful powerhouse of energy and motion, her clear soprano tones ringing out in the Portuguese lyrics while she dances to the rhythms. Gina is a graduate student in Political Science at the U of I and a big fan of Brazilian music of all kinds.

Saxophonist and flute player Rick Deja did some truly outstanding solos. We have also heard him play music from Malawi at a concert at the Urbana Free Library earlier this summer. His improvisations are so good--intricate and interesting but never straying too far from the melody of the piece. BTW, check out his amazing website with lots of music and a slide show.

Eduardo Herrera, who also plays with the Cuban band Sandunga frequently mentioned in this blog, brought his new guitar with the hole on the side. It is quite cool and has a different tone and depth as a result of the construction of the instrument. He also played an electric guitar last night. He and Dave Cubberly on electric bass make a wonderful team.

Speaking of teams, two fairly new band members, Cody Jensen and Andy Burton, interact musically in a very successful way: Cody brings in a range of percussion from conga to tambourine and triangle and Andy has the drum set with cymbals. The way they combine reminds us of when Chad Dunn and Giraldo Rosales were both in the band Desafinado, playing off each other's moves so amazingly.

In the first set, we were treated to some great bossa nova and samba numbers, including some favorites by the master composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. The second set presented some lively dance music in the forro (foho) style, a type of country music popular in northeastern Brazil, and even some Brazilian reggae.

We were pleased to learn that, starting in September, this group will be playing at the Post on the first Saturday of each month. Yeah!

We're also looking forward to Desafinado's performance there on the 27th of August. Elis Artz, singer extraordinaire with that band, is back from a two-month visit to her home in northeastern Brazil. Tom Paynter, fabulous pianist/flute and melodica player from Desafinado, was on hand to hear the music too.